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Agony for Nikita, 4 in dental treatment wait
Exclusive By Vicki Robinson Health Reporter A MUM has condemned NHS dental services which have left her four-year-old daughter in agony for almost a month.
Little Nikita Smith has four rotten teeth which have caused huge abscesses in her mouth.Mum Jane says the youngster lies awake in "dreadful pain" and has not been to school since the condition started.
But despite Jane's best efforts, Nikita is still waiting for NHS treatment for a condition which dentists themselves have described as "urgent".
Jane said: "It's awful to see your daughter in so much pain and not be able to do anything about it. No one listens, however loud you shout. NHS dentistry is just a very bad joke."
Single mum Jane, from Bramley, Leeds, first noticed Nikita was in pain in mid January but since then says she has had to battle even to get her daughter seen by a dentist.
First, she tried to get an urgent appointment at her local surgery but was told because Nikita is not registered she could not be seen.
Jane claims her daughter has been on the waiting list to register since she was born.
Next, the mum contacted Leeds Dental Access clinic and was given an emergency appointment a few days later.
Taking two buses from her home to the centre in Scott Hall Road, she was late and missed Nikita's time slot. Instead of refixing an appointment, staff referred her to a community dental nurse – back in Bramley.
Records
Eventually the nurse arranged for Nikita to be seen by another surgery, where the dentist there said the offending teeth need to be removed.
Because the procedure must be done under anaesthetic, Nikita has now been referred to another clinic at Seacroft Hospital. But almost four weeks after Nikita first became ill, there is still no sign of any appointment.
Jane claims when she tried to chase up a date she was told Nikita's records had been lost – but health bosses deny that.
Jane said: "I've just made dozens of phone calls and I keep hitting a brick wall. How can a four-year-old girl be left to suffer like that? She's not eating, she's got diarrhoea, she can't sleep, she's having nightmares and wetting the bed.
"I give her Calpol every six hours but there's nothing else to do. How can people try to pretend there is nothing wrong with dental services when my four-year-old is in that state?"
The shortage of dentists has been a thorn in the side of the NHS for several years, but the situation is expected to worsen in April when more dentists are set to opt out of the health service.
Scores of dentists are choosing to only treat private patients in protest at a new NHS contract which will see them paid per patient instead of per treatment.
They believe they will be paid less for more work.
A spokeswoman for Leeds West Primary Care Trust said: "We would like to apologise for the difficulties Ms Smith has experienced with regard to her daughter's dental care and reassure people in Leeds that they can still access appropriate NHS dental care if their dentist has decided to opt out of the NHS.
"Nikita was first seen by our community dental service seven days ago and was registered as a patient at the Bramley Dental Clinic.
"Because Nikita needs to have teeth removed under a general anaesthetic, a procedure which cannot be carried out without a fully trained anaesthetist, she was referred to Seacroft Hospital.
"We have reassured Ms Smith that Nikita's notes have not been lost and that an appointment date for the extraction will be sent to her in the very near future."
Patients urged to delay before switching
New measures are being introduced to cope with any exodus of dentists in Leeds, according to the Leeds West Primary Care Trust.
A spokeswoman told the YEP: "Some dentists in Leeds have decided to opt out of the NHS when new, nationally agreed contracts come into place on April 1.
"Because of this we have seen a large number of people wanting to register with other NHS dentists even though they will be registered with their own dentist until April.
"This has led to the current difficulties and we would urge people to wait until their dentist leaves the NHS before seeking an alternative dentist.
"We are exploring a range of options to enable us to provide NHS dental services from April 1 and have been approached by a number of NHS dentists keen to expand their capacity or set up new practices should the opportunity become available.
"In the meantime emergency dental services are in place throughout the city to ensure that people needing urgent care receive the treatment they need.
"People needing emergency treatment should contact NHS Direct on 0845 4647."
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Friday 25 May 2012
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