No one should be trapped at home because they cannot access a toilet

For most of us, leaving the house is something we do without thinking too much about the practicalities. We go to work, visit family, attend church, go shopping, meet friends or travel to appointments assuming that, if we need a toilet, one will be available.

For many people living with a stoma, that confidence simply does not exist.

More than 200,000 people across the United Kingdom live with a stoma. A stoma is a surgically created opening in the abdomen that allows waste to leave the body into an external pouch. People may need stoma surgery following bowel cancer, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, trauma or other serious health conditions. For many, it is life-saving surgery that enables them to live active and independent lives.

However, that independence can be seriously limited when suitable toilet facilities are not available.

This Thursday, I will lead a Westminster Hall debate on public toilet provision for people living with stomas. I am grateful to Colostomy UK for the work it does supporting people with stomas and for helping to shine a light on this important issue. This is not simply a debate about toilets. It is a debate about dignity, independence and inclusion.

People living with stomas can experience complications such as leakage, pancaking and ballooning. These can happen suddenly and often require urgent access to a suitable toilet. When that happens, access to a toilet is not a convenience. It is essential.

Colostomy UK’s Stoma Aware survey found that 62% of people living with a stoma avoid activities because of concerns about toilet access. One in four have been challenged for using an accessible toilet despite having a genuine need, and 4% say they leave home only for emergencies.

Those figures should concern us all.

They tell us that inadequate toilet provision is not a minor inconvenience. It can prevent people from working, travelling, studying, shopping, socialising and participating in community life. It can increase anxiety, reduce confidence and contribute to isolation.

Too often, people with hidden disabilities are misunderstood. Someone may not “look disabled”, but that does not mean they do not urgently need access to an accessible toilet. No one should be challenged or embarrassed for using the facilities they need.

The wider picture is also worrying. Public toilet provision has declined significantly in recent years. The Royal Society for Public Health has warned of “public toilet deserts” across England, with provision falling by 14% since 2016 and one public toilet for every 15,481 people.

For some people, that may be frustrating. For someone living with a stoma, it can be life-limiting.

There are two issues we must address.

The debate I am leading this week will focus on both improving public toilet provision and ensuring that accessible toilets include the practical features needed by people living with a stoma.

The first issue is whether people can find a public toilet at all.

Public toilets are essential public infrastructure. Just as we rightly recognise the importance of accessible transport, accessible buildings and Changing Places toilets, access to suitable toilet facilities should be recognised as part of the infrastructure that enables people to participate fully in society.

The second issue is whether, when people do find an accessible toilet, it actually meets their needs.

A toilet may be accessible from a mobility perspective but still lack the practical features needed by someone managing a stoma.

The good news is that many of the solutions are simple and affordable. Stoma Friendly toilets can include a shelf, hook, mirror, appropriate disposal facilities and clear signage. These are modest additions, but they can make a significant difference to dignity and confidence.

In my own constituency area, Ards and North Down Borough Council has shown real leadership by becoming the first council in Northern Ireland to make all accessible toilets within its facilities Stoma Friendly in partnership with Colostomy UK. That example demonstrates that change is practical, achievable and capable of being delivered by local authorities.

I hope other councils will look at that example and consider what more they can do.

I also hope Government will look seriously at how public toilet provision can be better supported, and whether Stoma Friendly features should be incorporated into future accessibility standards, including Part M of the Building Regulations.

No one should be excluded from work, education, travel or community life because they cannot access a suitable toilet when they need one.

This is not a party-political issue. It is a practical issue, an accessibility issue and, above all, a human issue.

People living with stomas deserve to live with dignity, confidence and independence. Ensuring adequate public toilet provision is a simple but vital part of making that possible.