New Changing Places toilet opens at the PRUH

05 June 2023 - A new facility for people with learning and physical disabilities, and their carers, has been unveiled.

A new Changing Places toilet specially designed for people with learning and physical disabilities, and their carers, was unveiled at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) in Farnborough last week.

The new facility – officially opened on Friday, 2 June by Sir Bob Neill, MP for Bromley and Chislehurst, and hospital staff – offers enough space to accommodate two carers and includes an adult-sized, height adjustable changing bench and basin, toilet and ceiling hoist.

The toilet is one of over 1,800 Changing Places toilets installed across the country, and will enhance the hospitals’ ability to support those patients and their carers with additional access needs.
The toilet is located on the ground floor of the hospital at the PRUH, and was made possible thanks to support and collaboration with Bromley Council to obtain funding via the £30.5m Changing Places Fund from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

The hospital has also worked with local group Need2Change, who have long campaigned for more accessible Changing Places in the community. Clare Smith, from Need2Change, said: “It is great to see this facility in our local hospital which will make hospital visits much easier and a lot less stressful. A huge thank you to all involved in making this happen.”

Monica Osunde and her son Benson also attended the opening, and are among the many patients and carers who will benefit from the new facility.

Jonathan Lofthouse, Site Chief Executive for PRUH and South Sites, said: “We are always looking at how we can improve the experience of patients and carers using our services, so this is a positive step forward for the PRUH, and specifically people visiting the hospital that have additional needs”.

It is estimated that over 250,000 people nationally require the use of a Changing Places facility, and it is now a legal requirement for many new public buildings, including new hospitals, to incorporate these facilities.