Skip to main content
Restating the obvious
Access needs for patients with mobility issues still a problem at many NHS trusts, writes RUTH HUNT
patient

AS THE King gets his treatment, he might not be aware that getting simple exploratory scans can, for some, be problematic. It should be a straightforward procedure for anyone, no matter whether they are able-bodied or not, but that is not what Dani Czernuszka-Watts found when she needed a scan at her local hospital.

Dani Czernuszka-Watts sustained a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) following a reckless tackle by a rugby opponent and as a result is paralysed from the waist down. But as a determined young woman she has climbed Snowdon and completed the London Marathon not once, but twice. Currently she is part of the Great Britain ice hockey squad.

So, when she had to go to West Berkshire Hospital, Dani didn’t think she would face any problems. During her appointment, she was directed to get her scan at a mobile unit outside, with no warning from the staff that access may be an issue.

Liberation webinar, 30 November2024, 6pm (UK)
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
WE WANT TO WORK: Disability activists protest previous welfa
Features / 20 March 2025
20 March 2025
By making Personal Independence Payments harder to access, Labour is creating another barrier for those already struggling with soaring care costs, workplace discrimination and prejudiced employers, argues RUTH HUNT
A person placing a swab from a Covid 19 lateral flow test in
Features / 15 March 2025
15 March 2025
The NHS continues to say Covid spreads primarily through ‘droplet and touch’ while the WHO emphasises airborne transmission, meaning vulnerable patients and healthcare workers face unnecessary risks, reports RUTH HUNT
12 - phone supprt
Features / 21 December 2024
21 December 2024
Behind the Samaritans’ promise to always listen, callers face secret restrictions and automated blocks while the charity admits setting limits without clearly warning ‘frequent’ users they risk getting cut off — or why, writes RUTH HUNT
model houses on a pile of coins and bank notes
Features / 30 July 2024
30 July 2024
What’s needed are more truly accessible homes, radical reform of the private sector to protect disabled tenants, and a less myopic view of the housing market focused on ‘homeowners,’ argues RUTH HUNT