The Dénia government team continues with its particular management of the investment policy in the residence. The last episode has been the investment to change the doors of the rooms on the first floor, which, according to the Union of Public Employees of the Valencian Community, has reduced its useful access width by 4 cm per door, going from 98 to 94 cm. The union warns that the rooms on the first floor are those used by people with a higher level of dependency, 80% of whom use wheelchairs or nest chairs, and almost 100% have reduced mobility.
The reason for this narrowing of the doors is in the execution of the work, since the old frames have not been removed and the new ones have been placed on top, "which has obviously made it easier for the company to install the doors, and has made the process cheaper, but it has resulted in less accessibility of the rooms, "says the SEP. Keep in mind that the hallways of the residence are narrower than usual, which significantly reduces maneuverability.
Limiting the accessibility of doors does not only harm wheelchair users and their carers; Hospital stretchers also have to pass through the doors, and room beds have to be changed frequently. In the case of the zero level beds that are in some rooms, and which are larger, this reduction will mean that the beds are literally trapped in the rooms and that to put them in or out they have to be dismantled with a screwdriver in all their parts and reassemble them in the destination room.
In other residences or in the Hospital, the width of the doors clearly exceeds 105 cm, such as 118 cm in the Fontilles residence, that is, an additional 24 cm per door, which facilitates maneuverability, transfers, etc. "However, the City Council has preferred to adhere to the minimums of the obsolete 2005 residence regulations, which sets the minimum per door at 92 cm and a half, thus not only complying with the regulations, but following its line they could reduce a cm and a half more in the next reform ", they warn.
"From the SEP we understand that since a work and an expense of this magnitude is being carried out, the logical thing would be to take advantage of it to increase the accessibility of the rooms, or at least maintain it, but never to reduce it. doors, having enlarged the ones in one corridor and next year trying to do those in the other corridor, in a line of continuous improvement. But what the government team does with this work is to spend public money to make life a little more difficult dependent people and also make it difficult for their carers. Proof that this extension was technically possible is shown by the fact that some doors have indeed been extended, as is the case of the access door to the work area. administration and direction that has been extended 25 cm ".
As soon as the works started, and the workers detected the error that was being made, the SEP presented a request through the entry register to stop the works and assess their impact on accessibility. "However, in line with the hostile treatment given by the mayor to our union delegates at the last Negotiation Table, the city council ignored our writing and went ahead with the works," they denounce from the union.
The government team, to put an end to the nursing strike, signed the commitment to carry out an investment audit prior to any work, carried out by specialized personnel, with investment planning. "Commitment that is not being fulfilled since, 6 months later, the audit has not been carried out. In the meantime, it would be desirable that the investments take into account the criteria of professionals specialized in dependency, geriatrics, accessibility, functional diversity, etc., who They were not based only on legal or economic criteria, and that they also took into account the model of person-centered care, which this work has also ignored ".
Well, as always, the works were awarded to "a trustworthy company" which, in order to pocket public money, has lowered costs. Nothing changes.