Royal Alexandra Hospital

As far as I could discover, there is only one wheelchair accessible toilet in the whole place. It is huge, but very poorly designed. The drop down hand rails are so low, they are only suitable for a child. There are two grab bars adjacent to the toilet, but they are behind you and therefore useless. There are two grab bars beside the washbasin, which are in a suitable position. The red pull cords (2) touch the floor and are suitably placed. The bin is foot operated and therefore totally unsuitable. I have used motorway services toilets which are far better designed and equipped than this. For an NHS hospital, it really is appalling. The best I can say for it is that it is clean.

Opening first as a dispensary in 1786, this building has a bit of a past. In the early 80s, plans were made to establish a hospital to serve Paisley on the site with the facility being opened by Princess Alexandra in 1988, for whom the hospital is named. I’ve been to the hospital for a few mishaps, and outpatient appointments in my time. Appointed on a hill, it’s not the best-placed hospital for a manual wheelchair user to get to.