Troublesome elevators being repaired after a year
The two elevators at the Houldsworth Centre are undergoing repairs less than a year after opening.
The lifts at the £23million facility have been a hot topic since the Centre opened with breakdowns a constant complaint from the public.
In September last year, we reported how disabled Kirsty Gilchrist collapsed and suffered a panic attack after being trapped for two hours.
The 37-year-old mum was on her way down from the third floor after visiting her GP when she got stuck in the lift with little Willow, her mum Stevie Nagel and pensioner Nan McDonald.
One week prior to the incident, the Wishaw Press had a full question and answer session with NHS Lanarkshire’s head of management services Graham Johnston who said:“The lift company had people in for five days to make sure it wouldn’t have any more problems and we’ve now had over a week without any disruption.”
But one year later, NHS Lanarkshire have revealed they have had to fully repair the two main elevators at the Houldsworth Centre. At last week’s Local Area Partnership meeting at the Houlsdworth Centre, Wishaw and Murdostoun Community Council chair Frank Cain raised the issue after discovering both lifts were down.
He said:“I had to ask at the front reception to use the staff lift at the back of the Houldsworth Centre because the other two were down.
“It’s not good enough, especially for elderly residents who can’t climb the stairs.”
However, in a meeting last Friday, the lift repairs were discussed at length and an NHS official confirmed the works were underway.
A spokesperson said:“One of the lifts at the Houldsworth Health Centre has been fully repaired whilst work is currently on-going to repair the other.
“We expect the work to be completed by mid-September and both elevators to be fully operational.”
It’s not good enough, especially for elderly residents