Lack of toilet overnight 'humiliates' disabled man

A disabled man who is stuck without toilet access for 11 hours each night because of a lack of overnight carers, says it is "humiliating" and makes him feel "pathetic".

Isaac Wide, 30, lives in supported housing run by the Milestones Trust in Bradley Stoke, with a care package paid for by South Gloucestershire Council.

He was born with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, and needs two carers to safely move him from his wheelchair into bed at night, but his care funding pays for just one overnight support worker.

South Gloucestershire Council said it takes care to ensure the "right level of support" is in place. Milestones Trust said its services were commissioned by the council.

Wide moved into the home in July 2025, and relies on carers to live independently.

After going to bed at 21:00, one worker is responsible for him and 11 other residents in his building, until he is taken out of bed at 08:00 the following day by two people.

In order to safely get him out of bed overnight, a second off-site worker needs to be called in.

"If I need a wee, it makes me feel quite pathetic to have to wait until the day shift for the staff to clean me up.

"The care system is completely messed up, and I've been really frustrated about it for a while.

"I'm 30, and it's very humiliating to have to wait to be cleaned up because the one staff member is dealing with somebody else," he said.

Isaac's brother, Dan Wide, said the family were aware there was one overnight staff member when he moved in, but Isaac was recently ill, which highlighted the problem.

"Free access to the toilet whenever you need it in a timely manner is pretty integral to living a good life.

"It's such a big part of dignity and respect that most of us take for granted.

"If the council is going to say the flat is accessible for Isaac, that means having adequate access to the toilet overnight," he said.

South Gloucestershire Council said: "Rather than setting a fixed number of overnight carers, an assessment is carried out to understand each person's individual needs with a package of care commissioned as a result, including any support that may be required during the night.

"An individual's needs are reassessed at least once a year, but this can be brought forward if a request is made for additional support."

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