'New toilet means no changing my son on the floor'

"No more changing my son on the bathroom floor," said Michelle King as she welcomed new accessible toilets in Peterborough.

The toilets for disabled people, which include hoists, changing benches and space for carers, were made compulsory for new buildings in England in 2020.

The new 24-hour Changing Places Toilet (CPT) facility opened at Peterborough City Hospital, on Friday, more than 15 years after the site was built.

"There's lots of people who have made it possible but I've been campaigning for 17 years. It's amazing but it's also crazy that it's taken this long," said King.

"It's going to make such a difference for so many people.

Previously, families spoke to the BBC about their "frustration" at the lack of CPTs in Peterborough.

Louise Ravenscroft, a mum to two adult children with complex needs, has been campaigning for more specialist toilets in the city for the last two decades.

Currently, there are three CPTs in the city centre, including at Car Haven car park.

Peterborough City Council said it had previously supported installations at Nene Park and Queensgate Centre with government funding.

King is a mum to a son with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) and runs Little Miracles, a charity that supports families across Cambridgeshire

She said the new CPT would give people the "dignity" they deserve.

King added: "My little boy is 19 and we're really fortunate that he is able to walk short distances, but when he was younger we needed this facility.

"I used to have to lay him on the floor of the standard disabled toilet because there wasn't any other facilities at the hospital.

"These toilets are not the cleanest. It's gross, it's disgusting and it shouldn't be happening in this day and age.

"My son, from a young age, used to get really excited when he saw a toilet that he could use that he wouldn't have to lay on the floor for.

"It's heart-breaking when you see young people getting excited about something so basic as a toilet."

She said she knew of young people who restricted their fluid intake so that they could stay out all day.

"So this new facility is really a massive step forward. It gives people dignity, the privacy and the respect they deserve," she said.

Peterborough mum-of-three Natalia Zaman, who runs Julaybib Project, which aims to raise awareness about SEND in Muslim communities and mosques, said she felt "a mix of emotions" at Peterborough's new CPT.

"I am happy that it's finally there but I am very sad that it took so many years for a hospital to actually have it," she said.

She said she was previously forced to change her 10-year-old daughter, who uses a wheelchair, "at the back of the car".

On one occasion, she said a hospital volunteer suggested she change her daughter "in the baby changing room".

"My daughter needs to be catheterized – it's not just changing a nappy," she said.

"It has to be a clean space. It has to be an emergency for me to do it on the toilet floor.

"Lack of a special toilet was just taking the dignity [away] from these people.

"It was upsetting to go for hospital appointments. This toilet is a basic [requirement] and I don't know why it's taken this long to get it in place.

"It will be used by so many people and families."

North West Anglia Foundation NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said it worked closely with stakeholders to ensure the facility met the needs of those who would use it.

Chris Todd, director of estates and facilities, said: "Access to appropriate facilities is not a luxury; it is essential for equality, dignity and inclusion.

"We were pleased to welcome local disability organisations and community partners to see first-hand the difference this facility will make to so many people."

King said she was now campaigning for a similar facility to be opened at the trust's Hinchingbrooke Hospital, in Huntingdon.

The trust said a suitable location has been identified, with work expected to start in the autumn.

Do you have a story suggestion for Peterborough? Contact us below.

Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.