New Changing Places facility opened at Great Western Hospital thanks to mums' campaign

A group of six mums from Swindon have brought about the installation of a new Changing Places toilet at the Great Western Hospital.

Mums on a Mission set up their campaign to secure funding for the facility two years ago but it finally opened last week (27 July).

The new accessible toilet includes an adult-sized changing table, ceiling hoist, a height adjustable sink and a shower.

One of the six mums who founded the group, Anna Bird, said: “We feel like it’s a massive achievement, a massive tick off of our list of things.

"So, many people say to us that they are shocked that the Great Western Hospital didn’t have a Changing Places Facility already, we wrote to our local MP’s and they were surprised so, got behind the campaign as well.”

A standard disabled toilet fails to meet the needs of at least one in 250 people.

Until the facility was finally opened, the mums would have to change their children on the floor.

Anna said: “We started being open about what it was like going to the hospital - when you’re there for an appointment and your child needs to be changed, our only option was to change them on the floor of the disabled toilet."

“Until the facility was there, we’d have to bring in these large changing mats, lie them on the floor and change them down there.”

The group says the new changing places toilet provide a safe, hygienic and dignified place for caregivers to change their children.

On its first day of opening, the mums received messages and pictures of support from Facebook followers.

But the Mum’s mission doesn’t stop there.

The group are now working to make more of Swindon hotspots inclusive, including Lydiard Park, Coate Water Country Park and the Swindon Designer Outlet Village.

£100,000 worth of government funding has now been secured to create changing places toilets at the three locations by the end of 2023, by Swindon Borough Council.

A spokesperson for the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has welcomed the new addition.

They said: "We are delighted to have worked with Mums on a Mission who helped us design our first ever Changing Places Facility.

“This room will ensure adults and children with disabilities have a safe and private space to change and can be used by any visitor to the hospital.

“Thank you to our Trust charity, Brighter Futures, who helped to raise the funds needed to buy the equipment.”

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