An Enniskillen mum has voiced her anger and upset after her son with additional needs waited over four weeks for emergency dental surgery at the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH).

10-year-old Sean Paul Beckett, who lives with autism, ADHD and is non-verbal, first began experiencing dental pain on April 16.

His mother, Diana Beckett, says he was offered an appointment for dental surgery on May 24 - almost six weeks later. 

On Tuesday, May 14, The Impartial Reporter contacted the Western Health and Social Care Trust (Western Trust) regarding this case.

Within an hour, Ms. Beckett received a phone call offering her son an emergency appointment the following day - Wednesday, May 15.

Ms. Beckett told this newspaper: “They wouldn’t leave an adult this long in pain."

She continued: “My son has special needs and is severely autistic and nonverbal. From April 16, he has been in dental pain and has been left in dental pain.

"He is causing self-harm to himself, harm to our home, and he is becoming dangerous to look after for me as a single mum on my own.

“I have tried to get an emergency dental appointment, but there have been none to offer, as surgery is only offered once a week to special needs children, and they only can take two children.

“There has been no offer of an emergency appointment [sooner]; my child has been left since the April 16 in bad pain.

“It is emotionally and mentally draining; it has been a long four weeks."

Ms. Beckett described her son as a caring child, who loves life. He tells his mum that he loves her by making an ‘L’ with his fingers.

She said: “It is a lot to look after. Sean Paul is the most lovely, cutest wee boy, but when he is in pain, he gets angry, and that is his only way to show he needs help.

“There is no other way he can show me he is in pain. Every wall in our home has two to three holes in it. He pulled the cooker door off in pure aggression, because he didn’t know what else to do.”

Ms. Beckett was prescribed painkillers for her son. “Paracetamol and ibuprofen are only touching the surface. He was prescribed co-codamol, but because it’s a tablet, he won’t take it.”

This has had an impact on his mother, who tearfully told this newspaper: “I am emotionally and mentally drained.”

Ms. Beckett became emotional as she described her son. “He is so loving, so funny, cute, happy-go-lucky. He is always smiling - but this last four weeks has been a living nightmare for him.

"He has  been angry, cross and aggressive, and it's not his fault.”

Ms. Beckett says she spoke out to make people aware of the situation. “I want people to know about this, not just for my son, but for all the other wee kids.”

When contacted by The Impartial Reporter, a spokesperson for the Western Trust said: “Community Dental staff will do their best to offer an urgent appointment to children experiencing dental pain.

"Consideration will also be given to adding these children to the waiting list for extraction, if appropriate.

“For children where the pain does not respond to antibiotics and pain relief or where the child has repeated patterns of this, staff will do their best to get them onto a dental theatre list.

"The lists are booked up to four weeks in advance.

“Currently, we have one paediatric surgery list a week in the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH), with seven patients accommodated, and one list for those with additional needs every other Friday morning, with two patients accommodated, in the SWAH.

“The Western Trust is continuously striving to improve the waiting times for in-patient and day case procedures for children and young people, and we apologise to our patients and families who are waiting longer than we would like for treatment.

"The Trust is currently building theatre capacity by increasing the number of dental theatre sessions at the SWAH from one to two sessions per week.”