When NHS Tayside bosses put Ian Simpson’s autistic son on a waiting list to have a decaying tooth removed he didn’t think he would still be waiting for treatment 10 months later.
The Dundee dad of one and sales manager is angry at managers at the health board, claiming they have discriminated against his 23-year-old son because he has additional support needs.
Ian has asked us not to name his son, who requires specialist dental care due to his condition.
The man, who is non-verbal, went for a dental check-up in June last year when a hole in his tooth was discovered.
As a result the tooth needed removed.
He has been on the waiting list ever since.
Ian told us his son’s condition started getting worse last month.
“I view this as completely barbaric,” Ian told The Courier during a telephone interview.
Ian has now been told the earliest his son can get the treatment he needs will be in early May.
There are no appointments of the kind the young man needs scheduled in April due to planned theatre maintenance.
“It is discrimination,” Ian added.
Dundee Dad Ian frustrated and angry
Ian, 59, said it is “a breach of my son’s human rights as he can’t gain access to healthcare like everybody else does.
“Just because he has a disability, doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist.”
Ian’s son is unable to get his tooth extracted in a traditional dentist setting due to his autism and additional support needs.
He needs to go under general anaesthetic to have the tooth removed.
“My son isn’t able to tell us he is in pain because he is autistic and has additional support needs.
“But last month we noticed a deterioration in how he has been feeling.
“And when we are trying to brush his teeth, he isn’t keen to have it done.
“So we are pretty sure it is down to his tooth.
“I had a meeting with staff at the Kings Cross Health and Community Care Centre . “This was to see if he could have his tooth removed sooner.
“And that’s when I found out it can take up to two years for someone with a disability to get dental treatment.
“If you have had toothache you know how it can affect you.
“Not only can it be uncomfortable but it can be very painful too.
“So to be told you could be waiting up to two years to have treatment is completely unacceptable.”
‘One clinic a month’ providing dental treatment
NHS dental service staff told Ian there is just one clinic a month for people with complex needs who require dental procedures.
“I was told this clinic can only see a maximum of three people in a day.
“And there is in excess of 80 people on the same waiting list as my son needing dental treatment.
“When I told them my son’s condition had deteriorated their strategy was to prescribe up to two lots of antibiotics and then see where we are after that.
“But that is just a sticking plaster and doesn’t deal with the problem properly.”
No private dental treatment offering specialist support
Ian told us he has been unable to find anyone in Scotland offering private dental treatment for people needing specialist support like his son.
“We also can’t take him to Dundee dental hospital.
“They don’t provide the service for people with additional support needs.
“So we are dependent on NHS Tayside. After waiting nine months my son now has an appointment on May 2.
“But he has only been moved up the list because of the hassle staff have been getting from me.
“It is pretty appalling that someone can just be left to suffer for months on end.”
What is the response from NHS Tayside?
We sent a number of questions to NHS Tayside concerning the case.
There are two monthly theatre lists for patients with complex care needs requiring dental treatment under general anaesthetic held at Perth Royal Infirmary (PRI) and Stracathro Hospital.
But the surgical theatre timetable for patients across NHS Tayside is based on clinical urgency and patient need across all different kinds of conditions.
There are currently 96 patients waiting for complex care dental treatment under general anaesthetic in the region.
A spokesperson for NHS Tayside said: “Due to patient confidentiality we are unable to comment on matters relating to individual cases.
“The Surgical Division Clinical Care Group Manager has been in touch directly with Mr Simpson regarding his son’s care and treatment.”
Conversation