Disabled woman 'trapped' in home due to broken lift and man living with bed bugs in Westminster block

A disabled woman said she had to cancel an emergency MRI appointment and was left struggling to leave her second-floor flat due to ongoing faults with a lift in her housing block.

Barbara Hainsworth, 64, added the outage meant her ‘limited’ social life “has become an awful lot more limited”, compounded by a lack of activities organised for residents.

A spokesperson for Central and Cecil Housing Trust (C&C), which manages the Ada Court sheltered accommodation block in Maida Vale, said they are ‘sorry’ to hear of Ms Hainsworth’s concerns, and that they are arranging to speak to her about the issues she raised.

READ MORE: 'I spent Christmas alone in flat riddled with bed bugs - we're just being left to die'

Ms Hainsworth, who largely relies on her mobility scooter to get around, has previously relayed some of the problems faced by residents living in Ada Court. Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) late last year, she said: “We are just being pushed away. We’re not cared about anymore basically. It feels like we’re just waiting for Godot. We’ve just been left to die.”

At the time, C&C apologised for the lift being out of action, and said the welfare of its customers is ‘extremely important’ to the trust.

During a recent visit to Ada Court by the LDRS, Ms Hainsworth said she has continued to have issues not only with mobility, due to the one lift her scooter can fit into again being out of action, but also the limited social opportunities available within the building.

Ms Hainsworth said that during the most recent outage of the larger lift, which lasted around two weeks, she had to borrow a smaller electric wheelchair from a friend to get around. The LDRS however witnessed Ms Hainsworth struggling to operate it, including getting in and out of the smaller lifts, causing her to feel uncomfortable leaving the site.

Because of this, she said she had to cancel an emergency MRI appointment, and has been unable to get out to meet a friend for coffee. She said she forced herself to venture to Boots to pick up essential medication, though became stuck outside Ada Court upon her return, having to wait until another residents’ carer came out to help.

Her son did visit one day and took her out, but otherwise, she said her social life and general wellbeing has been impacted.

“My limited social life has become an awful lot more limited since I can’t get out of the building,” she said.

Since the LDRS stopped by, the larger lift at Ada Court has been fixed, meaning Ms Hainsworth can again use her mobility scooter to leave her home if need be. She has also been able to rearrange her MRI appointment.

A spokesperson for C&C said recent projects meant the lift had been heavily used, “which likely led to its fault and a part needing to be replaced”.

‘Isolated and desperate for company’

Ronald Madar, or Ronnie to his friends, 81, has lived at Ada Court for around a year. A trained architect, his CV includes a varied and colourful array of jobs, including acting and journalism while living in Hong Kong. He moved to his current home from accommodation in Golders Green, North London, before which he was based in the States.

Mr Madar, who has very limited vision, has also had issues with the facilities at Ada Court, including being left for five days without access to his bathroom earlier this year while works were carried out. He said he had to use the communal toilet and wash himself in his sink during this period, though conceded the upgrades have left him with a better bathroom.

When the LDRS visited, he was having to vacate his room for several hours while it was fumigated, in the latest attempt to rid it of bedbugs. Asked what it was like living at Ada Court, Mr Madar said the place as a whole is ‘okay’. However, he echoed Ms Hainsworth’s feelings of social isolation in the block. “I’m an old man, and basically loneliness is something that hurts an old man, especially when you’re desperately lonely,” he said. “I have no company, no companion of some kind.”

Mr Madar said the limited activities organised for the residents of Ada Court only compounded these issues. “When you get to my age you feel as though you are isolated and desperate for company, and nothing is happening around you.”

Ms Hainsworth added there are some classes available, such as Zumba. Given her situation, however, she said these were of little use, and that additional social events should be introduced. “I’m into crafty things. I read a lot. A book club, it wouldn’t cost anybody anything, a craft knit and natter thing. What would it cost? It wouldn’t cost them anything.”

‘Drive yourself nuts’

Cllr Gillian Arrindell, Lead Member for Air Quality and Disability Champion at Westminster City Council who Ms Hainsworth said has been ‘brilliant’ in supporting her case, told the LDRS it is ‘unacceptable’ that the larger lift was out of action again.

Cllr Arrindell said: “In this latest incident, she has been stranded with her dog for almost two weeks, unable to get essential medication and forced to cancel urgent hospital appointments. C&C and their staff at Ada Court have shown no concern about her plight and no sense of urgency in resolving the issue.”

A spokesperson for C&C said they are ‘sorry’ to hear of the concerns raised by Ms Hainsworth, and that they are arranging to speak with her about her issues.

They said: “Unfortunately, our service lift was out of use while engineers sourced a part to make it safe for use. We can confirm it is now fixed. The service lift is primarily for contractor use or to move heavy items around the building, and due to recent projects and works it has been heavily used which likely led to its fault and a part needing to be replaced. We encourage our residents to use one of the three passenger lifts which are large enough to access with wheelchairs and mobility scooters.”

On the bedbug infestation, the spokesperson said C&C is working with partner agencies and a local pest control to combat the issue. “This has involved a rigorous treatment programme which is still underway. Overall, the treatments have proven successful and will continue for the next few weeks until the process is complete.

“Due to the current bed bug situation a small selection of activities at Ada Court have had to be paused. However, there are still a range of activities on site for residents to take part in including Zumba and singing groups. There are also opportunities for off-site trips which residents can sign up to. These are all regularly communicated to residents by our engagement co-ordinator.

“As our residents live independently we respect their decisions on whether they would like to take part and where possible, try to arrange various activities to suit different needs, interests, and demand.”

Despite her concerns, Ms Hainsworth was not without some praise for Ada Court, in particular the view of the garden from her flat. “I’m lucky I got that view,” she said, before adding: “But that’s my saving grace. So if you can’t get out and have a coffee with a mate…I like my own company. I’m not someone that worries about [being in] lots of peoples' company. But every so often you drive yourself nuts if you don’t have someone else to speak to.”

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