Changing Places

What is a changing place?

A Changing Place facility is designed specifically for people who cannot use a standard disabled toilet. People with profound and multiple learning disabilities or with physical disabilities such as spinal injuries, muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis often need extra equipment and space to allow them to use toilets safely and comfortably. Changing Places Toilets enable anyone, regardless of their disability, to go to the shops, attend hospital appointments, enjoy community life, socialise and travel.

Why are they important?

People may be limited in their own mobility so need equipment to help them or may need support from one or two carers to either get on the toilet or to have their continence pad changed. Standard accessible toilets don’t provide the correct equipment and many of them are too small to accommodate more than one person. The person with disabilities is put at risk, and families are forced to risk their own health and safety by changing their loved one on the floor. This is not only dangerous and unhygienic it also extremely undignified and no one deserve sot be treated like that. Providing these toilets in public places would make a dramatic difference to the lives of thousands of people who desperately need these facilities.

To find out more about the difference between standard wheelchair accessible toilets and a Changing Place facility, please visit this website.

Each changing places toilet is required to provide the following: