Peninsular Toilet

In a Changing Places facility, the toilet should be sticking out like a "peninsular" at least a metre away from the walls on either side. This means there is space on both sides of the toilet, allowing wheelchair transfers or assistance from carers.

The actual toilet itself can be a standard manual toilet. An automatic wash-and-dry toilet may be provided, but is not a requirement of the Changing Places standard. Close-coupled toilets are a good choice as this design provided an integral backrest and, as long, as the cistern has a flat top, provides a shelf for colostomy bags. The toilet in the illustration (left) is not a close-coupled toilet but has been installed with an additional backrest.

The toilet should have a seat height of 480mm, to facilitate transfer from a wheelchair. Seats with a gap at the front should not be used as this shape can make it difficult for people to transfer and the gap is a potential hazard. 

Wall-mounted vertical grabrails and drop-down support rails should be provided to both sides of the toilet to offer support to people when transferring in a seated position. The wall-mounted vertical grabrails assist people adopting a frontal transfer and people who are able to stand while using the toilet.
Always get good advice!

Your planned toilet is unique. Good planning and advice will help you:

• choose the best equipment
• ensure that it meets your individual needs
• ensure that what you choose works well in the appropriate layout