Disabled Sunderland dad claims Gentoo property leaves him trapped and fearing for life due to access problems

A disabled Sunderland man who has had both of his legs amputated said his life is in danger and he feels “trapped” due to what he claims is an unsuitable sized property which emergency services struggled to access with a stretcher when he needed to be rushed to hospital.

Peter Wise, who lives in a Gentoo property in Thorney Close, said he “hasn’t ate a meal with his family for years”, cannot access his back garden to “get some fresh air” due to step and is “terrified” he won’t be able to get out of his house in the event of a of fire or medical emergency.

Gentoo say it is working with Mr Wise, his family and occupational therapists to identify a suitable long-term home and stressed larger family homes account for just 1.5% of their properties and “don’t become available very often”.

Peter, 39, moved into the three bedroom Gentoo property nine years ago with his wife Gemma and their four children.

He had recently been diagnosed with Bechet's disease, a rare condition in which Peter’s immune system attacks his own body.

However, at the time he moved into the property he was “in much better health” and had use of both legs.

Sadly Peter’s health has deteriorated significantly, particularly in the last two years.

He said: “I’m pretty much bed bound and I’m in constant chronic pain and have had two vertebra fractures . Due to my condition I developed diabetes. One morning I woke up with a hole in my toe which began to spread and two years ago I had to have one of my legs amputated.

“The same thing happened to my other leg, which again had to be amputated. I pretty much spend my time in bed and have developed bed sores. I can’t get into the garden and the dinning room is too small for my wheelchair to allow me to eat a meal with my family. I feel trapped and have no quality of life.”

During this period, Peter said he was visited by occupational therapists who he said informed him and Gentoo that his house was no longer suitable for his needs.

Peter said he “chased things up” with Gentoo but got no response.

The situation “came to head” on July 6 when Peter’s health took a turn for the worse after he developed sepsis and his wife Gemma had to call for an ambulance.

Gemma said: “Peter has a lot of equipment to help with his condition. When the paramedics arrived, due to the size of the room, the first thing we had to do was clear out furniture to enable them to get access to assess him and fit cannulas and get medication into Peter.

“It was then a real struggle to get Peter onto a stretcher to get him out of the room and into an ambulance. It ended up taking much longer than it should.”

Peter added: “Time is of the essence in these situation and the doctors in hospital said I was lucky to be alive. At one point my blood pressure plummeted and they couldn’t find a pulse .

“I know with my condition that it’s only a matter of time before there is another medical emergency and I’m terrified of being in the same situation again - I’m scared for my life.

“If there was a fire, I would really struggle to evacuate the house. I’m petrified.”

Following the incident, Peter said he was visited by senior mangers from Gentoo who agreed to find him a more suitable property.

In a statement to the Echo, Chris Roberts, who is director of customer at Gentoo Group, said: "We understand the impact this situation is having on Mr Wise and his family, including on their day-to-day life, independence and wellbeing, and how important it is for them to find a home that meets their needs.

"We’ve been working closely with the family to understand and respond to their needs. We’ve offered several suitable properties and continue to remain in regular contact throughout the process.”

Peter said he was offered a property in Durham but claims “it fell through”. He said he was also offered two other properties, including in Pallion, but disputes Gentoo’s assessment that they were suitable for his needs.

He said: “One property was spread across three floors and had no downstairs bedroom or adaptations for my needs. There’s no point in moving to a property just to be in the same or slightly better position than I’m in now.

“I need something with space which is open plan where I can move around in my wheelchair and to be able to get in the garden. I just want to get some quality of life back and be able to be a dad and husband again.”

Gemma added: “Peter’s condition is a ticking time bomb and we know at some point we will have to call out an ambulance again.”

Mr Roberts responded: “We are continuing to work with Sunderland City Council's occupational therapy team to assess whether two further properties could meet the family's needs.

“While larger family homes are limited and rarely become available, we continue to prioritise the family's case and remain committed to exploring every reasonable option.

“We will continue to keep the family informed and supported throughout this process."