A HULL woman claims she and her six-year-old granddaughter were forced to wait in the pouring rain for an emergency NHS dental appointment.
Julie Dixon took her granddaughter Aleisha Mae to an emergency appointment at the Freetown Way Dental Practice last Saturday, after her face had swollen and she had been up all night with a bad toothache.
After calling emergency number 111, Miss Dixon, 46, was told to take Aleisha Mae to an emergency appointment at the Freetown Way centre at 1pm.
"I got there at 12.45pm and rang the bell and a woman on the speaker told me she was the only person working and we would have to wait outside," Miss Dixon said.
"It was chucking down with rain and Aleisha Mae was crying in pain.
"I told the woman this, but she told me it was their policy and we would have to wait outside."
Miss Dixon was eventually let into the practice, ten minutes later, soaking wet.
"The woman told me I needed to fill a form in for Aleisha Mae, which I did while I waited for my daughter, Kirstie, to arrive.
"When my daughter got there, I told her what had happened and she was furious."
Miss Dixon claims she was again forced to wait outside in the rain once her daughter arrived.
She said: "The woman in there told me the rules stated there was only one visitor per patient and that I would have to wait outside.
"The way I was spoken to was disgusting.
"I have arthritis in my neck and asthma. I should not have been made to wait outside in the rain."
Miss Dixon, of east Hull, says she feels let down by the way she was treated by NHS staff. She said: "I am so glad we got Aleisha Mae sorted as she was in a lot of pain, but the way I was treated was absolutely appalling.
"Surely, they could have let us wait inside.
"It wouldn't have been so bad if it was sunny but it was absolutely chucking it down."
The Mail contacted Freetown Way Dental Practice and was told an emergency dental service is held at the surgery as a separate NHS service on a weekend. The dentists and staff are different to those working at the NHS daytime practice.
A spokesman for NHS England in North Yorkshire and the Humber said: "It is important that we hear from people when they do not get the service they expect from us, so we can make improvements.
"We don't know all the details of this case, but we do take all complaints made by our patients very seriously and we would welcome the opportunity to look into the issue raised regarding the Emergency Dental Service."
