Covid-19 Update
An update on dental services at our practice
As you will know, the Prime Minister has confirmed that public restrictions will have been significantly eased on 19th July. Under the Government’s guidance “Health and care settings will continue to maintain appropriate infection prevention and control processes as necessary and this will be continually reviewed. Guidance will be updated based on the latest clinical evidence thissummer.” You can find this by clicking on the link below:
When you come into the surgery for an appointment, please remember that social distancing remains in place in the dental practice and you will need to wear a face mask upon entering the practice. This is because the Government’s latest COVID-19 guidance states, “Health and care settings will continue to maintain appropriate infection prevention and control processes”. The infection control process for dentistry have not changed with the lifting of COVID19 restrictions. It’s very important we continue to follow this guidance as we are a healthcare setting, and we are doing everything we can to ensure your safety when you come to the practice. Every dental practice is working extremely hard to provide care to our patients within the restrictions and guidance. In line with the Government’s guidance, England’s Chief Dental Officer Sara Hurley has informed us that the infection prevention control measures in dentistry should continue to be followed until further notice. These are important measures from Public Health England aimed at limiting the spread of the virus in dental settings. We’re also continuing to follow NHS dentistry’s standard operating procedure which helps us make this guidance work.
This means three things for patients:
- If you need to come into the surgery for an appointment, please remember that social distancing remains in place in the dental practice and to wear a face covering upon entering the building.
- We will continue to have restrictions on leaving time between patients to ventilate rooms if we perform an aerosol generating procedure. An aerosol generating procedure (AGP) is a medical procedure that can result in the release of airborne particles (aerosols) from the respiratory tract when treating someone who is suspected or known to be suffering from an infectious agent transmitted wholly or partly by the airborne or droplet route. In dentistry, for example, this means the use ofsomething like a high speed drill. This impacts how many patients we can fit into a working day.
- We are also following the Chief Dental Officer’s advice that we should prioritise patients for treatment based on urgency and priority groups, such as those more at risk of dental disease or children. Similar public health measures are still in place for hospitals and GP practices, too. Every dental practice is working extremely hard to provide care to our patients within therestrictions and guidance to ensure it’s safe to visit the dentist.
We hope that this helps clarify why these measures are in place for every dental practice.
Please do give us a call if you think you need to see us, we’re open for patients.
Best wishes,
Eastcote Lane Dental Practice
Updated 20/07/2021