Changing Places Toilets consultation may lead on to green light
A consultation released by the Scottish Government, which states that all new buildings should be equipped with at least one Changing Places Toilet (CPT), has acquired backing in Glasgow.
According to the Scottish Government’s website, a CPT provides: “Toilet and washing facilities for people with multiple and complex disabilities who have one or more carers.
“It offers enough space for a disabled person when they are not in their wheelchair, as well as their carers.”
The government has been working with a number of organisations, including the charity PAMIS (Promoting a More Inclusive Society) and the Changing Places Consortium, in an attempt to raise awareness of the project.
A Dundee railway station was under scrutiny late last year after ScotRail rejected pleas for a CPT to be installed as part of the newly refurbished building.
It is hoped that the consultation will result in a law being passed which insists on CPTs being an essential part of plans for any new public building in the near future.
Frank Kelly shares his story
“My father-in-law is 86 years old. He is a man of huge modesty and integrity. In the last few years has largely lost his mobility. Socially, he has maintains a level of independence.
Recently, however, he has developed issues relating to personal toileting, which have compromised his independence and his dignity as he relies heavily on support. Circumstances can be cramped at home or when visiting relatives and friends.
Facilities available in public places and even hotels and restaurants can be over intimate and can limit where he is able to go. This can be extremely frustrating and upsetting for my father-and -law as he is, and has always been, a man who enjoys leaving his house and socialising in new and interesting places.
This new initiative being launched by the Scottish Government would be a welcome development for people like my father-in-law and the rest of my family. It would offer more comfort, more dignity and more choice of places to visit. Freer movement and manipulation of wheelchairs, and indeed more personal space would make the experience of using the toilet much more dignified and cause less anxiety or panic for the people involved.”
