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 discounted price, as he felt sorry for my husband who could not eat properly without them.
I have been chasing Prince Charles Hospital, Merthyr Tydfil for reimbursement since.
J. J., Ebbw Vale, Gwent.
Sally Hamilton replies: You were with your husband when he was admitted to hospital and recall that his dentures were put in a container and then placed on to a trolley by a porter.
But when your husband got back to the ward, the teeth had vanished. Since he could not eat anything more solid than soup without them, you complained and were given a claim form which was sent to the hospital ‘concerns team’. But, five months on, the claim has still not been met.
Your dentist kindly charged just £1,000 for a replacement. But finances are tight, and you had to borrow the cash from a local money lender who, you told me, put pressure on you to make the repayment after a few months.
Your sister repaid the debt while you waited for the health board to fork out for the loss.
You asked a friend, a solicitor, to help you chase the compensation. He made 19 phone calls — on top of emailing — but got nowhere.
Following my intervention, the team at the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board got on to the matter swiftly.
A spokesman says: ‘We have apologised to the patient and his family for the loss of his dentures and are working at pace to ensure that he receives reimbursement.’
