Overview

I had lots of problems with wheelchair access and with the ramp, and the toilet is thoughtlessly laid out. Work needed to sort out several problems.

Transport & Parking

The nearest step-free station is Nine Elms (Northern Line), which is 1.4 miles away. Several bus routes serve Clapham Old Town, including 137, 249, 417, 88 and 322.

Access

There are two steps up into the shop, and a very good, long, sturdy portable ramp is available. It took me a long time to make staff aware that I was outside the shop waiting to get in: after a few minutes of waving frantically, I finally got someone's attention and the ramp was brought. It was deployed dangerously, 180º the wrong way, with the rubber anti-slip strips at the pavement end instead of on the step. I had to teach the staff how to deploy the ramp safely. I shouldn't have to do that. Amazingly, the same very long ramp is used for the single step down to the toilet at the back of the shop, and it is MUCH too long, because the space is small and constricted and once I had got to the bottom of the ramp, I wasn't able to turn - there was hardly even space to get off the ramp. This is incredibly thoughtless. In addition to this, it was impossible to deploy the ramp safely because a giant plant-pot forces the ramp to sit on the step insecurely at a skewed angle. This is an accident waiting to happen. A much shorter ramp is needed for access to the toilet.

Toilets

Getting to the toilet is problematic, as described above. I found a giant bin in the wheelchair transfer area, which I had to get staff to move. The wheelchair transfer area adjacent to the toilet is NOT a place for bins or other paraphernalia. Very thoughtless. There are not enough grab-rails in the toilet, so it's pretty dangerous.

Staff

All the staff I met were friendly but very clueless about accessibility.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

I have had so many access problems at so many branches of Gail's - they really need to get a professional access auditor to audit every branch and sort out all their problems. For the branch described in this review, the following remedial action is needed: - Ramp training for all staff so that the ramp is deployed correctly at all times (rubber strips placed on the step, not on the pavement). - A second, and shorter, ramp needs to be acquired for toilet access. – The wheelchair transfer area in the toilet must be kept clear at all times and staff need to be trained to do this. - More grab-rails are needed in the toilet. There are standard designs for wheelchair-accessible toilets, and these need to be consulted. Finally, whilst the cakes and savoury items are absolutely delicious, the cappuccino was revolting - too weak, not tasting of coffee at all, more like a blend of yesterday's washing-up water with a dash of mushroom soup. I won't be buying coffee there again.