COVID-19

There is no doubt the current COVID-19 pandemic has affected each and every one, either personally, professionally or financially. This is true too for our practice, NHS Dentist. It has been a very turbulent and uncertain time for our patients and indeed our staff.

The government asked us to close our doors and stop providing care to our patients on 25th March. The only advice we could give was over the telephone. Eventually, we were given the opportunity to open again (this was optional) on 8th June, however, we were restricted, not to carry out any drilling or hygienist treatment until, correct and adequate, PPE was provided. This scenario was less than ideal for all parties, to say the least.

Just like any other business in the UK, we have had to change the way we carry out procedures and change many aspects of our working conditions to comply with COVID-19 restrictions. We divided our team in two groups, each group working in a shift pattern to avoid crossing over, decreasing the amount of staff and patients at the premises at any one time.

This has had serious consequences to our patients. We haven’t been able to see as many patients as previously. The time required to don and doff of extensive PPE, the requirement of fallow time (the time we need to leave a dental room after drilling or hygienist scaling was introduced and set to one hour) and all extra procedures taken, has decreased our activity even more, resulting in many of our dental rooms standing empty for numerous hours during the working day.

While all these restrictions have been debilitating to our business, affecting our service to our patients, we have been as dedicated as ever to deliver as comprehensive a service as possible during these uncertain times. Our team has been working tirelessly to ensure patients are seen and helped as efficiently as possible, while infection prevention control is followed and cumbersome regulations adhered to.

The Global Outbreak of
COVID

COVID Info Patient Communication

NHS Dentist COVID-19
Protocol