A WOMAN with disabilities who has been unable to use her shower for three years says she feels "let down".

Rebecca Parsons, who lives in South Ham, has been forced to wear a leg brace after a failed operation in 2017 left her unable to walk properly. 

Due to this, Rebecca required adjustments to be made to her home, which is managed by housing association Sovereign, to assist with her day-to-day living, these include a modified bathroom and shower, but she told the Gazette about how the modifications haven't been up to par.

"The shower was installed in July 2020 but never inspected by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council due to the Covid lockdown," the 38-year-old said.

READ MORE: Man with disabilities goes months without having bath after failed installation

Basingstoke Gazette:

"My shower doesn't fit my needs, or my weight, and my carers have to give me strip washes daily. I feel really let down."

Rebecca had her disabled shower installed at her home in Paddock Road almost four years ago, but has experienced a number of issues since.

"There are so many issues with my bathroom," she said. "The problems are it is the wrong size, there isn't enough room, the shower leaks, the toilet blocks up and the stupid pump in the shower makes this horrible noise."

Rebecca explained how her young son, who has a learning difficulty, gets very stressed from the 'obnoxious' noise the shower pump makes.

"My son can't stand it, he has special needs and the pump is really loud. The noise of it really winds him up so that's another reason why we can't use it."

Explaining the difficulty of accessing the shower, Rebecca said: "Where they put the handle, it makes it difficult to sit down, because the bar on the wall is right behind the seat."

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Having seen another story in the Gazette earlier this year, which detailed how a man with disabilities has been unable to have a bath for months due to a poor installation, Rebecca felt the need to come forward and highlight it as a recurring issue in the borough. 

She said: "I just want people to realise that this man is not on his own, it isn't a one-off, other disabled people are experiencing the same problem."

Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services and Housing Cllr Laura James said: “It would not be appropriate to discuss the details of an individual case, but our team hadn’t been contacted about any issues. Our team takes great pride in helping customers through the process and checking the adaptations done under the Disabled Facilities Grants and has high satisfaction rates.

“It was particularly difficult for them during COVID, when this work was done, as it was not possible to inspect the completed adaptions in person. Instead, the team contacted residents by phone to discuss the work and gave them advice on what to do if they experienced any issues.

"Usually that team guides residents through the grant application, planning the works, tendering and checking they are completed correctly. They can always give help and advice on issues with adaptations when residents contact us, even where occupational health assessments or repairs by landlords are needed.”

The Gazette has also contacted Sovereign for a comment.