Overview

I went to the hospital specifically to find the Changing Places toilet and ended up spending much longer and going much further in my wheelchair than I expected! It's good to have, though, when you're in that part of town or need the toilet outside of regular business hours, so I hope I can manage to lead you down the right corridors!

Transport & Parking

I came in my electric wheelchair from the city centre to the south and came in through the doors on St. George's Road (via Thoresby Place from Great George Street). The entrance closest to the Changing Places toilet is through the Children's Hospital on Belmont Grove. There is a small car park there (pay and display), four blue badge bays and space to get dropped off. The closest bus stop is Woodhouse Square (5 Electric). The 5 Electric also stops at LGI A&E on Clarendon Way, which is closest to the Jubilee Wing entrance and at Civic G for the entrance at the Brotherton Wing (which is furthest from the Changing Places toilet). There is also a multi-storey car park on Clarendon Way close to the Jubilee entrance. There is a small roundabout by the entrance itself with limited parking -- 4 blue badge bays -- but it is mostly for drop-off and pick-up.

Access

Everywhere I went was accessible without steps thanks to ramps and lifts. The doors at the main entrances are automatic, but the side entrance was trickier with heavy non-automatic doors. I did not have to open any doors while making my way through the hospital. One of the most challenging aspects were the distances involved. I would not have been able to get about without my electric wheelchair and even then I was quite worried that my battery would not last me for the way home after navigating the long corridors! There is some seating along the corridors, but not enough if you rely on regular rests. If you have someone with you who could push you in a wheelchair, though, there are some around for general use. (I spotted a couple at the Jubilee entrance.) There is a hearing loop at the Jubilee reception. I did not see any Braille or tactile markings. There are white on blue signs above head height to show you the way. The jubilee wing has five lifts, the Clarendon Wing/Children's hospital has two.

Toilets

How to find the Changing Places toilet: If entering from Belmont Grove/Leeds Children's hospital, go all the way to the back of the lobby and then go down the corridor on the left. The Changing Places bathroom will be in a nook on your left. There is a sign overhead to show you when to turn left. If entering via the Jubilee entrance off Clarendon Way, you need to get to the Clarendon Wing, which is the part of the hospital to your right when you enter. Go through the entryway and then left through the foyer, past the reception, café and shop. You will then get to another foyer connecting the new part of the hospital to the old part. Turn to your right, following signs to the Clarendon Wing and keep going straight for as long as possible. (Instructions continue in the next paragraph, as you will pass the side entrance.) If you are entering from St George's Road, turn down the corridor to your left and follow it to the very end. (This is the same corridor as at the end of the Jubilee entrance instructions). The corridor than turns to the right, follow it until the end and then turn left. This long corridor will bring you to the lifts. You are on floor B and need to go down to floor A. If the lift happens to go up first, you need to press the A again. (Some members of staff I shared the lift with told me that the A gets unselected as soon as the lift starts moving up.) When you exit the lift on floor A, go down to your right. Follow the corridor around another right corner and then a left corner. The Changing Places toilet is going to be in a nook on your right. It needs to be unlocked with a RADAR key. The door opens to the outside and does not have a handle. There is a horizontal grabrail on the inside of the door. The door locks by pulling the lever handle upwards. The toilet is on the back wall to the right. There are no partitions. There is space for both a right and left-side transfer. There are vertical grab rails on the wall and moveable horizontal ones to either side of the toilet. The flush is a lever on the wall on the left behind the toilet. There is a colostomy shelf on the back wall in the corner next to the toilet and a wall-mounted toilet paper dispenser on the wall to the left of the toilet/right wall as seen from the door. There is also a red cord on the right of the toilet that ends a few inches above the floor. There is a foot pedal bin that also has a groove on the lid to lift it between the toilet and the sink, which is on the right wall as you come in. There are two more foot pedal bins to either side of the door. The sink is a large wall-mounted sink with a lever tap and is not height-adjustable. There are vertical handrails on the wall on either side of the sink. There is a soap dispenser mounted on the left above the sink. To the left of the sink, there is a hand dryer and to the right another red cord, that also ends before it reaches the floor. There is an electric handshower opposite the door, between the changing bench and the toilet. The ceiling hoist track runs all along that back wall. Instructions for it can be found on the right wall above the toilet paper. There are no handrails specifically for the shower, but it is within reach of the handrails to one side of the toilet. The changing bench is mounted to the wall to your left when you enter. It is controlled electrically and instructions are posted to the wall above it in larger than usual sized text. It does not have padding on it's main part, which is plastic fabric over a plastic frame. There is a side piece that can be raised to stop anyone rolling off, which has padding.

Staff

I was there in the late afternoon, so the reception was not staffed anymore. I shared the lift with some orderlies who pointed out the quirks of the lift to me but were otherwise busy doing their own thing. I was happy to take my time, but if it had been urgent, I would have appreciated more opportunities to ask someone for help or direction.

Photos