WAV

Hoists in hotels

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It is difficult for us to go away from home for any length of time. We have everything we need here, it’s fully accessible and set up exactly how we need it with a specialist profiling ‘hospital’ bed, ceiling track hoist and wet room. We also have a team of wonderful carers who come in and help us provide care for Quinns.

When we went to London for a hospital appointment last month, we had to leave all the home comforts and team behind for nearly a week. After our public transport experiences last time we decided to drive all the way. Huge thanks to Dad for his bravery at driving across Central London!

Quinns smiling in front of four made up beds in the Ronald McDonald House Evelina
Quinns and his Big Sister smile in the kitchen of the Ronald McDonald House Evelina
Quinns and his Big Sister smile with Westminster in the background across the river from Guys and St Thomas' hospital

Thankfully we were given a room in the Ronald McDonald Evelina House the nights before and after our appointment. Arriving to find a parking space in front of the house was a great relief after being on the road for nearly 12 hours. The DBS appointment went well but took the best part of the day, so it was so helpful to have a space to rest before we hit the road again the following day.

Dad managed to arrange a work gig for the Friday so on Thursday we transferred to the Premier Inn hotel at London Archway for the next two nights. I had heard it was the most accessible hotel in London boasting a total of 9 accessible rooms with ceiling track hoists!

We had two rooms booked: one standard and one accessible with a ceiling track hoist. After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing we ended up with two accessible rooms, both with hoists. One had a wet room with a shower, the other had a bathroom. (It was brilliant to have both so there was a choice of whether to shower or bath Quinns but a bit of me did feel guilty about having two accessible rooms in case someone else needed one.)

Part of the struggle with being away isn’t just the lack of hoisting but a combination of no hoist, low bed, and no additional helpers. So having one of those issues solved gave my back a bit of a rest at least.

Quinns smiles in his gravity chair in front of Anita who is sitting on a double bed. There is a ceiling track hoist in the top left of the picture.

Quinns, Big Sister and I had the Friday free to explore the city while Dad worked. Although the hotel is the most accessible in London the closest tube stations are not. We would have had a 25-minute walk to the nearest step free station, and we weren’t feeling well disposed to taking the bus after last time especially with a team member missing.

Instead, we made the most of our hotel room. With only an accessible shower room at home it was a bonus to be able to get Quinns in the bath. We used the hoist with his shower sling to gently lower him into the water where he relaxed for a good 30-40 minutes. It saved me from building the painstakingly packaged up shower chair that we had brought with us in the WAV.

Accessible bathroom with ceiling track hoist over bath and toilet in the Premier Inn Archway London
Connector for ceiling track hoist from hotel bedroom to bathroom

After our visit I contacted Premier Inn to thank them for having so many rooms with hoists available. I found out that bed raisers would have been available if I’d asked for them and the style of bed they are using is suitable for use with a mobile hoist which is good to know for future.

I also asked them why this one hotel had so many accessible rooms with hoists especially since the nearest tube station wasn’t accessible. Apparently, it was a planning condition from the Council when the hotel was built. So, this hotel has nine and their London Stratford hotel has one. Sadly though Premier Inn has no plans to roll out hoists in any other hotels in their chain.

Before this trip to London, I had never really thought about hoists in hotel rooms but they made a really big difference to our experience. There would be real potential if Premier Inn and other hotel chains were to take this on. Since being on this trip, I have also discovered there are no hoists in hotels in the whole of Scotland!

I would love to know about other people’s experiences of hoists in hotels.

North to South

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I can’t let World Toilet Day pass without talking about Changing Places toilets. It has been great to hear that the 2000th Changing Place was registered in the past week. It’s a huge achievement but there’s still a long way to go to get Changing Places in all public spaces.

Quinns smiles while being lifted in his hoist sling supported by his smiling Big Sister by his side.

In recent months we’ve travelled to the north of Scotland and to the south of England from our base in Central Scotland. Our WAV (Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle) has given us freedom to roam. Quinns is happy and comfortable remaining in his wheelchair as we drive.

Our routes are always rigorously timed and planned according to stops with a Changing Places toilet available to give him a break. On our first journey north of around 150 miles we planned for one stop to break up our three hour journey. There is a choice of only two Changing Places toilets along the entire route!

Quinns smiles sitting at a table with his Big Sister behind him. The front of the Tiso store in Aviemore. A lit up Changing Places sign above the door to the Changing Places toilet in the Tiso store.

We chose the Tiso store in Aviemore, which was slightly over the halfway point. As well as the newly installed Changing Place we were pleasantly surprised to find a cafe in the outdoor/camping shop. The food was so good it tempted us back on our journey south again.

We would have liked to try out the Changing Place in Pitlochry but with limited opening hours it didn’t work with our plans. So for journeys north we will be back to Tiso until there are others for us to try.

Our second journey was the long road back to Quinns’ London hospital. At more than double the distance of our journey north, about 340 miles, we expected it to take us around six hours and need two stops. Thankfully, recently, there has been a large investment of funding for Changing Places toilets in services across England so we had our choice of service station stops with suitable facilities along the route. 

Instructions on how to use a Wall Mounted Changing Bench 3000. Quinns and his Big Sister smiling in the middle of a Changing Places toilet with adjustable height bench, sink, hoist and screen all visible. Sign that reads 'Changing Places toilet installed thanks to funding provided by the Department for Transport with Muscular Dystrophy UK.

In order to meet the standard required most Changing Places look the same, with similar equipment and fittings. On our way south we noted in one of the new service station toilets there were instruction panels for each bit of equipment. This is a really helpful addition as although the equipment is similar it’s not necessarily always the same and we need to work out how to use it.

On the way back we decided not to travel straight home, instead stopping in Leeds to meet friends. We were impressed by the additional details in the Changing Places in the Royal Armouries Museum there. Quinns especially enjoyed seeing the elephant statue on the screen. These small details make a big difference to our experience.

Green elephant fittings on an adjustable height bench which is closed against a wall. Quinns with his back to the camera looks at a screen with an elephant statue on it.

Using Changing Places in service stations meant we didn’t need to track too far off route and add extra time to our journey unless we had a reason to do so. Sadly they are not quite in all service stations yet. On the final leg of our journey we stopped at Tebay North having used Tebay South on the way only to discover there’s no Changing Place in the north one and no access to the south. 

We learned important lessons from our journeys north and south including how little choice we have and why route planning is so essential for us. There may be 2000 registered Changing Places across the country now but the campaigning for more must go on.

Short trip north

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After a long 18 month wait for our wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) we were finally able to take a longer trip away for a much needed break. It was wonderful to be able to visit Nairn for a few days to see family.

Quinns and his Big Sister smile standing on a large rainbow at the #TeamHamish splashpad in Nairn

We had a lot of fun flying our new kite on the beach, walking along the rows of boats in the harbour and seeing basking sharks swimming in the Moray Firth. The real highlight of our trip was visiting the rainbow bright SplashPad created by #TeamHamish. Quinns thoroughly enjoyed pressing the button before racing around trying to avoid the fountains of water!

Big Sister is pushing Quinns fast to avoid the streams of water at the rainbow Nairn SplashPad.
Quinns looks serious in his Bug on the beach holding a red kite handle and string.
A kite flies high above the clouds and some cottages by the beach.
Quinns and his Big Sister pose in front of the boats in Nairn harbour.
Quinns looks at his Big Sister as they spin on the accessible roundabout next to Nairn beach.

We’re already looking forward to going back and can’t wait to see the second phase of the #TeamHamish plans as they begin to take shape.

A boring trip to the zoo

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Quinns asked to go to the zoo to see the giraffes. Not a big ask for his seventh birthday but there were two big problems. As far as I was aware there is no Changing Places toilet at the zoo. Generally we like to go places where we are certain they have the facilities we need which is absolutely fine as a strategy. But if we don’t ever go to places that don’t have them there’s never any pressure to install them. So we decided to take the risk and make sure to ask about the facilities raising a little awareness while we were at it.

The second issue is our car is no longer good for travelling any distance. We’re currently awaiting delivery of our WAV (wheelchair accessible vehicle). Although we ordered it a couple of months ago we will be lucky if it arrives before the end of the year.

After researching public transport we planned our day to take the Citylink bus. Before paying for our four seats I was asked if we needed a wheelchair space. We did and I booked it for both directions at no extra cost. Simple.

So far so good but I will admit I was intrigued about how they would get Quinns’ wheelchair on a coach! I was also extremely nervous about whether the day would run smoothly or not because there were so many variables and given our past experiences it seemed like a fairly ambitious plan.

When the big day arrived, I told the bus driver I had booked the wheelchair space. We had to wait till everyone else boarded because she ‘would need to do all the shenanigans with the steps’. The shenanigans turned out to be a quick button press which turned the steps into a lift to take Quinns and his wheelchair into the coach where they were secured in the front seat.

Quinns being lowered to the ground in his wheelchair on a lift attached to a coach.

He had the best view out of the front of the bus the whole way to the zoo where we repeated the process of getting him off to an amazed group of onlookers.

Quinns smiling as he sits in his wheelchair at the front of the coach

On arrival at the zoo the first thing to do was find out about the facilities. After my usual conversation about how accessible toilets are not sufficient for our needs I found out there is a Changing Place toilet in the planning just not opened yet. We were offered the use of the medical room and given the number to call for access.

We had been before so were well aware of the giant hill the zoo is built on. I was impressed with the accessibility map we were given which pointed out the steps and showed us where the steepest slopes were allowing us to plan our route. We had the option to use the accessibility vehicle to get to the top of the hill but in our wisdom we chose to make our own way there. Something I think we regretted a little when it drove past us as we struggled up a steep incline.

However between the three of us we made it. We even managed to time our visit to the giraffes when they had been brought inside to eat so we had a perfect view. Some of the enclosures on the way up made it really difficult for Quinns to see but there were also plenty of lower or glass viewing points for him so he didn’t miss out on too much.

Quinns & Big Sister have a chat while looking through glass screens at the penguins in their enclosure

Once we had seen all the animals we had a quick lunch. Then all too soon, and without having a chance to try out the accessible roundabout in one of the play parks, it was time to head out to catch the coach home. Which was as uneventful as the first time.

Despite my concerns and readiness for some sort of fight or difficulty the day was pretty peaceful. Thankfully our risk with going somewhere without a Changing Place Toilet paid off on this occasion but it would have been so much easier to know it was available for us. Hopefully the plan for one will soon be a reality.

All in all the day was a success and Quinns went to bed that night a very tired but also very happy little boy.

Quinns and Big Sister pose smiling beside a #GiraffeAboutTown at the entrance to Edinburgh zoo