Peter Owen, 19, was in agony for a week as he tried SIX times to have a tooth out. He was eventually rushed to hospital after an abcess on the tooth swelled so much that it blocked his windpipe. Peter had an emergency tracheotomy - where a breathing tube is inserted through a hole in the throat - and was on life support for two days.
Mum Wynn, 47, said last night: "Peter nearly died because there is a shortage of dentists. "It is shameful that someone should be taken to hospital fighting for his life just because of toothache." Peter was not registered with an NHS dentist when he developed raging toothache. Wynn rang NHS Direct who told her there were NO available dentists near their home in Colwyn Bay, North Wales. The nurse who answered suggested the emergency dentist at Royal Alexandra Hospital in Rhyl could see him - but not for six days.
Next day Peter went to a dental centre in his home town who told him the tooth must come out. But he was quoted a total of 121 pounds which he could not afford on his Jobseeker's Allowance. The next day he went to Colwyn Bay Community Hospital - but was told they were not taking any more dental patients. The day after that Peter's pain was becoming unbearable as his mouth began to swell.
Wynn called her doctors' surgery saying her son needed antibiotics for the pain. But she was told they did not deal with dental matters. Desperate, the pair then went to Glan Clwyd hospital where a nurse said he HAD to see a doctor. But after waiting two hours they had to go as Wynn was in agony with a shoulder problem. The following day Peter saw the dentist at Royal Alexandra Hospital who confirmed he needed the tooth out.
He prescribed antibiotics - and Peter made an appointment for an extraction four days later. But his condition got worse and the next day Wynn rang NHS Direct again, saying: "You're going to kill this lad." That night Peter could not breathe and dad Gareth rushed him back to Glan Clwyd, near Rhyl, where surgeons performed the emergency surgery. He was eventually allowed home a week later.
Wynn said: "It's a terrible story. These kids can't afford a private dentist and there are no NHS dentists anywhere. "I also blame the Welsh Assembly for the shortage of dentists in our area."
Conwy and Denbighshire NHS Trust said: "We can't discuss individual cases. But if Mrs Owen contacts patient services at the hospital we will discuss her concerns." A Welsh Assembly spokesman said: "Steps are being taken to address the issue of dentists."
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BRITISH NURSES FED UP WITH CONSTANT "CUTS"
National industrial action is being considered for the first time by nurses, amid mounting concern over job cuts, NHS deficits and the pace of reforms. As Tony Blair admitted that the health service faced a "challenging year", nursing leaders said that growing uncertainty in the NHS, and the fear that valid nursing concerns were simply being ignored, had pushed the profession into an "unprecedented position".
With Patricia Hewitt, the Health Secretary, receiving a rough ride as she spoke to a Unison conference, the Royal College of Nursing said that while it would not sanction full-scale walkouts, nurses refusing to work unpaid overtime was now a possibility. Beverly Malone, the RCN's general secretary, said that the action equated to an extra day's work per week for each nurse. "The reality gap between what the Government is saying and what we are experiencing at coalface level is very wide," she said.
Josie Irwin, head of employment relations at the RCN, said that the "work to rule" action had been considered before in localised disputes, but never on a national scale. "Nurses are feeling the most insecure they have ever felt about their jobs . . . there is clearly a temperature out there where members are considering the possibility of action in light of the redundancies, deficits and disappointing salary rises," she said. "The discontent has not been as widespread before, which does indicate a mood change across the NHS among the membership . . . this is the first time it has ever been discussed by the general secretary." Ms Irwin said that under RCN rules, members could not act in a way that was detrimental to the wellbeing of patients. She said that if the action occurred, health trusts would have to pay for agency staff or pay for nurses' overtime.
The nursing leaders were speaking on the second day of the RCN's annual conference in Bournemouth. Ms Hewitt is scheduled to speak to the conference tomorrow after facing sustained criticism for describing how the NHS had enjoyed its "best year ever". Yesterday 1,000 delegates sat in stony silence when Ms Hewitt was introduced at Unison's health workers' conference in Gateshead. She was heckled, booed and hissed during her speech. She slightly modified her claim, saying that it had been the "best year for patients". Her compliments and assurances were met with angry cries of derision and frequent interruptions from delegates. She said that she understood the concerns of those threatened with job losses, but change and reform were necessary if the founding ethics of the NHS were to be preserved. She said: "We've written a very big cheque for the NHS. But it's not a blank cheque. Overspending hospitals and organisations do have to put their houses in order."
After addressing the conference she faced a barrage of angry questions from delegates, who reeled off lists of ward closures and service cuts. Earlier Dave Prentis, the Unison general secretary, said that his union would not stand by and watch staff suffer "in a climate of fear". Unison would support members who had no option but to strike, he said, adding that patients would be hit by the cuts.
Mr Blair defended Ms Hewitt yesterday as he insisted that there had been significant improvements in the NHS since Labour came to power. He said that waiting lists had never been lower, cancer and cardiac care treatment was the best it had been, and there was a record number of extra doctors and nurses. He acknowledged difficulties as the service entered the next phase of its ten-year plan. "Whatever the challenge - and the next year will be very challenging - there have been improvements," he said. David Cameron, the Tory leader, criticised the Government's "arrogant" manner in blaming the crisis on health bosses. He said: "Nine thousand people are threatened with redundancy in the NHS and hospitals are threatened with closure. "This is not caused by reform but by a lack of reform and mismanagement."
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Australia: Semi-urgent patients missing out in Victoria's public hospitals
One in four patients waiting for surgery is not treated within the Government's benchmark times, according to the Australian Medical Association. AMA state vice-president Dr Doug Travis said doctors were tired of telling patients their surgery had been postponed or they would have to wait months for an operation because of a shortage of hospital beds and doctors. Dr Travis, a surgeon in the public hospital system, claimed analysis of the State Government's Your Hospitals report released last week showed the Government aimed to treat only 80 per cent of semi-urgent patients within 90 days compared with the national benchmark of treating 100 per cent within 90 days. But he said the Your Hospitals report showed only 73 per cent of patients were treated within 90 days. "Doctors list patients as semi-urgent because they need to have their surgery within 90 days, but the Government does not seem to care that more than one in five people can't access the surgery they need in the time frame they need," he said. Dr Travis said it seemed the Government had decided to lower the benchmark to make the figures look good instead of investing in more doctors, nurses and beds.
The AMA has asked the State Government to include an extra $100 million in Victoria's 2006-07 health budget to pay for 300 extra beds and help ease demand in emergency waiting rooms and minimise elective surgery cancellations. Opposition health spokeswoman Helen Shardey said the report's presentation was dishonest. "If you're going to have a performance indicator, that's what you need to report on," she said.
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For greatest efficiency, lowest cost and maximum choice, ALL hospitals and health insurance schemes should be privately owned and run -- with government-paid vouchers for the very poor and minimal regulation. Both Australia and Sweden have large private sector health systems with government reimbursement for privately-provided services so can a purely private system with some level of government reimbursement or insurance for the poor be so hard to do?
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