A woman whose hands and legs had to be amputated after contracting sepsis has said living in a small home gives her 'no dignity or independence'. Kim Smith, 61, from Milton Keynes, was on holiday in Spain in November 2018 when a urine infection turned into a blood infection and she was put into a coma.
The quadruple amputee has lived in a bungalow allocated by a housing association for about four years but said it was not suitable for her needs. 'My bungalow is more for somebody who's disabled or elderly, but not in a wheelchair,' she said. The doors are not wide enough and the rooms are too small for her to turn her wheelchair, confining her to the living room and main bedroom.
Ms Smith said she cannot go to the bathroom by herself because her wheelchair won't fit, and the kitchen is too small to turn without damaging cupboards. She is also on an NHS waiting list for a hand transplant. 'It's not good for my mental health to be stuck in one room all the time,' she added.
She has been on a list at Milton Keynes Council for more than a year, as well as with housing associations. 'The government needs to make councils build more wheelchair-accessible homes – all over the country there's such a huge shortage,' she said.
A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said the government was 'boosting the supply of accessible homes' and would change building regulations to ensure more new builds are accessible. A Milton Keynes Council spokesman said: 'We're actively searching for an acceptable property to which we can make further adaptations.'
