Mansfield mother calls for toilets to be made 'stoma-friendly'

Felicity Benyon faced lifelong injuries after she gave birth to her second child

A mother whose bladder was removed by mistake during childbirth has called for public toilets in a Nottinghamshire town to be made "stoma-friendly".

Felicity Benyon was fitted with a stoma in 2015 after her bladder was removed in error during an emergency hysterectomy after a Caesarean section.

She says her urostomy bag can make using public toilets stressful.

Felicity, 37, is now calling for a shelf and a mirror to be installed in toilets to help people with stomas.

A stoma connects to the digestive or urinary system and allows waste to be diverted from the body and into a bag.

Capo Lounge in Mansfield has made its toilet "stoma-friendly"

Felicity, from Mansfield, said installing a shelf and mirror made it easier for stoma bags to be changed as it helps people see what they are doing.

She added: "To look at me you wouldn't know that I need to use an accessible toilet but I have an urostomy bag stoma, so that means my urine enters a bag on my abdomen, rather than going to the toilet normally.

"It means finding a suitable toilet when out and about is a worry. There's plenty of toilets in Mansfield within individual businesses and the council that could do with being made stoma-friendly."

Felicity's bladder was accidentally removed at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham after she suffered complications during her pregnancy.

Her family is now one of many that are the subject of the biggest maternity review in NHS history.

She said living with a permanent urostomy bag had an impact on her life "every single day".

Meanwhile, Bethany Pressley, 32, from Retford, also has a stoma and said accessible toilets made her life "so much easier".

Bethany Pressley has joined Felicity's appeal for more "stoma-friendly" toilets

She is among one in 335 of people in the UK who are estimated to have a stoma, according to the Colostomy UK charity.

"[Having more stoma-friendly toilets] would make my life so much easier," said Bethany. "I could go out spontaneously and take my supplies with me, knowing that I've got a toilet I can use."

Bar and restaurant Capo Lounge, based in Stockwell Gate in the town, has made its toilet accessible for people with a stoma.

Michael Hill, assistant manager, said: "It's been a really easy process. We were just missing a simple shelf. For the sake of £10 we've gone out and got that fitted almost straight away."

Other facilities that can make toilets stoma-friendly include a hook and a bin.

Felicity urged other businesses to follow in Capo Lounge's footsteps. She added: "I would encourage any business - if you have a toilet that is self-contained with a toilet and a sink, could you make it stoma-friendly?"