A patient has accused St Helier Hospital staff of stealing his bling after jewellery worth more than £1,000 went missing.
Shaun Bullen went to the hospital for treatment on his dislocated shoulder last week. In order to carry out an X-ray staff asked him to remove his £1,000 earrings and £450 nose ring but, after his treatment, the jewellery had disappeared.
Epsom man Mr Bullen, 43, is looking for answers and has even contacted police as he hunts for his missing items.
He said: "They didn't bag up my jewellery and now it's been stolen. I've lost a nose stud and a pair of earrings worth £1,000.
"They were supposed to store it securely but, somehow, its disappeared and no one seems to know where it is.
"I'm absolutely hopping mad. I was supposed to be in there getting better but instead I spent all my time trying to find out where my jewellery was - and I still haven't got anywhere.
Mr Bullen is very upset about the loss of his jewellery
"They just say they don't know where it is and there's not a lot they can do. I think it's a disgrace and I'm at the end of my tether."
Mr Bullen, who has an array of unusual piercings and works for Epsom and Ewell Council, has also questioned why he was made to remove his earrings and nose ring but not his nipple ring or genital piercing.
He added he ended up being "frog-marched" out of the hospital as he tried to search for the missing items.
A spokeswoman for St Helier Hospital said: "We do all that we can to keep patients’ property safe whilst in our care, and are currently investigating the claims made by Mr Bullen.
"Where possible, we ask patients and their loved ones not to bring valuables or large amounts of money into our hospitals, and would encourage relatives and next of kin to take such items home if a patient has been admitted with them in their possession.
"However, we have an obligation to provide safe keeping for money, valuables and other personal property belonging to patients who cannot be held responsible, such as the unconscious or confused.
"In these circumstances, we follow procedures to ensure their safe keeping."
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