Patients Recalled As Stormont Debates Dentist

The Belfast Trust has recalled over 110 people after a senior consultant was removed from his post at Belfast's Royal School of Dentistry.

A review of Professor Philip Lamey's work has now led to a hearing of the General Dental Council in London on 9 July.

The North's Health Minister Michael McGimpsey will face questioning in the Assembly on Monday over the oral medicine specialist, who has also been reported to the General Medical Council.

Chair of the Stormont Health Committee Jim Wells told the BBC this morning that he wants to know why it "took so long from this issue being discovered to action being taken?"

The DUP MLA added: "And also more fundamentally leading officials from the department told the committee on two occasions within recent weeks that there were no more investigations out there which we didn't know about."

A Trust spokesman said problems with the care administered by the dentist came to light in late 2009, but he was not removed from his post until the end of last year.

He said that he is no longer treating patients but is still employed by the trust and that the recall of 117 patients were "a precautionary measure".

The trust is also providing a helpline, which received between 40 and 50 calls at the weekend. The telephone number is 028 9063 6330.

Just last week there were separate concerns about the late diagnosis of cancer found in some patients.

(BMcC/GK)