MORE than 150 children have been kept waiting in pain for up to four months because of delays arranging a new dental operating service.

Although new facilities are in place, no date has yet been set to begin treating the children, aged from three to ten, who have mouth abscesses or need decayed teeth removing under general anaesthetic.

The funding of day-to-day running costs for the service has still not been finalised between the East Lancashire Health Authority, the Primary Care Trusts and Blackburn Infirmary.

A health watchdog today labelled the delay "bureaucracy gone mad" and demanded that cash is found to begin operations.

Gordon Taylor, Communicare's clinical director of community dental services, said he was hopeful that treatment could start within two weeks. But it could be April before operations begin.

Mr Taylor said: "It's a desperate situation that these tiny tots are in pain and have got to suffer for as long as that."

Delays began when the Government ruled general anaesthetics in dentists' surgeries unsafe in August, and said they should only be given in hospitals with critical care facilities.

The move was an attempt to prevent more tragedies such as the death of five-year-old Kkarla Selley, who died at a dental surgery in Leyland after a routine general anaesthetic.

No other system was in place to deal with children who were too young or too frightened to submit to extractions under local anaesthetics or sedation, or have learning difficulties.

Mr Taylor said a room at Blackburn Royal Infirmary had been converted into a theatre with £8,000 of Communicare money and equipment worth £80,000 funded by the hospital.

Mr Taylor said they had hoped to begin the service in mid-December but negotiations had taken longer than expected.

He said: "We are now hoping to start in a week or two but we don't know how much extra funding we will be given to clear the backlog, so we don't know how long it will take to treat everyone on the list."

Dr Stephen Morton, public health director of ELHA, said no extra government money had been provided for the new service, which may prove more expensive than the old system of anaesthetists travelling to surgeries.

Dr Morton and John Thomas, chief executive of the Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley NHS Trust, said they were confident funding would be agreed for the new financial year in April.

Dr Morton said the authority was also looking for ways to fund it from later this month.

Mr Thomas said the hospital was fitting in extraction sessions in the hospital's operating theatres where possible, funded by the Health Authority, and would continue to do so until the permanent service was up and running.

Nigel Robinson, of the Community Health Council, labelled the problems "bureaucracy gone mad."

He said: "It's ridiculous and totally unacceptable. Children shouldn't be made the victims of bureaucracy

"Plans are well advanced to provide a new service and funding should be provided."

In Burnley, extraction sessions have been held in Burnley General and paid for through a separate fund managed by the Health Authority.

How long has your child been waiting for surgery? Call the newsdesk on 01254 678678 ext 205.