Did you know that only 122 hospitals in the UK have a registered Changing Places toilet?
With 930 NHS hospitals and over 200 private hospitals across the UK, more needs to be done to ensure there are inclusive facilities in hospitals.
Over 250,000 people in the UK have disabilities meaning they require help with changing and using the toilet. When a hospital doesn’t have a Changing Places toilet, disabled people may struggle to attend important medical appointments or visit their family and friends. This is unacceptable, and not only puts their health at risk, but can leave them isolated.
In this article, we will cover 3 reasons why it is essential that we increase the number of hospitals with registered Changing Places in the coming years.
Since January 2021, any new hospital or primary care centres are now legally required to install Changing Place facilities. Following a lengthy consultation, this is the government’s response to a proposal to increase the provision of Changing Places toilets.
This new legislation is particularly important in reference to the government’s plan to build 40 new hospitals by 2030, with all needing to comply with the new regulations in their planning applications. These are set out in Document M and BS 8300-2:2018 building regulations.
It is hoped that the new legislation will help address the needs of disabled people who have been previously overlooked.
Hospitals have had funding for Changing Places since 2018, helping to boost the number of facilities available to patients, their families and staff.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) allocated a £2 million fund specifically for Changing Places installations. This was with the objective of helping over 100 NHS hospitals to build Changing Places facilities.
In January 2020, an initial £500,000 was shared across ten hospital Trusts in England. This translated into 16 new Changing Places toilets being scheduled for installation.
During the first round of successful bids in 2020, some Trusts were successful in applying for more than one Changing Places toilet to be installed. Here is a list of the hospitals that secured the first batch of funding:
Trust | Funding |
---|---|
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | £105,000 |
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust | £51,000 |
Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust | £34,000 |
Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | £35,000 |
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | £40,000 |
Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust | £35,000 |
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust | £97,000 |
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust | £60,000 |
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals | £50,000 |
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | £17,000 |
In addition to those funds, there was also a £30 million Changing Places fund that was announced in the March 2020 budget. This deal was put together to increase the provision of Changing Places toilets in existing public buildings.
One of those public areas that has benefitted from the scheme is Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway station, which was opened in April 2024.
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We’ve heard many stories from carers, families and those with a disability, about the importance of having somewhere where they can change and refresh safely, but also in a dignified way.
Lorna Fillingham’s nine-year-old daughter, Emily-May, has a development delay, and still wears nappies, so requires a Changing Places toilet.
Her local park does have Changing Places facilities, but her local hospital doesn’t.
Lorna commented:
“The last time we went, she was absolutely soaked through after the end of a very long appointment because there was absolutely nowhere to change her.”
This story is just one of thousands where families have a daily struggle finding suitable toilet facilities to use safely or in comfort.
Put yourself in their shoes and you will understand why Changing Places is so important. Hospitals are essential for the care that they provide, and that should extend to catering to the needs of the people that rely on them.
NHS Trusts have occasionally raised a few concerns about how they can incorporate Changing Place facilities into their hospitals.
So, we are addressing some common questions.
The three concerns are cost, space and hygiene – especially in today’s current climate.
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