AN AMPUTEE has slammed a new policy at the Alfred Barrow Health Centre banning certain types of mobility scooters from using the lift.

Jeffrey Chelton, 63, had to retire early due to ill health. He lost his leg last year after contracting sepsis and while waiting for a prosthetic has to use his mobility scooter to get around. He travels from his home in Walney to the Atkinson Surgery for tests.

Until around two weeks ago, Mr Chelton would ride into the Alfred Barrow Centre and use the lift to get to the top floor.

However, he recently noticed signs saying that his kind of mobility scooter could no longer go into the lift. He cannot bring his wheelchair from Walney with him and even if the surgery brings down one it would mean he would have to transfer on the bottom floor. 

"What happens if someone has an accident transferring?" Mr Chelton asked. "I don't agree with what it will do. You're making me feel I have to go to another doctor. I think they have hurt disabled people badly. There are other [disabled] people trying to get involved. It is a public building - seriously, they have no right." 

The Westmorland Gazette: Mr Chelton said that he is not stopped from using his scooter in other placesMr Chelton said that he is not stopped from using his scooter in other places (Image: Newsquest, Dan Taylor)

He said when he goes to other places he is not stopped from using his mobility scooter. "I do think something needs to be said," he added. "I don't know how they get away with it." 

Community Health Partnerships is a Department for Health and Social Care company that manages the Alfred Barrow Centre, which opened in 2019 on the site of the old school on Duke Street. 

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A spokesperson said: "We have facilities in the Alfred Barrow Health Centre, including use of the lifts, to deal with all manual and electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters designed for use indoors. For health and safety reasons, the lifts are not suitable for the type of mobility scooter which is designed to be used outdoors (i.e. class two and three). 

"However, where a patient needs further assistance, a range of options, including a ground-floor appointment room or home visits, are offered as an alternative, as happened in this case."