Emergency or Urgent Acute Referrals to Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery – Chichester & Worthing.
This guide is to help practitioners and patients who need emergency referral (via A/E) to the Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Services at St Richards or Worthing Hospitals.
Referral via A/E may be needed for example for:
1. Dental infection with cervico-facial swelling
2. Facial laceration
3. Dislocated jaw
4. Suspected facial/dentoalveolar fracture
5. Trigeminal neuralgia (acute and uncontrolled)
6. Inhaled foreign body
This referral MUST be made over the phone to either the duty SHO or one of the Consultants. This ensures the correct information is passed on to the Hospital. DO NOT just give the patient a letter and send them to A/E – This is bad practise - This will delay their progress through the system and may not have the information we need to treat them most efficiently.
If you’re not sure which way to refer – please call us – If an MFU consultant is available, they will be happy to speak to any practitioner if possible to help – failing that the Duty SHO on call will help. The more senior the person you speak to – the better the advice !
Referral via A/E is not appropriate for: Incomplete extractions (unless to rule out jaw fracture) or for Suspected Cancer patients / Odd lesions.
(We have a regular stream of patients whose dentist has failed to complete an extraction and that patient is told to come to A/E and ask for us and we will complete the extraction for them that day ! – This does not happen – we have no way of providing this service for your patients – please dress the area – give covering pain relief and antibiotics if indicated and write a referral letter in the usual manner).
Maxillofacial SHO on Duty: 01243 536180
(Ask for MFU on Call SHO)
Consultants’ Secretary: Worthing: 01903 285174
Chichester: 01243 831785
Stephen Walsh. Consultant MFU. Oct 2104. Tel: 01243 831785