Parents Call for More “Changing Places” Toilets in Hospitals Across the Region
Last week, ITV News visited our Head Office to speak to parents about the challenges they face when hospitals lack Changing Places Toilets — specialist facilities designed to provide the space and equipment needed for children and adults with complex physical disabilities.
At Little Miracles, we support hundreds of families across our region who care for children with additional needs, disabilities, and life-limiting conditions. For many of these families, something as basic as using the toilet during a hospital visit can become a distressing and undignified experience — simply because the right facilities aren’t available.
Our recent conversations with families reveal that just over half of our region’s main hospitals do not have a Changing Places Toilet. Changing Places Toilets are far more than just accessible bathrooms. They include an adult-sized changing bench, a ceiling hoist capable of lifting up to 150 kilograms, and enough space for carers to support safely and comfortably. For many of the families we work with, these facilities are not a convenience — they are a necessity.
Mum Natalie and her 16-year-old daughter Sienna, who has cerebral palsy explained that when Sienna attends appointments at Peterborough City Hospital, the lack of a Changing Places Toilet often means she must change her on the floor.
“There’s no dignity, really,” Natalie said. “Sometimes there isn’t even a clean space, and it’s painful for her. I’ve even injured my back from years of lifting her without a hoist.”
It’s a story we hear again and again. Our founder, Michelle, has fought for years for these facilities at Peterborough City Hospital for her own son, Oliver.
“It feels like we don’t matter,” Michelle said. “No one should have to lay their child on a dirty floor just to meet a basic human need.”
Hospitals often cite lack of space or funding as reasons for the delay, but the consequences of inaction are serious. Parents risk injury, children lose dignity, and families sometimes avoid hospital visits altogether. In the long run, the cost of back injuries and missed appointments to the NHS far outweighs the price of installing a Changing Places Toilet.
We believe that every person has the right to go to the toilet safely and with dignity — and that should include our disabled children and adults.
At Little Miracles, we’re calling on hospitals across the region to prioritise installing Changing Places Toilets, ensuring that no family ever has to choose between health and dignity again.
View the full ITV report below, and click here to find out more about how you can support us.