Updated: 6 August 2020
The practice reopened on 1st July after the closure enforced by the coronavirus pandemic.
Our priority is, of course, the protection of both our staff and our patients. We will have new ways of working which will significantly limit the number of patients entering the practice at any one time to allow some social distancing. We have additional PPE and infection control protocols in place.
In the very beginning, we were unable to provide any treatment which might generate aerosols so no using the 'drill' or scaler. We required fit-testing of high-filtration masks before we are able to provide any more complex treatments
In addition, once we have been fit-tested, it is recommended that after any procedure which does require the use of a handpiece means that that treatment room must be left fallow for a period of one hour before cleaning and making ready for the next patient. A simple scaling appointment would require 80 minutes of that surgery's time.
As you might imagine from this, for the immediate future, we will be very much limited in terms of the types of treatment we can provide and the numbers of patients we are able to see. Where, before lockdown, each surgery might see around 30 - 40 patients, we are now only able to see around 10 per surgery per day. All routine examinations booked in July, August and September are being cancelled to allow room in the appointment book for treatments requiring fallow time. If you have had your routine check-up appointment cancelled and you do not have any current concerns, we would ask that you call us later in the year to enquire about rebooking your appointments.
Our priorities will therefore need to be:
- following-up on those patients who had urgent problems over the lockdown period.
- patients who had examinations early in the year but their treatment is still outstanding.
- patients who are currently having problems.
It will take some considerable time to work through this backlog. In the meantime, we need our patients to understand this and to help us by:
- Please do not come to the practice to book an appointment. Call us on the usual number and speak to our reception staff if you need assistance.
- Attend your appointment on time. We need to keep the number of people in the building to a minimum at any time to prevent patients coming into close contact with one another, so arriving too early is problematic, as is arriving late.
- Come alone, if possible. If the patient needs a parent / carer to give consent (e.g. a child, or an adult with learning disabilities or dementia), they should be accompanied by one person only.
- Please wear a face-mask. We will ask you to remove it whilst having treatment, but for all other interactions with staff, it would be appreciated if you keep your nose and mouth covered.
- Make payments by debit or credit cards where possible. Contactless payments can be made for transactions up to £45.
We thank all our patients for being patient with us as we adjust to our new ways of working.