Overview

This Changing Places Toilet does have the important features for these toilets but it’s a lot smaller than you would normally find. There is a height-adjustable bench and a portable hoist but these are in quite a cramped space. With the bench folded down it would make using the hoist tricky. It wouldn’t be impossible to use these facilities but for those that also have a large, electric wheelchair, it would become very difficult to use the facilities and also manage with the space provided. As the hoist is portable it can also be moved around to transfer someone onto the toilet but again, the space could make navigating this difficult.

Transport & Parking

The museum itself doesn’t have any parking but there is a small car park just 320 metres away. It’s a pay and display car park which can be paid for at the machine or the RingGo app. The surface is a mix of tarmac, cobbles and gravel depending on where you park. There are also some accessible parking spaces at The Grove Car Park and next to Brunel’s Buttery according to the M Shed website. The road behind M Shed (Museum Street) is also recommended as a drop-off and pick-up point. There are some bus stops approximately 160 metres from the museum where the m2 metrobus stops.

Access

This toilet was located on the ground floor of the museum and had clear signage. There was good accessibility information on the M Shed website ahead of visiting which was accurate when I arrived. Outside, the access to get to the entrances was a little bit tricky. There are two main entrances; one has a cycle path right outside meaning you may encounter cycles as you enter and leave, the other has old rail tracks on the dock which I found tricky to navigate. My front castor wheels kept getting stuck in them and I had to go back and forth to find the best spots to cross the tracks to reach the entrance. Once inside, the access was really good. The two entrances had two sets of automatic, sliding, double doors. The floor was a linoleum-type flooring which made it very easy to navigate. In the main foyer area there was a gift shop, a reception area, a seating area, lifts, stairs and the main toilets.

Toilets

The door for this toilet opened outwards and was operated by push buttons on either side of the door. The door had a horizontal grab rail although you didn’t need to manually operate the door so I didn’t need to use this. The lock mechanism was a small handle that twisted clockwise into an upright position to lock and anti-clockwise to unlock again. On the right-hand side, once you entered, was the toilet which had space for a right-side transfer. A vertical grab rail was mounted on the wall behind the toilet and a horizontal grab rail mounted on the other side of the toilet. There was also another grab rail that could be raised and lowered. The flush was a sensor that was mounted to the wall behind the toilet. The red emergency cord was by the toilet and was hanging freely and all the way to the floor. There were two more vertical grab rails mounted on either side of the sink which was quite small and had a tap that was manually operated (no automatic sensors). Above the sink was a wall-mounted soap dispenser and a wall-mounted paper towel dispenser. To the left of the sink was a wall-mounted hand dryer and underneath was a large bin that was open and had no lid, which made it easier to use. Opposite the toilet and sink was a large, full-length mirror on the wall. The toilet was in an L-shape so to the left was the longer part of the toilet. This was where a hoist and bench were stored. The height-adjustable bench was mounted to the wall and folded up when I was there. It could be unfolded and then raised and lowered with a remote that was on the wall. The hoist was not ceiling-mounted, instead it was a portable hoist that could be moved manually and operated with a remote control. While it did have a bench and hoist, the space inside the toilet was limited so those with large wheelchairs who required this equipment may struggle to manage the limited space.

Staff

Staff were really helpful and there was always someone around for those that needed any assistance.

Photos