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Case ref:201204300
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Date:June 2013
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Body:Lothian NHS Board
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Sector:Health
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Outcome:Not upheld, no recommendations
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Subject:appointments/admissions (delay, cancellation, waiting lists)
Summary
Ms C's dentist referred her to the board's dental institute for treatment to remove the roots of a broken wisdom tooth. Ms C complained that there was unacceptable delay in providing an appointment at the institute; and that the lack of communication about the waiting time was unreasonable.
After investigating, we did not uphold Ms C's complaints. The dentist referred her to the dental institute as a routine referral, to have the roots of her tooth removed under sedation. Our investigation found that she was offered an appointment there ten weeks after the referral was received, and we were satisfied that this was within the national target timescales. We were also satisfied that the waiting time for an initial appointment was appropriately communicated to Ms C from the start, and that it was clearly explained to her why it was not possible to say before the initial consultation how long it would be before she received treatment.