Johnathan Woodall was given painkillers and antibiotics for his abscess but said that the next day his ‘whole face was swollen’.
His wife, Teresa, said: ‘His face doubled in size and he could not open his mouth.
‘I phoned the Accident and Emergency Department and we went there. The Hospital gave him stronger painkillers but by Sunday he was still in pain.’
Mrs Woodall claimed that she contacted all of the numbers she could find in the telephone directory for dentists offering an out-of-hours service, but only managed to speak to one dentist.
‘The last dentist I called said she could come out but there was not much she could do. His whole face was swollen and he was in agony so we ended up going back to the Hospital.’
The 49-year-old was put on a drip and given antibiotics after allegedly waiting more than six hours to be seen.
Mr Woodall said: ‘The pain was the worst I have ever felt. I have had accidents before at work and never suffered like this. It is wrong to advertise and not do what you say you will.’
Mrs Woodall said that dentists in the Island should set up a dental ‘co-operative agreement’ and arrange to be on call at weekends or out-of-hours.
service much better.’
Kiran Kumar, president of the Jersey Dental Association, said that there were around 60 dentists in the Island and most of them were able to provide an out-of-hours service and that they ‘always’ responded if they could.
A spokesman for the Health Department said that they had not seen a ‘major upsurge’ in the number of patients with dental problems during the first four months of this year.
Dr John McInerney, a consultant in the Emergency Department, added: ‘Our experience in Jersey mirrors that of other advanced healthcare systems, in that many patients find it challenging to access out-of-hours dentistry care, and thus resort to attending their local Emergency Department instead.
THE health sector needs to resolve long-standing patient concerns as it redesigns Jersey’s healthcare system, the Jersey Consumer Council has said.
Cost, accessibility, referrals to hospital and the needs of under-fives and the elderly were among topics discussed by a series of focus groups looking into the Island’s primary healthcare system.
Primary healthcare encompasses everything from GPs to dentists and outpatients’ services at the Hospital.
And while the price of visiting the GP or dentist remains an issue for Islanders, those taking part in the focus groups said they do not want free primary care rolled out in Jersey due to concerns about who would fund the service and the potential consequences in terms of availability of appointments. Participants instead supported means-tested help.
In April the council called on the health sector to respond to patient concerns and perceptions, which it says have largely remained unresolved for years.
Anne King, executive officer of the council, said that she hoped the report would help shape the current review into Jersey’s primary care. She added: ‘It’s our understanding that some of the areas of concern are quite challenging and possibly difficult to resolve but there are others that can be acted on which we hope the health sector will listen to.
In total 54 Islanders reflecting a range of ages, parishes, family situations, ethnicities and social backgrounds were asked about their experiences and perceptions of primary care.
Participants stated that price inconsistencies across GP surgeries were unfair and that fees were ‘disproportionally expensive for groups who visit often’ such as children, the chronically ill and the elderly.
The report also suggested that GP surgeries should offer ‘greater flexibility’ on opening times after participants said that they were too restrictive for patients who work.
Dentists were perceived to be more expensive than GPs with some respondents saying that the price stopped them from accessing any form of dental care.
Rachel Williams, director of system redesign and delivery for the Health Department, said she welcomed the report.
