Hospital entrance

Press, 10 February 1982, Page 20

Hospital entrance

Sir,—Could those responsible for designing and planning the recently completed bridge access to the new Christchurch Hospital wing please explain how wheelchairs can cross this bridge? Perhaps the designers could try to achieve this in wheelchairs themselves before they respond. No parking is available here for disabled persons. so they must park elsewhere and make their way as best they can to the building. Alternative entrances are available, but considerable distances are involved and the parking set aside for the disabled in the hospital grounds has the added disadvantage of a sleep ramp to negotiate before entrance can be gained. Facilities may be adequate for disabled people accompanied bv others, but for those who are independent, the barriers are considerable. — Yours, etc.. NEDRA J. JOHNSON. January 31, 1982. [The chairman of the North Canterbury Hospital Board. Mr T. C. Grigg, replies: "The comments made are interesting, in

that those responsible for coordinating the planning have in fact crossed the bridge and obtained entrance to the hospital by wheelchair. This was done some lime ago. Access to this area by all groups of disabled persons is being monitored on an on-going basis to see if any further improvements are required."]