A man from Edinburgh is trapped in his own home after claiming the City of Edinburgh Council has refused to build a ramp providing him access from his tenement stair door to the pavement.
Alexander French, 54, lost the ability to walk after being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. He now uses an electric wheelchair - however, due to the steep step to his tenement flat door, he is unable to leave his home independently.
The dad is stuck inside his house during the week, as he doesn't like relying on his family to get him in and out the property. This leaves him unable to socialise, which he says has taken a serious toll on his mental health.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Alex said: "I am a wheelchair user and I live in a ground-floor flat in north Edinburgh. I recently contacted the city council to request a wheelchair ramp and I was told I needed to have a wheelchair issued by the NHS but I use an electric wheelchair as I do not have the strength to push a manual chair.
"I received an NHS chair a few weeks ago and I contacted the city council again and was told I was given the wrong information and I'm not entitled to a ramp to be installed as I own my house. I'm not in a position to pay for a ramp and as a result, I can't leave the house unless my son or wife is home. However, they both work during the day and can't help.
He continued: "We have owned our house for 20 years but all the rest of the flats are owned by the council and it's a main stair door. I have been using the wheelchair for years, my son used to be here all the time and built me a ramp so I could get out of the house on my own but it's not there anymore.
"My son is 29 years old now and he is out all the time, he needs his own life it's not fair for me to rely on him to get out of the house. I used to go to different groups through the week to meet up with people and socialise but I can't now.
"I am stuck in my house from Monday to Thursday because my son is out volunteering now and my wife works. My best friend just lives down the road and he is a wheelchair user too but I haven't seen him in years because I can't get out of the house.
"This has been my life for years now. It's taken a huge toll on my mental health - right now it is really bad. I'm just sat in all day on my own with the dog and no one to talk to. I often feel like a prisoner in my own home."
Alex continued: "The added stress of the situation makes my pain a lot worse and I'm in constant pain because of the Fibromyalgia. It has been really bad over the last year or so."
A neighbour has offered to build a ramp for Alex but he would still like answers from the council on the handling of his situation after he complained a number of times but didn't get any help.
A spokesperson from the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership said: “We can provide assurance that in cases where our Occupational Therapy services are in place, assessment decisions will always aim to ensure the right level of support and rehabilitation, whilst maximising individual independence as much as possible based on personal capability and circumstances.
They added: “In addition, we work with individuals to help link them to wider community services and groups that can further enable and support overall wellbeing.” The City of Edinburgh Council has been approached for comment.
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