Mobility rights.

[geoffrey]

A friend of mine has had to give up her work (that involved travelling) and finds it almost impossible to have a UK holiday and could not attend a family funeral or wedding due to lack of mobility. It is not she cannot walk but because she is on kidney dialysis and she finds that her home dialysis unit has no flexibility in day or time and it is almost impossible to get dialysis in the areas that they would like to spend their holidays. Even if she can get the latter there are no hospital cars provided and no public transport and the cost of taxis are prohibitive. Has she any mobility rights at all?

[stevemLS]

Re: Mobility rights.

Her hospital should be able to arrange for her to have dialysis at a unit close to where she wants to go on holiday. This is standard provision. Patient transport is only available where medically necessary but lots of hospitals have volunteer drivers and I think all will be served by public transport.

[geoffrey]

Re: Mobility rights.

In theory, holiday dialysis is available throughout the UK but in practice it is often impossible to obtain. Hospital cars are not available to patients for any dialysis away from home. Holiday dialysis is often in the very early morning or ends very late at night, far too early or late for any buses. The patient has to pay for taxis. Adult dialysis facilities in the UK are officially the worse in the EC.