Ask the Experts

Humiliation, not thoughtfulness

Q Recently I went with my husband to the HSBC Bank in Stafford, where the banking facilities are up a flight of stairs. Because I have seizures and have to use a wheelchair, we used the lift. This prompted the bank manager to ask me, politely, if we would not come upstairs in future as he’d been advised that I was a fire hazard. I asked if he was going to put up a sign warning all customers about this. He said no, he was going to approach people individually, and would arrange for someone to run upstairs to do our transactions for us when we came in. My husband asked if this was normal practice, as other shops and banks haven’t requested such a thing. The manager ignored him. Talk about humiliation. Could you tell me if this sort of behaviour is justified.
Giovana Jarrett, Stafford

Agnes Fletcher says:
This seems an extraordinary way for a business as big as HSBC to behave. You might expect this “we’ll run upstairs and sort it out” from a small struggling business but not from a global company with annual profits of £7.2 billion.

First of all, it points to a lack of proper evacuation procedures for customers (and potential employees) on the first floor, if personal banking is to be conducted there. Second, it wrongly implies that it’s reasonable that you hand over personal banking to an employee to “run upstairs” with. Third, there’s the ridiculous practice of the manager explaining all this to each customer individually once they’ve already got upstairs.

I asked HSBC to comment and got the following email: “We do try to help all our customers at Stafford Branch on the ground floor, which is designed to enhance customer areas and create an environment where staff are more visible and readily available to assist customers. Stafford Branch provides full facilities as well as space for managers and customers to have meetings in private interview rooms on the ground floor. If any of our disabled customers wish to use the second floor where the counter is situated they are free to use the lift but are made aware that in the case of a fire the lift would stop operating and evacuation may be an issue. All our staff are trained to identify and assist customers who may have difficulty accessing the counter by completing any transactions on behalf of the customer. We are sorry that our customer had a bad experience when they used the branch and thank them for bringing their experience to our attention. We will continue to train the staff at the branch on how to support all our customers and an evacuation chair is being ordered for the branch, for which staff will receive specific training and is for use in the unlikely event of an emergency. We will be contacting our customers to discuss how we can help them to access their banking facilities in the future.”

I’m afraid this is a case of “special measures for special people”, when what most of us want is to access services in the same way as non-disabled people whenever possible. Whether this is technically against the law or not is beside the point (a legal case would be needed to establish that). It is not good customer service and is not treating you and other disabled people in a dignified way. Either both floors should be fully and safely accessible to disabled people or only the ground floor should be used for customer banking (with appropriate arrangements for disabled staff who need to work upstairs).

How can I help my son?

Q I am writing to you on behalf of my son because I don’t know what to do. My son, Stuart, has a learning difficulty and some physical disability. He lived with me until February 2010 but was then moved to a supporting house and has found it isolating. He lives far away from all facilities like the supermarket, his doctor and the town centre. He doesn’t travel easily, has no friends near him and is very lonely.

Stuart wishes to move back to London. His social worker once unsuccessfully contacted the London Borough of Brent where he wished to move, and Golden Lane Housing, but nothing has since been done to help him move. Stuart is now desperate and has told me he will run away and I’m even afraid that he might do something to himself because no one is listening. I can’t let that happen. Stuart copes well with his disability but needs help. This is urgent.
R Walker, Hemel Hemstead, Herts

Kate Sheehan replies:
This is a tricky situation and more common than you might think. The statutory services probably feel your son is adequately housed and will therefore not see him as a priority. It is also very hard to transfer someone from one local housing authority to another, as the person moving into the district will not receive any priority. Unless your son can show that his housing is having a detrimental affect on his health and well-being, or more seriously that there is a safeguarding issue (definition of safeguarding: keeping the adult safe from harm, such as illness, abuse or injury), then social services are unlikely to take active steps to assist. In your particular case, it would appear that your son may come under safeguarding and I suggest you contact his social worker, explain your fears about him wanting to run away, and clearly state that this is a safeguarding issue.

You can also always try your local CAB for help, and individual housing associations in your local area may allocate properties directly without going through the local housing department allocation process.