Man tries to escape 'Willy Wonka' hospital lift as confusing buttons 'trap' him

21 July 2023 , 21:30

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Gabriel was left baffled by the lift buttons (Image: Gabriel Kanter-Webber / SWNS)

A man has posted an image of a bizarre set of lift buttons at a Brighton hospital that left him panicking over which to press so he could "escape" - with more than one for each floor.

Gabriel Kanter-Webber, 41, was visiting patients at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, East Sussex, when he was left baffled by the lift. And after posting his dilemma on Facebook, hundreds of people have agreed with one person joking: "Is this Wily Wonka’s lift?"

The control panel, in the newly-unveiled Louisa Martindale Building, has caused confusion as it has multiple buttons for the same floor.

Gabriel, a Rabbi, regularly visits congregants who are inpatients there - and said he was left wondering which button to press. He then noticed a few days after he first visited that a sign had been added - to explain how to use the buttons.

There is more than one button for some of the floors (Gabriel Kanter-Webber / SWNS)

The sign reads: "If you are alighting at levels one, two, three or four, you will need to select both buttons for that floor and ensure that the red light is highlighted."

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But Gabriel said that only complicated it further - as the picture on the instructions is different to the control panel in the lift.

Gabriel, from Brighton, East Sussex, said: "Fortunately the wards I was visiting are on the upper floors, with only one button per number. So getting up is fine - but I still don't have a clue how to get back down to the bottom floor.

"The past few times I have got lucky and a member of staff was in the lift at the right time so I could escape. It's actually a really good building - but that's one part they just didn't think through!"

Other people on social media also agreed it was confusing. "I was there last week. Completely thrown, really couldn't tell which button/buttons would take me to street level," said one.

Another said: "Thank goodness it doesn't have a basement of underground car park," and a further wondered: "Are you sure that if you press 1 and 4, you won't end up at 5?"

Meanwhile, staff members at the hospital also replied to his Facebook post on Useless, Unsuccessful, and/or Unpopular Signage group. One said: "It is separate staff access for a whole separate corridor system to help shield people from seeing certain things like waste, food transport and distressing sights."

A UHSussex spokesperson said: “We’re sorry some of the operating instructions in a small number of our lifts are causing some confusion. We’re aware of the issue and are working to fix this as quickly as possible.”

Tim Hanlon