Oakley Hall Hotel

Policy Statement

This organisation believes in providing a comfortable & safe environment that is easy to use for guests & staff, including those who are disabled. The organisation believes that access to buildings is a critical part of their design. Entrances and exits need to balance welcome and ease of access with the obvious need to control access and ensure safety and adequate levels of security.

The organisation adheres fully to all relevant regulations and standards relating to buildings access and disabled access, including applicable Buildings Regulations. Access design also needs to satisfy the provisions of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Road Traffic Act 1991 and of the Equality Act 2010, which places a duty upon owners of premises to provide adequate access for disabled people.

Aims of the Policy

This policy is intended to set out the values, principles and policies underpinning this organisation’s approach to access to its premises.

We strongly recommend that guests contact us in advance to their visit if they anticipate any difficulties or have any unique requirements.

Access Policy

The purpose of the hotel is to provide a luxurious, comfortable and safe environment for guests who are staying, dining and/or celebrating with us. The organisation is committed to providing safe and easy access to all parts of its buildings and grounds for people who use wheelchairs, who are infirm or unsteady on their feet.

The Equality Act 2010 requires employers to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for disabled people, such as providing extra help or making changes to the way they provide their service and to take reasonable steps to remove, alter or provide reasonable means of avoiding physical features that make it impossible or difficult for disabled people to use a service or to be employed in a workplace. In addition, under the Building Regulations, new commercial buildings must cater for disabled visitors as well as the people working in them, while building works to existing premises should not have any facilities for disabled people made worse.

To comply with these aspects of the law, and to provide full access as stated above, this organisation has put such measures in place which identify barriers to access and regularly reviews its systems and processes for the way that its services are provided.

Throughout the hotel all access points to the building have been reviewed and suitable adaptations under the Equality Act 2010 and Building Regulations have been made. This includes main entrances, side entrances and entrances from the gardens:

The Hotel
- Disabled parking bays in the main car park
- 2 ramps into the main hotel
- Wide doorways leading into the property
- All floors are accessible via lift

The Glasshouse Restaurant
- The outdoor terrace can be accessed via ramp
- Guests can request a table with suitable spacing for their needs

Accommodation
- The hotel has 3 bedrooms with fully accessible bathrooms for disabled guests. These bathrooms include: walk-in showers, lower baths & sinks, hand rails, non-slip bath mats (optional) and emergency pull-cord alarms. If you need this facility, please reserve on booking.
- All bedrooms in the main house can be accessed via a lift (3 floors)
- All bedrooms in the Courtyard can be accessed via ramps

Function Rooms
- The Library, Garden Room, Winchester Room (combined to make the Garden Suite) and the Garden Pavilion are all on the ground floor. A ground floor disabled toilet is located close to the Garden Pavilion.
- The Austens, Steventon & Alton Rooms can all be accessed via lift (all located on the first floor)
- Our function rooms have accessible parking bays. Please ring ahead of arrival if you need directions to the most convenient bay.

All future works or extensions will consider disabled access as a key part of building design.

Employment
All new employees will be employed on the basis of merit and performance at interview and no applicant for jobs will be discriminated against on any basis, including that of a disability. Reasonable adaptations or changes in procedures or systems will be made to accommodate new staff with who may have disabilities in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.

Training
All staff will be offered training covering basic information about staff duties and responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 and about health and safety risk management and the reporting of hazards. All new staff will receive induction training which will include a thorough tour of the premises and guidance on improving access and procedures wherever possible. In particular, staff will be trained to be more aware and involved with disabled access and to consider how services can be provided in a different way that disabled people would find more convenient.

Printed information or pages from this website may be made available in large print upon request. Alternatively, we will be delighted to talk you through our various facilities & offers.