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The Changing Places Consortium can help media professionals with all enquiries. We can provide key figures about the consortium, information on our facilities, spokespeople, statements, case studies, and interviews with our campaigners.
For media enquiries, please contact:
England, Northern Ireland and Wales
Laura Burge: 020 7803 2870
Email: l.burge@musculardystrophyuk.org
Scotland
Fiona Harper: 01382 385 154
Email: f.k.harper@dundee.ac.uk
Media enquiries only should be directed to these contacts. If you have any questions about using or locating Changing Places, registration, signage or supporting the campaign get in touch with us here.
Information and resources
- For more information about the Changing Places Consortium and our campaign for fully accessible toilets, download our media pack.
- Photographs are available on request.
- To find Changing Places facilities, please take a look at our location map.
Frequently asked questions
Here are some our most frequently received questions from the press. If you can't find an answer here, check out our FAQs about installation and FAQs for users too!
Q: What does a Changing Places toilet look like?
A Changing Places toilet is larger than a standard accessible WC, and includes specialist equipment, such as a hoist and an adult-sized changing bench. Find out more here.
You can also view case studies of existing Changing Places toilets to see some examples.
Q: What is the difference between an accessible toilet and a Changing Places toilet?
Standard accessible toilets do not provide changing benches or hoists, and most are too small to accommodate more than one person. Thousands of people with disabilities cannot use these types of facilities, and need support from one or two carers to use the toilet or to have their continence pad changed.
Each Changing Places toilet is the size of a standard car-parking space, and includes additional equipment.
Q: Who needs a Changing Places toilet?
Users include people with severe and multiple learning disabilities and people with a range of other disabilities, such as muscular dystrophy and muscle-wasting conditions, cerebral palsy, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke, some older people and other specific disabilities.
Q: How many Changing Places toilets are there?
Across the UK, there are just over 1,300 Changing Places toilets (as at September 2019). Approximately 100 Changing Places toilets are registered each year across the UK.
Breakdowns by region or venue type are available on request. You can also view a register of Changing Places facilities here: http://changingplaces.uktoiletmap.org/.
Q: How much does it cost to install a Changing Places toilet?
Estimated equipment costs for a Changing Places toilet are £12,000 - £17,000, including VAT. But this depends on circumstances: for example, if structural changes need to be made, or what the maintenance and security costs are. It is cheaper to include Changing Places toilets at the planning and design stage, as this removes the need for structural changes to an existing building.
Q: Is there a legal duty on the owners of publicly accessible buildings to provide a Changing Places toilet?
Current building regulations only require standard, accessible toilets to be provided; there is no legal requirement for Changing Places toilets. Changing Places toilets are, therefore, not usually provided as a matter of course. However, guidance provided under British Standard 8300 recommends that such facilities should be included in larger buildings and complexes such as motorway services, sports stadiums, shopping centres, airports, town halls, schools and hospitals.
Q: Why is Muscular Dystrophy UK part of the coalition?
Muscular Dystrophy UK has a proud heritage of campaigning for the rights of disabled people. An estimated 70,000 people live with a muscle-wasting condition in the UK, and many can benefit from having access to a Changing Places toilet. Our Trailblazers team have also been involved in our campaigns to promote independent living through having fully accessible facilities such as Changing places toilets. Trailblazers is a national network of 700 young disabled people and their supporters, and is part of Muscular Dystrophy UK. The Trailblazers team challenge the barriers in society that stop disabled people living full and independent lives and campaign for change.
Previous press releases
Paula Sherriff MP has put forward a Ten Minute Rule Bill around Changing Places toilets.
A child in Cornwall has sued a local theme park under the Equality Act in what is thought to be the first use of the law to try to get a Changing Places facility installed.
Muscular Dystrophy UK is taking over as co-chair of the Changing Places Consortium, who have been leading the campaign for fully accessible toilets for over a decade.
Comment in support of the Mayor of London’s plans for more Changing Places toilets.