The importance of Changing Places

Over a quarter of a million severely disabled people in the UK, including those with profound and multiple learning disabilities, don’t have access to public toilet facilities that meet their needs. As a result, these people can’t participate in the day-to-day activities that so many of us take for granted.

Standard accessible (’disabled’) toilets don’t provide changing benches or hoists, and most are too small to accommodate more than one person.

Without Changing Places toilets, severely disabled persons are put at risk. Families or carers are forced to change them on toilet floors, in the back of their car, or a number of other places that are equally unhygienic and undignified. This puts the individual and the person administering the care at risk.

Don’t miss out on opportunities

Statistics show that only 20% of motorway service stations provide a Changing Places toilet. This can restrict people with disabilities from travelling long distances as they don’t have access to facilities they require.

Providing Changing Places not only allows users to enjoy the services available but also offers a new stream of revenue to Motorway Services and the businesses within.

You can also tell people via social media or PR about the facilities and accessibility you offer to boost your ‘disability friendly’ reputation!!

Great news of more funding!

Department for Transport’s Strategy includes a commitment to provide £2 million funding for the purpose of getting more Changing Places toilets installed at motorway service stations across England.

This money from the Department for Transport would mean that over ¼ million people with severe disabilities and their families will be able to travel easily and comfortably on the road network, safe in the knowledge that they can access toilets and facilities that meet their needs.

Cash in on the purple pound

According to Government research the money that households with a disabled person spend is estimated to be worth £212 billion.

This figure is known as the ‘purple pound’ and relates to all the disabled people in the UK.

Whilst many of these people can use a standard accessible (’disabled’) toilet, there’s still a huge number of profoundly disabled people whose families are having to carefully plan any day out, because so few organisations cater for their needs.

Planning a Changing Places toilet? – Contact us today

Any questions don’t hesitate to call us on 0800 298 6000 or drop us a line to [email protected]

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See your Changing Places before it’s built

If you’re planning on installing a Changing Places facility in your organisation you can see what it will look like before it’s built! We are pleased to be able to offer not only quotations for your Changing Places but also CAD drawings and 3D visualisations to help make the project become more of a reality.

Below are listed some of the benefits of having 3D visualisations of what will be your finished project.

Main benefits of 3D visualization of your project

1. Enhances & Improves Visual Communication – Many, if not the majority of people learn well when they can see something in the best possible way. From the earliest stages of a project, those invested in the project need to be able to see what it is going to look like once completed.
2. Easily Show Concepts and Options for a Project – There are usually many options and concepts for any project. This could include different looks and designs. A project rendering can quickly and effectively show project managers and clients what the different options will look like.
3. Precise and Accurate Renderings – We use actual CAD data, Google Earth and project images, technical drawings and other accurate information to create accurate, high definition visualizations.
4. Easy to Distribute – It’s very difficult to work with and distribute physical copies of drawings or renderings. It’s much simpler to upload documents and then send a link to the people involved in a project than to email back and forth large files.
5. Virtual Reality – Virtual Reality is going to take over the world very quickly! You can now simply attach a virtual device to your phone allowing you to view videos in a virtual reality setting.
6. Easily Marketable and Shareable – With Social Media taking over the world it is important to be able to utilize these channels to get your content to the masses. A 3D visualization is a great way to market a concept or project to the public!
7. Catch Problems BEFORE Construction – Because we build your project virtually in 3D using actual design data, we have found that this process is invaluable in finding potential problems or design issues that typically can be easily missed.

Our experience with Changing Places toilets

We have extensive experience in installing Changing Places and can offer professional support and advice on any project. We are also proud to have completed multiple Changing Places including one at the iconic Royal Festival Hall at Southbank Centre in London. We offer complete turn-key solutions including the installation and equipment that meets all the regulatory requirements.  Click on the links to see our Blogs on latest installations: Gloucester University  / Southbank Centre

Planning a Changing Places? – Contact us today

Call us on 0800 298 6000 or email [email protected] one of the team will be happy to assist you.

Hoist rail system – The wall rail system with no need for structural support

Fixing ceiling hoists to walls with no structural support is now made possible with the wall rail system. This makes the system perfect for pre-fabricated buildings with stud walls, buildings where there is no structural support in the roof, and rooms with very high ceilings.

The unique new hoist system covers the whole room, giving the maximum amount of coverage with a traverse rail which can cover up to 5 metres with a total maximum SWL of 255 kg (40 stone).

The innovative design means that small discrepancies in the width of the room can be overcome without any special adaptions whilst the narrow profile and concealed fixings ensure that the wall rail appears discreet and stylish, blending into the decor of the room.  LED lights can also be mounted underneath the rails for atmospheric lighting effects, and a cupboard can be built to hide the hoist when not in use.

Revolution in fixing

These wall rails are a revolution in fixing and can be fitted not only to brick and block walls, but also to plasterboard (stud) walls with no further structural support required, giving great flexibility for mounting the rail system. The system has been designed in conjunction with structural engineers and a safety factor of 50% is built in to the design. Upon completion every system is weight tested to a multiplier of 1,5 of the Safe Working Load to meet BS EN 10535 standard.

The ongoing benefits using wall rail hoist systems

A point that is often overlooked when considering fixing methods for ceiling hoists, is future and ongoing maintenance requirements. By law these hoists must be serviced every 6 months under the LOLER 1998 regulations. By bringing all fixings beneath ceiling level, working at height risks are greatly reduced and the maintenance process is simplified.

Why use Multicare Medical?

We are proud to provide complete solutions for care facilities of all kinds,offering professional support for their inclusion in your projects / refurbishments or whatever your specific need may be.  Our aim is to help and support you every step of the way, to ensure that projects are delivered on time and within budget.  We can also assist with finance and leasing schemes.

Call 0800 298 6000 today to arrange your free site survey or to discuss your needs.

Alternatively can simply complete our contact form below:

Quality Changing Couches

We offer a range of high quality, fixed or power adjusted nursing/changing couches designed to provide a stable platform suitable for changing adults and children in a variety of settings: schools, day care centres, institutions, hospitals and private homes.

The wall mounted changing couches can be used for showering and changing, and offer the ultimate in safety with integral side rails and other safety features.

The Pressalit 3000 Series is the ultimate wall mounted changing bench, with a Safe Working Load of 200kg (31.5 stone) It is easy to operate, and with a water collection tray, easy to clean and maintain. The 2000 series offer affordable showering with a removable mesh surface and also has a water collection tray. The 1000 Series couch is an ideal budget couch for situations where funding is restricted. It offers Pressalit quality for a budget price.

Use of Changing Couches

Wall mounted changing couches are perfect for multi user environments such as Changing Places rooms and school changing areas. The height adjustment feature means that users can either side transfer from a wheelchair, or sit on the couch, prior to it being raised to a safe height for the carers.

What we offer

Multicare offer a site survey and installation service by fully trained engineers. We can also look after the ongoing servicing and maintenance of the equipment to ensure that is is kept in good working order.

Contact us today

Call us today on 0800 298 6000 or email [email protected] one of the team will be happy to assist you.

How to make your school more accessible to disabled students – Part 1 – Legislation and general advice

In this blog we will be looking at the question ‘How can I make my school accessible to disabled students’. Many schools when faced with the challenge of looking after disabled children face a lack of resource and support and we hope this blog will help and demonstrate how you can meet this challenge.

Why should I make my school accessible for disabled students?

The Equality Act 2010 says that all council-maintained schools and academies must make themselves accessible so pupils with a disability can benefit as fully as possible from the facilities and learning opportunities available. They cannot discriminate against pupils because of their physical or mental disability, or some medical conditions, like HIV, MS and cancer. This means that you must continually aim to improve your physical environment for disabled pupils whilst also increasing the time they can participate in the curriculum and ensure they have appropriate learning materials.

However, the law does take into account “reasonable adjustments”. If in order to make your school accessible to disabled you would have to knock it down and rebuild it, it could be argued that this is not reasonable!

So what adjustments would I need to make for a disabled student?

The level of adjustments you have to make depend entirely on the level of disability that you are working with. It may be that in order to stand at a toilet, all that is needed is a grab rail in the correct place, for a more disabled student, a full hygiene room with a ceiling hoist, changing couch and specialist toilet may be required.

What are the main areas I need to consider?

Broadly speaking the main areas to consider are

• Access to school. Can the school be accessed safely? Are any additional ramps, handrails or lifts required? Which areas will the student need to access and is access clear to these areas. Rather than making changes to all areas, you may wish to move rooms around, for instance if you have a classroom near a hygiene room, that classroom may be better suited for the student.
• Access to learning. What additional resources are required for the child to access the curriculum. This may be learning resources, specialist software or computer hardware, or other enabling devices that will facilitate the learning process.
• Personal care. One of the most sensitive areas when looking after a student with special physical needs, especially in Senior Schools as bodily changes are taking place, we will deal with this in more detail later in this series.
• Emergency Procedures. One of the most important areas to consider is how evacuation can take place in the event of an emergency. Particularly important in schools with two storeys, and if your student has seizures or other conditions.

Contact us today

Any questions or need further assistance? Call us today on 0800 298 6000 or email [email protected]

Sling Tagging System – Hoist with confidence

How do i know my slings are safe to use?? – This is a common question when moving and handling procedures are to be carried out.

The sling inspection and tagging process we use will ensure that your slings are safe to use and clearly state when their next LOLER inspection is due. This tagging process means that staff can carry out hoisting with confidence and safety is dramatically increased.

Problems with existing solutions:

• Lack of traceability.
• Current tags can get in the way when using your sling.
• Some providers hand write the LOLER dates on the tag which looks unprofessional.
• The tags are large and unpleasant to look at.
• Not all providers tag their slings, making it harder for users to recognise if their sling has been LOLER tested.

Our tagging solution:

• Our sling tag is smaller and discreet.
• The sling tag is easy to read and colour coded.
• The LOLER dates are instantly visible and the sling tag is wash resistant.
• The sling tag can be applied to any sling.
• Our design means that it will not be uncomfortable or cause pressure points when using the sling.
• The tag cannot be removed and then reattached.

What are LOLER regulations?

LOLER regulations (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Requirements, 1998) aim to ensure that all lifting equipment and lifting accessories in the workplace are used in a safe and appropriate manner.

The regulations state that all lifting equipment should have suitable strength and stability for its designed use. LOLER also states that the Safe Working Load (SWL) and maintenance dates must be clearly visible on the equipment and any faults are reported immediately.

LOLER is implemented to prevent the risk of injuries or fatalities which may occur from the use of lifting equipment within the care environment.

Contact us

Call us today on 0800 298 6000 or email [email protected]