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The Morning Star 2026 Conference
Restating the obvious
Access needs for patients with mobility issues still a problem at many NHS trusts, writes RUTH HUNT
SHORT-CHANGED: Jamie Hale, artistic director of disability arts organisation CRIPtic Arts [Pic: Wellcome Collection/Camilla Greenwell/CC]

AS THE King gets his treatment, he might not be aware that getting simple exploratory scans can, for some, be problematic. It should be a straightforward procedure for anyone, no matter whether they are able-bodied or not, but that is not what Dani Czernuszka-Watts found when she needed a scan at her local hospital.

Dani Czernuszka-Watts sustained a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) following a reckless tackle by a rugby opponent and as a result is paralysed from the waist down. But as a determined young woman she has climbed Snowdon and completed the London Marathon not once, but twice. Currently she is part of the Great Britain ice hockey squad.

So, when she had to go to West Berkshire Hospital, Dani didn’t think she would face any problems. During her appointment, she was directed to get her scan at a mobile unit outside, with no warning from the staff that access may be an issue.

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