Council's public loos to be made stoma-friendly

Public toilets in north Devon are to be made stoma-friendly, the local authority has said.

North Devon Council said 11 of its accessible toilets would be upgraded to include a shelf, hooks and mirrors.

A stoma is a surgically-created opening on the surface of the abdomen to divert the flow of faeces or urine, and enable its collection in a changeable bag.

The council's Strategy and Resources Committee gave the plan its support on Monday and agreed to use about £4,000 from its revenue budget, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported.

The council said it hoped the new additions would make people with stomas feel more confident about going out in public.

Councillor Graham Bell, who proposed the motion, said about 200,000 UK residents had stomas.

Adding equipment to public loos so people could arrange their stomas supplies and change their bags in private was "a simple and low cost way to help decrease stigma" for north Devon's almost 300 stoma users, he said.

Councillor Helen Walker said she was pleased to see any improvements to the accessible toilets.

"They are in good condition already and the one in Green Lanes is 90% towards being stoma-friendly with a full length mirror."

Councillor Pru Maskell said she "fully supported" the move and it was important people had somewhere that was "dignified and private" to change their stoma bags.

The LDRS said customers would need a RADAR key to enter the accessible toilets.

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