Coronavirus – 23 / 6 / 2020

Website 18 June 2020 Covid 19 update 22/06/2020

Dear Patient,

We have been hard at work in getting the various protocols in place to ensure the safety of staff and patients. We have finally managed to secure respitator masks. These also had to be fit tested and passed for each individual staff member so that we can start providing AGP’s (Aerosol Generating Procedures such as drilling and ultrasonic scaling). Our first appointments will give priority to patients in need that have contacted us over lockdown. We will also start contacting patients to resume or complete treatment that has been started
The treatments you are offered may be different to those you received before, depending on staff and equipment available. It will take some time before services return to what you previously experienced as normal.

While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety. Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice, and you may have seen this during your visits to our surgery. Our infection control processes are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the infection control procedures we follow in our practice to keep patients and staff safe.

Our practice follows infection control guidelines made by the governing bodies. We are up-to-date on new guidance that has been issued. We do this to make sure that our infection control procedures are current and adhere to recommendations. These keep changing from time to time, but we are working hard to keep on top of the latest guidance.

You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example:

• The practice will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. We will send you some paperwork to complete. You’ll be asked those same questions again at your appointment
• We have hand sanitiser that we will ask you to use when you enter the practice. You will also find some in the reception area and other places in the practice for you to use as needed.
• We no longer offer magazines, children’s toys and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect
• Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.

We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.

How you can help:

• With the exception of children and patients with carers, patients should come alone
• A distance of at least 2 metres must be observed if another patient is present in the dental practice
• Payment should be made by card where possible
• Staff will not shake your hand
• If you show symptoms following appointment booking, you should contact the practice by phone
• Please arrive a few minutes early at the practice. You should wait outside the practice in your car until called.
• Please do not arrive without an appointment
• Patients should come wearing a mask if possible or be prepared to wear one.

Due to the current guidelines, after carrying out an AGP (Aerosol Generated Procedure ie drilling), at the end of that treatment, the room has to be left for one hour in order for the aerosol to settle. This is followed by a thorough cleaning of the treatment room including all surfaces. This is to ensure that all surfaces that have been contaminated are thoroughly disinfected. I’m sure that you can appreciate that we will see far fewer patients than we did previously because of this.

There is also a new patient journey which we have included as an attachment to summarise what to expect.

Finally, rest assured, we are the same dental practice, with the same staff, who all want to help our patients. However, we will look different due to the PPE we have to wear, and the journey will be a little different. All these precautions are to safeguard you and our staff.

If you need to call us, please call between 9:00 am and 5:00pm Monday-Friday on 07419832628 or the surgery on 01604 706887

Thank You

Geraint Evans, Anish Khatri and the Rowtree team