My husband needed emergency surgery on Christmas Day last year, which required his dentures to be removed.
The special implant-supported dentures, which cost £2,700, were never seen again. Our dentist replaced them a few weeks later at a reduced price as he felt sorry for my husband who couldn’t eat properly without them.
Since then I have been chasing Prince Charles Hospital, Merthyr Tydfil for a refund.
JJ, Ebbw Vale, Gwent.
Sally Hamilton responds: You were with your husband when he was admitted to the hospital and remember that a janitor put your dentures in a container and then placed them on a cart.
But when her husband returned to the room, the teeth were gone. As she couldn’t eat anything more solid than soup without them, you complained and were given a claim form which was sent to the hospital’s ‘concern team’. But, five months later, the claim has still not been fulfilled.
His dentist kindly charged him just £1000 for a replacement. But finances are tough and you had to borrow the money from a local lender who, you told me, pressured you to make the payment after a few months.
Your sister paid the debt while you waited for the health board to pay the loss.
He asked a friend, a lawyer, to help him get compensation. He made 19 phone calls, as well as sending emails, but it got nowhere.
Following my intervention, the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board team quickly got to work.
A spokesperson says: “We have apologized to the patient and his family for the loss of his dentures and are working apace to ensure he receives a refund.”
