London hospital denies access to blind woman with unwell baby
A blind woman says security tried to stop her entering a hospital with her unwell baby because she had a guide dog with her.
Dr Amy Kavanagh, 34, claims it’s the fourth incident in two years of her being ‘refused or nearly refused healthcare’ for this reason.
She was visiting West Middlesex University Hospital last night with her guide dog Ava to seek treatment for her baby, who was feeling unwell.
Arriving at the hospital, she claims a security guard ‘tried to stop me entering urgent care [with] poorly baby,’ to which she responded by continuing to walk in while saying ‘this is a guide dog.’
She wrote on X, formerly Twitter: ‘Very grateful to members of the public who also shouted him down and the nurse on reception who had words.’
A spokesperson for Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which runs West Middlesex University Hospital, said: ‘We are taking this incident seriously, our organisation is fully committed to providing accessible services for everyone in our community, in a safe and welcoming environment.’
Dr Kavanagh added in her post online: ‘In what world is adding a calm well trained dog to a room full of upset children a bad idea?
‘Ava cheered up about 11 poorly kids, lots of worried care givers & stressed nurses. [She] stayed in harness on duty, but her gentle snoozing presence was a helpful distraction for lots of upset littles.
‘[Ava] was informed that she was in fact a ‘good doggy’, she is yellow, has 4 legs, is a helper & was ‘having a nice sleep’ by a previously hysterical 3 year old.’
She later told BBC News her baby turned out to have had a viral infection and would soon recover, but that it was far from the first time a hospital had attempted to refuse her access on account of having her guide dog with her.
She said: ‘A late-night visit to the hospital with a poorly baby is worrying enough, but being told I couldn’t enter because I’m blind and a guide-dog handler was very distressing.
‘It’s unacceptable for the NHS to repeatedly fail guide dog-handlers like myself by employing security staff without the appropriate training to understand the role and access rights of assistance dogs.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.