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Faulty lift leaves OAP stranded
4:20pm Friday 22nd August 2008
Comments (6)AN elderly disabled lady has been unable to leave her flat for nine days after the lift in her sheltered housing block broke down.
The 85-year-old lady, who lives in a top floor flat at Bell Orchard in Westbury, also had to rearrange her birthday party on Wednesday at her daughter's house as she could not get down the stairs.
She has been unable to use the communal lounge area to socialise with her friends.
Bell Orchard is a block of 42 sheltered flats off Field Close in Westbury that are rented out by Selwood Housing with non-resident staff, a communal lounge and a laundry.
The lift broke down last week but remained out of order for days despite the woman's relatives complaining to Selwood Housing.
Her daughter Tricia Blueitt, said: "She is registered disabled and lives in a top floor flat so she can't get out unless the lift is working.
"This is the fifth time this year that it has been out of order. The people at the housing society just keep saying yes it's a problem' but we feel like they are just fobbing us off.
"Mum can't even go into the communal lounge downstairs to see her friends and socialise.
"They just keep saying it's an old lift and it just keeps breaking down. But it's not just been broken for a day, we all understand these things, it's almost a whole week. I am so demented with it.
"Why can't they put in a stair lift as a back up?
A spokesman for Selwood Housing said: "We're sorry that the lift has broken down, we recognise that it is a very difficult situation for the residents of Bell Orchard.
"We have spoken to all the residents to offer them extra support and help until the lift is repaired.
"This could be anything from collecting shopping or prescriptions to arranging for a mobile hairdresser to visit the upstairs flats or even moving somewhere else temporarily.
"We know that one of the residents who is unable to use the stairs has a birthday this week and that her family is arranging a party. We have been in touch with her family to help them make the party a success.
"We are working with our contractor to get the lift repaired as soon as possible."
The lift was working again by Wednesday evening.
Your Say YourWiltshire Times
Necker, Trowbridge says...
6:49pm Fri 22 Aug 08
Before passing the buck onto Selwood or contractors maybe we should look at who inspects this business and who they these monitors responsible to.
If the place is being mis managed and putting lives at risk maybe it should be shut down or management replaced.
Does the council have any imput or sway over this?
Disgusted of, Westbury says...
7:48pm Fri 22 Aug 08
Local Bloke wrote:
Modern lifts can be repaired same day depending on the maintenance contract and whether any parts are immediately available. Even then, any lift model installed in the last 20 years should have plenty of spare parts available next day. Seems to me that Selwood are not on top of this matter by making the lift maintenance contractors (possibly the manufacturer but not necessarily) get the job done without delay.
Thats ok then. The engineer will just tell the person stuck in the lift to make themselves comfortable while he goes to get some parts and that all being well he'll be back tomorrow.
moonrakin_wurzel, Trowbridge says...
10:28pm Fri 22 Aug 08
Woeful performance, gang... I bet if the loo bloo runs out in the office it's sorted instantly.
More public funds wasted and service failing - oh yeah, it's "private" innit ? If it was truly private I'd hope there'd be a tad more accountability. Some hope :-(
Local Bloke, Leigh Park, Westbury says...
12:32pm Tue 26 Aug 08
Thats ok then. The engineer will just tell the person stuck in the lift to make themselves comfortable while he goes to get some parts and that all being well he'll be back tomorrow.
Stupid comment.
This story is not about anyone being "stuck in the lift".
When someone is stuck in a lift, and if no lift maintenance personnel are available immediately to resolve the problem there and then, the fire brigade should be called to assist with the escape of the trapped people via the relevant designed escape route from the lift shaft.
Very often, the fire brigade will want instant access to the plant room to operate the necessary manual (and other) controls.
Local Bloke, Leigh Park, Westbury says...
12:38pm Tue 26 Aug 08
Necker wrote:The district council cannot tell Selwood how to run itself, but the council does have several oversight mechanisms including representatives on the Board and via its Scrutiny Committee.
Who monitors Selwood? Before passing the buck onto Selwood or contractors maybe we should look at who inspects this business and who they these monitors responsible to. If the place is being mis managed and putting lives at risk maybe it should be shut down or management replaced. Does the council have any imput or sway over this?
I suspect this matter is best dealt with via the various tenant occupier representatives on the main Board who are democratically elected onto the Board annually to represent tenant issues.
The communal lift at Bell Orchard was out of order for a week
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Local Bloke, Leigh Park, Westbury says...
5:14pm Fri 22 Aug 08
Seems to me that Selwood are not on top of this matter by making the lift maintenance contractors (possibly the manufacturer but not necessarily) get the job done without delay.