Covid 19

Practice Update – 21 October 2020
The Scottish Government announced last week that a ‘full range of dental services’ will be available from the 1st of November.
Disappointingly, we received this information via the media and have since had insufficient information to allow us to implement this, at present.
The instruction we have been given by the Chief Dental Officer is that ‘patient volume will not be achievable under the current health protection measures. I am aware that it will still be necessary for you to prioritise appointments for patients requiring urgent dental care, those at greatest risk of oral disease and the backlog of patients from during the ‘lockdown’.’
Practically, this means we will still be very restricted in patient numbers that can attend the practice daily and will continue to prioritise urgent care. Ultimately, operating as we have done the past few months.
This update is only relevant to NHS treatments. There has been no change to our independent services (which continue to be available to NHS patients) or to our Denplan patients.
We appreciate that this is a very difficult and frustrating time. However, we want to be transparent with our patients about the challenges dentists face at the moment. As always, if you have any concerns or wish to discuss anything with us, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Take Care
The Team at Broomhill

Broomhill Dental Patient COVID-19 Reopening Policy

This policy has been created based on multiple updated sources from within the dental and medical professions and the government.

It outlines modifications to our normal procedures that we intend to employ from Monday 22nd June when the practice will reopen after today being informed by the Scottish government that we are officially moving into phase 2 of remobilisation from lockdown.

It is not known at this time whether these procedures are temporary or whether they will become a permanent feature of the way dental practices must be run to ensure patient and staff safety in the future.

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic is still being evaluated and studied and policies and recommendations are likely to change in line with new scientific evidence over time.

We would like to thank all of our patients for their patience and forbearance during the period of temporary practice closure and for their understanding and cooperation whilst we implement new measures at the practice.

We will of course be providing dental care to all of our patients in the safest possible environment. We greatly appreciate your assistance with any new or modified procedures at the practice.

Reopening…

The practice will re-open to patients from Monday 22nd June after the Scottish Government today gave us the green light. Our team has been working hard behind the scenes to prepare the practice for reopening and have updated our policies and protocols to ensure your safety is paramount.

Initially we will prioritise the following patient groups:

  • Patients with EMERGENCY problems or other dental problems that require URGENT assessment and treatment.
  • We are currently unable to attend to routine dental matters by law so please bare this in mind.
  • Please be aware that you will only be offered an EMERGENCY appointment once your call has been triaged by one of our dentists
  • Please be aware that you can not visit the practice at this stage without a prearranged appointment.

 

New measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission

Our normal cross-infection control protocols at Broomhill Dental against all previously known pathogens are already woven into all clinical activity carried out at the practice.

It should be remembered that a dental practice is already a very clean environment compared to public areas and there is no evidence of COVID-19 transmission occurring in increased rates in dentists or their staff.

We have collectively evaluated all of the updated guidance and observed what measures have been put in place in other countries. We feel that the measures that are outlined in this policy will reduce risk to the minimum level at the practice.

Please be assured that all of our clinical staff will also be complying with our updated procedures to reduce the risk of cross infection in both directions.

 

Before attending the practice

Your call will be triaged by one of our dentists, IF an appointment can be offered…

You will then be passed to another member of the team to carry out a pre-attendance assessment via your completed medical history and risk assessment relative to coronavirus infection risk. If  you have any difficulties with completing the forms our team are here to assist. If you can provide email addresses as well that would be greatly appreciated to help us stay in touch at this difficult time. If we feel that you are at risk of having possibly been infected, even if you are asymptomatic, we will respectfully request for you to delay booking any appointments with us for at least 2 weeks. Alternatively we can arrange a referral to one of the appropriate URGENT DENTAL CARE CENTRES.

We recommend that patients in the high-risk groups for developing complications from coronavirus delay non-essential dental treatment for as long as possible until the trend of the pandemic becomes clear. If you are in a high risk group and do require treatment we will schedule your appointment at the beginning of the day.

To find out whether you are in a high or very high-risk group please visit the following website https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/people-at-higher-risk-from-coronavirus/ or ask any member of our team for guidance.

When travelling to the practice, we would recommend that you limit close contact with other members of the public as far as possible.

Please endeavour to arrive no more than five minutes before your scheduled appointment. If you are travelling by car we would be grateful if you could wait in your car and call the practice on 0141 339 4907 to confirm your arrival. We will meet all patients on arrival at the building and bring them straight into the surgery.

One adult is able to attend with a child; please do not bring additional family members with you unless they are happy to wait in the car or outside the building.

 

Arriving at the practice…

When you attend the practice, we would ask where feasible to leave coats and personal belongings either in the car or at home. If this is not feasible or your taking public transport reception will provide you with a clear box for your belongings which will be kept out of the surgery. The front door will remain locked to help keep your things safe. There is an automated hand sanitiser for you to use before you enter.

We intend to eliminate waiting inside the practice and at reception. Accordingly, appointments will be staggered so that patients do not arrive or leave at the same time as other patients as far as we are able to manage.

Use of the WC WILL BE ON REQUEST ONLY and ideally avoided at this stage, please do your best to ensure that you leave the facilities, as you would expect to find them and wash your hand thoroughly. The restroom will be regularly disinfected between patients.

We will direct you straight to the surgery and request that you do all the following before or during your appointment.

  • We may ask you to use a Hydrogen Peroxide mouthwash before some dental treatments are provided
  • Rubber dam or other barrier mechanisms will be used for more procedures than previously. You’ll also be directed to use hand sanitiser after you leave the surgery.     

 

Keeping you safe…

The Broomhill Dental team have spent time critically looking at every aspect of the practice with a view to removing all non-essential items that can potentially be the cause of infection.

You may find that the practice will appear to be quite bare when you attend.

All clinical and common areas including door handles and surfaces will be regularly disinfected in addition to our normal surface cleaning protocols between patients.

Broomhill Dental will be providing a buffer period between patients to allow additional time for additional decontamination procedures, allow for any treatment overruns and allow preparation time for the next patient so that they do not need to wait in the reception area.

Broomhill Dental will be operating contactless payment systems going forwards, and we will request that payment, if required is made using a credit or debit card.

 

In the surgery…

All dental staff will be using personal protective equipment in line with current recommendations and evidence.

We apologise in advance for the necessary reduction in social interaction that this will necessitate. Whilst our PPE may make us appear impersonal and distant, please be assured we are still the same friendly team underneath it all!

 

In summary…

The vast majority of our patients are otherwise healthy without coronavirus infection and we are confident that we are able to provide EMERGENCY dental care for these patients in as normal an environment as possible while bearing in mind our responsibilities to mitigate risks of infection spread as far as is practically possible.

Our policies and procedures will be constantly reviewed and updated as necessitated by circumstances and the best available evidence over time.

If you have any questions regarding this policy or about your treatment at Broomhill Dental please do not hesitate to contact us on 0141 339 4907 or [email protected] where a member of our team will be happy to assist.

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