A disabled man has been made to feel ‘like a prisoner’ as he awaits a wet room in his home.
Arthur McWinning, 64, also struggles to fit his wheelchair through the front door of the two-bedroom flat.
He moved into the Riverside Housing accommodation in Southport, Merseyside, at the beginning of July 2022.
The former taxi driver had been forced to relocate after having one of his legs amputated.
When Arthur first viewed the property, alarm bells soon rang about the lack of a wet room – which would allow him to shower.
He says he was assured by Riverside that one would be installed in a matter of weeks.
Arthur told the Liverpool Echo: ‘I wasn’t allowed back to my old flat because it was too small. I’m sat here waiting for them to turn my bathroom into a wet room.
‘For my own dignity I need to give myself a wash and clean myself.’
His daughter Netty Winning, 44, told the newspaper her father has now been waiting seven months for a bathroom suited to his needs.
She added: ‘He hasn’t had a bath or a shower since July. We also told them the doors would be an issue and asked if they could be push access.
‘It’s impossible for him to get out. We bought a mobility scooter and he’s left it by the front door. It’s not in anyone’s way. The housing officer came round and now it’s been forced into one of the bedrooms.’
Concerns have also been raised over access out the property in case of a fire or other emergency.
Netty added: ‘He can’t even go to the shops or in the garden because he can’t get back in. He’s been down, he’s really unwell.
‘He just feels like a prisoner.’
A statement from Riverside Housing said the accommodation ‘was deemed suitable at the time’ as Arthur ‘moved in with a 24/7 onsite carer’.
It added: ‘We had arranged for contractors to attend the flat to view the bathroom. However, in order for us to fit a wet room, an occupational therapist (OT) from the local authority has to attend the property and speak with the customer.
‘We understand there is currently a backlog for OT assessments but have chased this up, and had advised the tenant and their family to do the same.
‘It has since come to our attention that Mr McWinning’s carer no longer resides at the property, and as his circumstances have now changed, the flat may no longer be suitable for him.
‘We will work with Mr McWinning and his family to establish more suitable accommodation that does meet his needs or look to explore adaptations that could be made to his home.’
The housing association also claimed it offered to install a 24/7 lifeline phone and pendant service in Arthur’s flat, but ‘he did not wish to access this service at the time’.
‘We will offer this additional support again now that Mr McWinning’s circumstances have changed,’ Riverside added.
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