Access for who?

The Royal Edinburgh Infirmary should be seen as one of the flagship hospitals for Scotland. And yet the disgrace that awaits non-mobile patients at the main entrance is shameful. There are no wheelchairs!

In daily visits, at differing times over three weeks, wheelchairs have neither been visible nor available. Thus, in order that my normally housebound elderly mother can visit her daughter in intensive care, I must search fruitlessly for wheelchairs or plead with staff for help. Is this really access for all in 2018? This has not been my experience at other hospitals in the UK.

The wheelchair shortage is clearly a perennial problem as a notice on the nearby discharge lounge states: “Do not ask for wheelchairs as they are in constant use”. Is the lack of provision a deliberate policy? The tiny area set aside in the foyer for available wheelchairs would suggest so. Or perhaps a more proactive reinforcement of the hospital No Smoking policy would at least stop patients using wheelchairs for smoking outside, under the “Smoking Prohibited” signs.

In every other way, the support and care we have received at the Royal has been exemplary. This, however, has not been the case with the simple provision

of sufficient wheelchairs for those with mobility issues. This shameful lack of access needs to be addressed.