Family forced to bathe child with complex needs in paddling pool

A family said they have to bathe their daughter in a paddling pool because a specially-installed bath has been deemed unsafe.

The bath was installed for Meghan, 12, at the family home in Nantwich by Cheshire East Council.

But the family said an electrical spur connecting the bath was found to be dangerous and disconnected.

They now use a pool and buckets in their living room to bathe Meghan who has complex needs.

Cheshire East Council said it is investigating.

Meghan has a rare genetic condition, cardio facio cutaneous syndrome, which can affect a child's heart, face and skin at birth and can be life-limiting.

She has seizures, is fed by a gastrostomy tube and cannot talk.

A specialist bath was installed in 2021, but Meghan's parents said it was adult-sized and not suitable for her needs.

They said it was later found that there were issues with the electrics.

An electrical installation certificate was not provided when the bath was installed, the parents said

"I just want to look after Meghan and give her a bathing situation, and not be being bathed like a dog on the floor," her father Michael said.

An electrical installation certificate had not been provided for the installation of the spur which the bath was connected to, the family also found.

In a letter to the family from Cheshire East Council, seen by the BBC, the council said the lack of a certificate was "a fault of the contractor".

But it also said an invoice to the contractor should not have been paid without receiving the certificate, and that was "a fault on our part as we did not follow our own procedure for authorising payments".

The council is now looking at installing a wet room but that would not be for around five months, Michael said.

The family are now waiting for a wet room to be fitted so they can properly bathe their 12-year-old daughter

Meghan's mother, Amanda added: "I constantly feel like Meghan's a burden on the system.

"Why shouldn't her dignity be taken into consideration? She might not be able to understand what we're saying to her, but she's a person, she's Meghan."

Mark Goldsmith, chair of the council's economy and growth committee, said: "We are keen to assist[Megan's parents] as best we can with the requirements for their daughter Meghan and will continue to liaise with them on how we do this.

"Their specialist bath was installed in September 2021, but the electrical issues were only raised with Cheshire East on 19 July 2023. This has instigated an ongoing complaint investigation to establish the exact nature of the electrical fault, who is responsible for it and how best to quickly resolve this matter for the whole family."