RADAR keys, stoma-friendly toilets and what to pack: going out with a stoma in the UK

Quick answer: A RADAR key opens thousands of locked accessible toilets across the UK under the National Key Scheme run by Disability Rights UK, and having a stoma is a perfectly good reason to carry one. Buy the official key from Disability Rights UK or ask your stoma supplies company, which often sends one free. Add a toilet card for the times there is no accessible loo, pack a small kit with a spare stoma bag, and dress so nothing presses on the bag – then go.

The first proper trip out after stoma surgery is rarely about where you are going. It is about where the nearest toilet is, whether anyone will notice the bag, and what happens if something leaks on the bus. The UK is one of the easier places to live with a stoma: a national key for accessible toilets, a supermarket chain that has made every accessible toilet stoma-friendly, toilet cards you can keep in your wallet and a law on your side. This guide puts it all in one place, with the practical bits – what to carry, what to wear – that nobody tells you on the ward.

Woman with a stoma wearing a black SIIL stoma belt on a bike ride through town — *A day out gets easier once the toilet question is answered before you leave the house.*

Key takeaways

A RADAR key opens over 9,000 locked accessible toilets in the UK. You do not need any paperwork to buy one, and a stoma is reason enough.
Stoma-friendly toilets have a shelf, a hook, a mirror and a lidded bin. Look for the Colostomy UK sticker; every Morrisons accessible toilet now has them.
A toilet card (Just Can’t Wait, Can’t Wait) does the explaining when there is no accessible loo. It is not a legal pass, but it works.
A small kit in your everyday bag plus clothes that keep the bag flat is all the planning most days need.

What is a RADAR key, and does a stoma count?

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The RADAR key is a large silver key that opens locked accessible toilets across the UK. The scheme behind it is the National Key Scheme (NKS), started in 1981 by RADAR (the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation) with the lock makers Nicholls & Clarke, and run today by Disability Rights UK. Locked accessible toilets are found in shopping centres, railway and bus stations, supermarkets, pubs, cafés, motorway services, parks and council buildings – over 9,000 of them, according to Disability Rights UK.

Does a stoma count? Yes. The key is for anyone with a disability or health condition that means they need an accessible toilet, and that includes needing space, a shelf and a sink to empty or change a stoma bag. You do not need a Blue Badge, PIP or any paperwork to buy or use one. If you ever feel the need to justify yourself, the Equality Act 2010 is on your side – we have covered that in is having a stoma considered a disability in the UK?

Where to get a RADAR key (and how to avoid the fakes)

Disability Rights UK shop. The official RADAR key costs a few pounds; check their shop for the current price. Buying there funds the scheme and guarantees the key actually fits the locks.
Your stoma supplies company. Several home-delivery companies include a free RADAR key among their extras (Fittleworth and SecuriCare both list one). Ask when you place your next order.
Stoma charities. Colostomy UK sells the key, and a photo ID card to go with it, through its website once you have shown you have a stoma (a delivery note is enough). Crohn’s & Colitis UK includes a key with membership.
Local councils. Many sell keys at the counter or online; some ask you to confirm you need one.

Disability Rights UK warns that unofficial copies cannot be guaranteed to work in every lock – buy the genuine one, and keep it on your house keys, not in a drawer.

Stoma-friendly toilets: what to look for

An accessible toilet is good; a stoma-friendly toilet is better. Colostomy UK’s Stoma Friendly Toilets campaign asks businesses to fit four cheap things that make a huge difference when you are changing a bag:

What	Why it matters
A shelf next to the toilet	Somewhere clean to lay out a new bag, wipes and scissors
A hook on the back of the door	For your coat and your kit bag, so nothing touches the floor
A mirror at the right height	So you can see the stoma while you fit the flange
A bin with a lid	For the used bag – no walking out with it in your hand

Toilets that join the campaign carry a Colostomy UK sticker on the door. In March 2026 Morrisons became the first UK supermarket to make every accessible toilet in its stores stoma-friendly, across England, Scotland and Wales, with the four features above advised by Colostomy UK; the charity has added the stores to its online Stoma Friendly Toilets Finder, so you can check before you go. Shopping centres, football grounds, universities, hospitals and other venues have joined the campaign too. If your local shop has not, Colostomy UK has a ready-made letter to hand to the manager and sends stickers and information packs on request – it is a small ask and most say yes. For anyone who needs more space or a changing bench, Changing Places toilets are listed on the official Changing Places map, and a RADAR key opens many of them too.

Toilet cards: the ‘Can’t Wait’ card and friends

Some days there is no accessible toilet and you simply need the staff loo in a café. A toilet card does the talking for you:

Just Can’t Wait card from the Bladder & Bowel Community – the digital version for your phone’s wallet is free; a plastic card costs a small fee.
Can’t Wait Card from Crohn’s & Colitis UK – it comes with membership (so does a RADAR key) and is widely recognised on the high street.
Colostomy UK travel certificate – a free PDF that explains your stoma and your kit at airport security and abroad; we have a full guide to the stoma travel certificate and airport security.
Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyard – not a toilet card as such, but it is recognised at UK airports, by the big supermarket chains and on the railways as a sign that you may need a little extra time or help.

None is a legal right to a particular toilet, but in practice they work. Keep one in your wallet and a photo on your phone.

What to pack in your stoma kit bag

A small wash bag that lives in your everyday bag is enough – pack it once, restock it when you get home.

Item	Why
1–2 spare stoma bags (pre-cut if you cut your own)	The one thing you cannot buy on the high street
Spare flange or base plate if you use a two-piece	The part that usually needs replacing after a leak
Adhesive remover wipes and dry wipes	Quick, clean change without water
Barrier wipes or spray	Whatever your stoma nurse recommends for your skin
Disposal bags (scented or opaque)	For the used bag when there is no lidded bin
Small scissors (if you cut your own)	In your main bag, not a pocket – they are a problem at security
Hand sanitiser and a small folding mirror	Not every toilet has a sink in the cubicle or a usable mirror
Spare pants and a rolled-up pair of leggings or joggers	The plan for the worst day, used perhaps once a year
Your RADAR key and a toilet card	On your keys and in your wallet

Add water and a snack if you have an ileostomy – a long day out is not the time to run dry. For flights and longer trips, our guide to flying with a stoma bag covers the extra bits.

What to wear for a day out with a stoma

Beige SIIL stoma wrap folded down to show the stoma bag it covers — *A wrap is the lighter option under dresses and fitted tops.*

Clothes decide whether you relax once you are out. A few rules that work for thousands of people:

A stoma belt worn over the bag holds it flat, takes the weight when it fills and keeps seatbelts, rucksack straps and waistbands from rubbing the stoma. For a long day on your feet or a train journey it is the single most useful piece of kit. The SIIL stoma belt has an opening sized for the bag and a soft, breathable fabric that disappears under a T-shirt.
High-waisted stoma underwear with an inside pocket keeps the bag flat and quiet and looks like ordinary underwear. See the stoma panties.
A stoma wrap is the lighter option for dresses and fitted tops: a soft band that smooths the outline of the bag. The stoma wraps come in nude, black and cream.
Trousers and skirts: high waist, a soft elasticated band rather than a stiff belt, or the belt deliberately above or below the stoma. Keep seams, buttons and zips away from the stoma itself – we have gone through the options in which trousers are best for stoma wearers.
Patterns and layers: prints, loose shirts and open jackets lose the outline of a bag; dark colours for the first few trips if that gets you out of the door.

The whole range, from belts to swimwear, lives on one page: stoma clothing UK. None of it is medical – that is your stoma nurse’s job. It lets you stop thinking about the bag, which is the whole point of going out.

Shop stoma clothing →

Planning the day without planning your life

Trains and buses. Many stations have accessible toilets, often on the National Key Scheme; on long-distance trains the accessible toilet is usually in the carriage with the wheelchair symbol. Empty the bag before you board.
Driving. Seatbelts sit where many stomas are: a belt over the bag or a small cushion under the seatbelt keeps it comfortable, and the RADAR key gets you into locked accessible toilets at many service stations.
Eating and drinking out. Order what you would at home, save known wind-makers for a night in, chew well and sip fizzy drinks. Alcohol is not off limits for most people, but it changes output for many and is dehydrating, especially with an ileostomy – alternate with water, and ask your stoma nurse if you are unsure.
Work and the outdoors have their own guides: working with a stoma in the UK and going outdoors with a stoma.

If something goes wrong when you are out

It happens to everyone eventually, and almost never as badly as the fear suggests. Find a toilet (key, card, or simply ask), lay your kit out on the shelf or a clean paper towel, change the bag the way your stoma nurse showed you, change your clothes if you need to, and carry on. If the fear itself is what keeps you at home, your stoma nurse can refer you, and Colostomy UK runs a stoma helpline open every day of the year, 9am to 10pm, on 0800 328 4257.

In short

Get a RADAR key from Disability Rights UK or your supplies company and keep it on your house keys. Carry a Just Can’t Wait or Can’t Wait card for the days without an accessible toilet. Look for the Colostomy UK sticker – Morrisons has done every store, and plenty of other venues have followed. Keep a small kit with a spare bag in your everyday bag, and wear clothes that hold the bag flat and keep waistbands off the stoma. Then go out: that is what the key is for. The SIIL community is more than 40,000 people with a stoma, most of whom remember that first trip to the shops.

Frequently asked questions

What is a RADAR key and does having a stoma qualify me for one?

A RADAR key opens locked accessible toilets across the UK under the National Key Scheme run by Disability Rights UK. Anyone with a disability or health condition that means they need an accessible toilet can use one, and that includes people with a stoma. No paperwork is required.

Where can I buy a RADAR key?

From the Disability Rights UK online shop (the official key, a few pounds), from many local councils, from Colostomy UK's website, and often free from your stoma supplies delivery company. Crohn's & Colitis UK includes one with membership. Avoid unofficial copies, which may not work in every lock.

Which supermarkets have stoma-friendly toilets?

In March 2026 Morrisons became the first UK supermarket to make all the accessible toilets in its stores stoma-friendly, working with Colostomy UK. Other venues such as shopping centres, football grounds and hospitals have joined the campaign. Look for the Colostomy UK sticker on the door, which means a shelf, hook, mirror and lidded bin inside, or check Colostomy UK's online list.

Is there a toilet card for people with a stoma?

Yes. The Bladder & Bowel Community's Just Can't Wait card is free in its digital version, and Crohn's & Colitis UK's Can't Wait Card comes with membership. Colostomy UK's free travel certificate helps at airports and abroad. None is a legal pass, but in practice they are widely accepted.

What should be in a stoma kit bag for a day out?

One or two spare stoma bags, a spare base plate if you use a two-piece, adhesive remover and dry wipes, barrier wipes, disposal bags, a small mirror, hand sanitiser, spare underwear and your RADAR key and toilet card. Add water and a snack if you have an ileostomy.

Can I use a disabled toilet if I have a stoma?

Yes. Needing space, a shelf and a sink to empty or change a stoma bag is a legitimate reason to use an accessible toilet, and a stoma is generally treated as a disability under the Equality Act 2010. A RADAR key or toilet card simply saves you the explanation.