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Health Centre apologises after disabled pair are turned away for safety reasons
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| Yeadon Health Centre |
Outraged disabled people have slammed a new state of the art health centre which turned them away because of a lack of safety equipment.
Yeadon's £6.9m Health Centre opened its doors to patients in October last year, and has been providing a limited specialist dental service.
But two wheelchair-bound women were told they could not be treated at the second floor dental unit because the centre did not have emergency evacuation chairs to take disabled patients down the stairs if lifts cannot be used because of fire.
Yesterday the Leeds PCT apologised to the two women involved and said the problem had now been resolved.
The issue came to light after double amputee Diane Laurie was turned away when she arrived for her appointment.
Mrs Laurie, 67, of Otley Lane, Yeadon, is terrified of dentists and had to psyche herself up for the appointment.
She said: "It is the first time I have not been able to do something because of my disability. It is unacceptable that a brand new building should not be properly equipped for disabled people.
"It is the first time I have really realised how disabled people feel when because of their disability they can't do normal things like go to the dentist."
Mrs Laurie, who has had to use a wheelchair for the past four years, added: "My son took me there and we got the lift up. It's a beautiful new building - but when we got up there they said sorry we can't treat you because we haven't got an evacuation chair and there could be a fire.
"You do expect it in these Victorian buildings, but not in a brand new health centre.
"I said it is only going to take 10 minutes - can you just slip me in. I said if the firemen has to come he can throw me over his shoulders."
Christine Wendon, 64, who suffers from MS, was referred to the centre by her dentist but was left waiting for an appointment.
When her husband rang to find out what was happening he was told they didn't have the facilities to cope with his wife who uses a wheelchair.
Mrs Wendon, of Yeadon, said: "My husband was absolutely disgusted, and so was I. Why have a place like that opening if you haven't got all the facilities?"
The lack of basic equipment in a brand new centre has outraged the women's councillor Graham Kirkland.
He said: "I think this is absolutely disgraceful and discrimination of the first order. The place has been open a year - why was such a vital piece of equipment not ordered before it was even opened?
"These chairs are available for a negligible amount of money and they are not difficult to get hold of. Relative to the cost of the multi-million pound centre these chairs are very small beer indeed.
"We fought very hard to get a dental unit there and when we get one they are turning people away.
"I just wonder how many other disabled wheelchair users they have turned away."
A spokesman for the PCT said: "We would like to apologise to our two patients who have had difficulty in receiving treatment at Yeadon Community Health Centre.
"We sincerely regret that this has happened and we thank them for bringing this matter to our attention.
"We have made investigations and are pleased to say that this situation has been resolved and that people will be able to receive their treatment."
10:42am Thursday 19th June 2008
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