HOSPITAL bosses have apologised to the family of an elderly patient whose false teeth were lost during an operation.

Jane Read’s 88-year-old mum was admitted to Colchester General Hospital after suffering a fall two months ago.

But after surgery, Mrs Read realised her mum’s upper dental plate was missing.

Poor mobility means Mrs Read is unable to take her mum to the dentist while dentists are not allowed to treat patients in the Turner Road hospital, where her mum is expected to stay for some months.

Meanwhile the pensioner has not been able to eat without her teeth.

Mrs Read said: “Her teeth affect how she talks and she can’t bite properly which is limiting the food she can eat.

“Since being in hospital she’s also lost a significant amount of weight and her mouth physically looks different. I’ve spent the last two months trying to remedy the situation.

“It’s about her dignity. Especially for someone coming to the end of their life, the small pleasures are extremely important.”

Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the Turner Road hospital has offered to reimburse the cost of replacing the dentures.

A spokesman for the trust said: “We carried out an investigation and an extensive search but unfortunately, we haven’t been able to find the patient’s dentures.

“We’ve apologised and offered to reimburse in full any costs incurred in replacing them.

“Mrs Read has asked us to find a dentist to make her mother a new pair and we’ve been working with the North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS England to find a dentist who can do this.

“This is proving more difficult than we had anticipated but we’re taking this matter very seriously, which is why we’re continuing our efforts to find a dentist who can visit the patient, who we understand is currently in Halstead Hospital.”