Why are our GP surgeries still failing to cater for the disabled?

Surgeries have scored poorly in a survey carried out for NHS South East Essex which checked things like disabled parking, doorway widths, braille signs and even the colour of walls.

The failings have been criticised by Southend Access Group, a voluntary pressure group representing people with disabilities, and a national charity.

Eighty-eight surgeries and clinics in Southend, Rochford and Castle Point were assessed, with 15 not meeting even half of a list of “reasonable adjustments” to accommodate disabled people.

Twenty-nine premises met three-quarters of the relevant criteria and 44 met between 50 and 74 per cent. Only the new, purpose-built, Leigh Primary Care Centre in London Road, Leigh, met most of the requirements. However, Ron Alexander, from Southend Access Group, still had concerns over its parking provision.

Mr Alexander, a wheelchair user himself, helped survey 15 of the properties in Leigh.

He said: “Blue badge parking areas were quite a wheel away from the new Leigh Primary Care Centre, and as far as I’m concerned I don’t think the bays meet the legal requirement for width, and distance, from a building.”

His main concern for buildings he surveyed was the emergency access for wheelchair users.

He said: ”I was greatly disappointed with the results. The biggest issue I found was health and safety around inaccessible fire exits. There are steps on many of the exits.”

The results have also been criticised by the national spinal charity Aspire, which has a home in Bellevue Mews, Southend, specially adapted for people with spinal injuries to recuperate after a hospital stay.

Alex Rankin, campaigns manager at Aspire, said: “It is galling to find disabled people are being denied access to essential services most of us take for granted.

“The Disability Discrimination Act needs to be more prescriptive at the moment buildings are expected to have “reasonable” adjustments.

“We are having less and less sympathy for organisations which have not done the improvements. The Act has been in some time now. They’ve had plenty of warning and these things should have been addressed years ago.”

With regard to fire exits, Mr Rankin said buildings without a ramped fire exit should have a fire evacuation chair to get people downstairs in an emergency.

“I would be appalled if the needs of wheelchair users were not considered in a fire safety plan for a building open to the public.”

Mr Alexander, who also runs Southend Dial (Disability Information and Advice Line), said: “One good thing was all the staff I encountered at surgeries were helpful. If I had difficulties getting in I was able to ring for help and someone would come out and help.

“Overall, I was not surprised with what I found, including narrow doorways and passages. Some that do have ramps, the slopes are so steep they’re dangerous.

“Those GP surgeries in houses are going to have to spend an awful lot of money to really get them compliant. It’s a lesson converting dwellings to surgeries is not an ideal solution.

“There is nothing to say in the Act that surgeries have to do make these things. The word reasonable is the get-out clause people are using. We are fighting to change that with the Department for Health.“ NHS South East Essex said many of the buildings were owned by the GPs, and so it is their responsibility to make any adaptations and bear the cost.

Chief executive Andrew Pike said: “I am obviously concerned none of the premises involved in this assessment were 100 per cent compliant. We will be working with all of them over the coming months and years to ensure they are all up to the necessary standard.

“NHS South East Essex has just agreed a new support funding mechanism. Where appropriate, practices can bid for funding to meet some of the costs involved in bringing premises up to standard.

“We hope this will be of some assistance to the GP practices concerned and a great benefit to the patients who use those premises.”