Visiting a pal in the Brighton General Hospital last Sunday, I was struck by a raging toothache. I was not too concerned I had forgotten my analgesics (I had been waiting more than a week to see my own dentist on the NHS) because I was in a hospital I knew must have more painkillers than Sainsbury's has Smarties. Confidently, I went up to the senior nurse and asked for a couple of painkillers, telling her why.

The look I got from her was as if I had demanded Viagra. Had I asked for water to wash them down with, I believe I'd have been arrested.

"No, I can't," came the reply. "It's against management policy." I protested, not too much, because every sentence I tried to put together was punctuated with "aarghs" and "oohs" as the tooth giving me gyp got a clout from the one below when my jaws came together. Then came the classic from the nurse: "The best thing for your toothache is to stop talking and keep your mouth shut."

To that I started to reply, rather excitedly, "I don't mind...ooh...aargh" I gave up finishing the sentence. I was going to say "...buying some from the hospital and will even sign a paper to say I will not hold the hospital responsible should the tablets have any adverse effects on me."

A junior nurse suggested I go to A&E at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, where they could probably give me some painkillers. I rejected that. I had a dentist's appointment the following afternoon and didn't want to be late.

If it is management policy that a couple of painkillers cannot be handed over to a mature adult visiting the hospital obviously in pain from toothache, the Government needs to include, before all else, common sense in its programme of reform for the NHS. And I'm certain there is no clause in management policy for local hospitals saying senior nursing staff have to be downright rude.

On a final note, all's well that ends well and my grateful thanks to the kind young man who went to a chemist to get painkillers for me.

-Dave Bonwick, Stonery Road, Portslade