Vulnerable elderly and disabled residents at a retirement housing block in north Norfolk have been left stranded in their upper-floor homes for a week after the building’s lift broke down and still hasn’t been repaired by their housing provider.
Elderly residents at Saxon Court in North Walsham – many of whom use walkers, wheelchairs and scooters to get around - have said being left without lift access for the last seven days has “caused absolute hell”.
In that time, one desperate 98-year-old resident, who lives on the top floor, missed two doctors’ appointments as she couldn’t get down the stairs of the building.
The tenants, who are all over the age of 65, are concerned that if they needed to call an ambulance paramedics would not be able to get them down from the building.
They have been unable to get their shopping delivered up to them and cannot do their laundry or empty their bins on the ground floor.
They have tried calling Flagship countless times in the last week to get the lift repaired but say the housing provider's response is always that it will be fixed "soon".
Barry Snailum, 65, lives on the second floor. His partner, Patricia Fuller, 77, who uses a mobility scooter, came to visit him the day before a sign was put up on the lift saying it was out of use.
Mr Snailum, who himself uses two sticks to walk, has had to carry her down the stairs.
"It’s a struggle for me to get her down," he said.
“It’s diabolical and it's caused absolute hell.
“There are people here who rely on the lift.
"I’ve got a big bag of washing but I can’t carry it down and it will be even heavier when it’s wet.
“It’s appalling from Flagship and I think their attitude stinks. This is a priority which they should’ve sorted out.”
Sadie Page is a carer for her grandmother, Patricia Smith, 82, who lives on the first floor.
Mrs Smith uses a walker and had to cancel a doctor’s appointment for blood tests and an important ECG to check on her heart because she couldn’t get down the stairs.
She will now have to wait for her rescheduled appointment in three weeks’ time, on September 14.
"She is really struggling," Mrs Page said.
“My grandmother has previously had issues with her heart where we’ve had to call an ambulance.
“They would have to use the lift to get her down because they couldn’t carry her. We don’t know what they would do.
"Fortunately for my grandma, she has me as her carer - but the people who have nobody have no way of getting food, doing laundry or emptying their bins downstairs.
“This is unforgivable from Flagship.”
Another resident, who asked not to be named, said: “I heard one elderly lady crying to another resident saying how hemmed in she feels”.
“There are stairs, but they’re too frightened to attempt to come down. They’re desperate and relying on relatives to come to help them.
“I’m so worried because I know them all and I’ve seen the state they are in. You can’t leave a lift broken with vulnerable people on the upper floors.
“It’s not on. We all pay our rent.”
Flagship has been approached for comment.
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