Delivery of
‘best value’ is being given a new approach- at least as far as sanitary
requirements are concerned.
Under current
Building Regulations, and best practice guidance (British Standards), if space
is a limiting factor in toilet provision, the acceptable ‘catch-all’ is to
install a unisex, wheelchair-accessible toilet, to be available for use by
anyone visiting the premises.
Closomat,
Britain’s #1 provider of helpful toilet solutions for anyone with a limitation,
is urging providers to go a stage further, and include therein a little more
space, a hoist and adult-sized changing bench. It delivers, the company
maintains, best value in terms of space management, cost, and customer service.
“Even a unisex
wheelchair-accessible toilet is a compromise,” explains Closomat away from home
project manager Kelvin Grimes. “Many wheelchair users have, and need a carer to
help them. Many need lifting, and are too big for their carer to lift unaided. Figures
suggest at least 0.5million adults have faecal incontinence, a proportion of
which will require pads, nappies, changing.
“Adding a hoist
to a unisex wheelchair accessible toilet takes no extra space, but opens the
doors to large numbers of people who would otherwise stay away- or at home- in
case they needed the toilet. The changing bench does need more space, but its
requirement is still significantly less than providing all the individual
toilet permutations.
“Combined, you
provide a WC facility that needs the needs of most- certainly more than the
Regulatory, supposedly universal solution. And from experience, many unisex
wheelchair-accessible toilets, that are provided as the only ‘public’ WC, often
have the additional space inside anyway, so for those, it is just a case of a
little more kit, that makes the facility useable by many more people, who will
potentially visit with their carers, families.”
Closomat
is unique in its ability to deliver compliant, accessible toileting in
domestic, commercial and public environments. In ‘away from home’ toilets, it
was the original sponsor of the Changing Places Toilet campaign, and has helped
campaigners develop the complimentary Space to Change concept. In domestic
situations, its Palma Vita wash & dry WC is the brand leader.
Closomat
is also unique in its ability to, in-house, provide design advice, supply,
installation, commissioning, project management and subsequent service &
maintenance.
