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Campaign to make loos more stoma-friendly

Hattie McCannSouth West
BBC A woman in a long dress has her hand up in a gesture of defeat. She is stood in an accessible toilet cubicle which doesn't have the facilities she needs. BBC
Having nowhere to put anything down makes changing a stoma bag almost impossible, Paula Butler says

A woman who has set up a support group for people with stomas is starting a new campaign to make public loos more accessible.

One in 335 people in the UK are currently living with a stoma, an opening on the surface of the abdomen which has been surgically created to divert the flow of faeces or urine into a detachable bag, according to Colostomy UK.

Paula Butler had stoma surgery in 2023, having lived with a bowel condition 10 years ago. She said she wanted to make going out and about easier and less daunting.

The campaign is calling for all accessible toilets to have a shelf, hooks on the back of the door, a full length mirror, and a bin.

A woman in a long dress is demonstrating to a room of people how to change a stoma bag using a medical prop stoma. She has all of her equipment spread out on the table in front of her.
Changing a stoma bag requires space as there are products that need spreading out, clothing may need to be removed, and a certain level of hygiene is required Paula Butler

Changing a stoma bag required space as there were products that need spreading out, clothing possibly needing to be removed and a certain level of hygiene required, Butler said.

In March 2026, some national chains, including Morrisons, B&Q, and National Rail made all loos in their stores and services accessible.

Butler such changes made a "huge difference" because there was room to ensure people had "everything there at hand... and that's all we're asking for".

Giovanni Cinque, a spokesperson for Colostomy UK, said he believed if people with stomas did not feel like they would have access to usable facilities, it had knock-on impacts, including social isolation.

"Then you are looking at all the wellbeing and mental health challenges" that can come from that," he said.

He added: "Across the UK... over 500,000 people have Crohns disease or colitis, a significant number of people who will benefit from improved facilities.

"If you look at the shops and businesses, it makes sense to spend the small amount of money because they will more than make back from people with stomas who have the confidence to visit them that small investment."

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