COVID UPDATES

14-01-2020

Dear Patients,

New Restrictions - New Lockdown

Due to the rise in cases, we are operating on strict cross-infection protocols.

It's not open as usual for routine dentistry but,  We are available for essential dental care.

Please call 01478614218 if you need an essential dental appointment and leave your details [Name, date of birth, phone number, email id, and your dental need]. A dentist will call back for telephone triage and appropriate help.

If you had recently booked an appointment between November 2020 and January 2021, and you prefer to cancel your appointment between Jan 2021 - March 2021. Please leave a voicemail with your name, name and date of birth. This may help us accommodate more and more patients with urgent needs to keep social distance and strict cross-infection measures. 

Stay home, Protect the community.

10/11/2020

Dear Patients,

If you have dental pain, please call 01478614218 and listen to instructions in full and please leave a voicemail when prompted. Leave your phone number you would like to receive a callback. Please set your phone set to accept an unknown/No CLI caller. The dentist will get back to you to discuss dental problems and to arrange a possible solution. 

We are currently clearing the waiting list of patients needing urgent (priority) treatments. The clinic runs based on pragmatic risk assessments before any appointments and treatments and strict COVID 19 cross infection control protocols. You will need to wait in the parking area until the surgery is ready if you have pre-booked appointments. Please do not walk into surgery. A staff member in full PPE will escort you in and out.

You should expect long delays and waiting times before your appointment. We have to sterilize all the patient entry pathways and exit, including used surgery and a fallow time between patients for specific dental procedures. We are sorry for any inconvenience.

Stay Alert Stay Safe. 

Portree Dental Care.

Covid-19 guidance on attending for dental care

Covid-19 updated 10/11/2020

Portree Dental Care is now open to see patients for routine dental treatment. However, there are still restrictions limiting the number of patients we are able to see in order to reduce unnecessary social interactions and ration-limited PPE supplies. Therefore, we will have to prioritize appointments for those requiring treatment or those with specific concerns requiring an exam rather than routine 6 monthly check-up appointments. 

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No one will be permitted into the practice without making an appointment over the phone beforehand and there will be limited appointments available in order to maintain social distancing. Please avoid attending the practice without first phoning.

ATTENDING THE PRACTICE  

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• Your appointment should have already been arranged over the phone. You will need to complete a questionnaire online prior to your appointment to confirm your medical history, Covid status, and contact information. If you don’t have internet access this will be done over the phone.
• We would ask you to pay for any cost using card payments where possible and preferably contactless. 
• It is very important you attend on time for your appointment. You may be required to wait outside until your allotted appointment time. This is to minimize the number of patients in the practice at one time. 
• The inside door will be locked. Staff will come to get you once the surgery is ready for you. You will be asked to confirm your details and use hand sanitizer before entering the premises.  
• You should attend the appointment alone. Exceptions are for children and patients who require a carer or assistance. Please only bring 1 other person to the appointment. 
• The patient toilet will not be in use during the appointment, unless in emergencies.
• You will be shown straight into the surgery to see your dentist. Please be aware that they will be wearing more PPE than normal, but we will still be happy to see under all that and probably a bit hot. 

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What treatment will be provided

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Although we can now offer a full range of NHS treatments, we note that we face a huge backlog of patient appointments and a limited capacity to provide treatment. We also have a limited amount of PPE available and we, therefore, must prioritize appointments based on a clinical need. Priority will be given to: 

Dental Emergencies - Those who suffer from severe pain, swelling, dental trauma, or bleeding will be treated within 24 hours and anyone with broken teeth or lost fillings will be seen as soon as possible;

We will also be able to register new patients at the practice in order to facilitate access to NHS EMERGENCY CARE should this be necessary. 

Less priority will be given to non-essentials treatments such as:

1. New dentures;
2. Veneers & crowns;
3. Any other cosmetic treatments

We will also begin to contact patients in due course to schedule check-ups in the near future. We will be operating a triaging system where patients will be assessed and rebooked based on their immediate needs. Please note that we are still unable to use routine ultrasonic scaling and polishing during check-ups as this falls into the category of AGP (of which we have limited slots). Hand scaling will be available from our hygienist upon request. 

We would also take this opportunity to remind NHS patients that, should they wish to complete treatment sooner, they may opt for treatment on a private basis. We appreciate that this priority may not be favorable for all patients, however, we feel that this is the fairest system that we are practically and safely able to operate within the parameters of the restrictions. We will endeavor to treat as many patients as possible.

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What are we doing to make the practice safe?

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Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we already ensured strict infection control protocols were adhered to. As well as these measures we have also added the following measures:

• Increased cleaning of communal areas and any areas that anyone might touch.
• The Surgeries would always be wiped down between patients prior to the pandemic as well as the use of single-used equipment where possible. We are now limiting patients and switching between surgeries to allow for increased levels of cleaning between patients.
• After AGPs, the surgeries are left empty for an hour to let any aerosols settle from the air and the full surgery is cleaned down, including mopping the floors and wiping down the entire surgery.
• Staff is wearing increased levels of PPE to protect patients and staff.
• Only 2 surgeries are running at any time to limit the number of patients in the practice and interactions between them as well as increased appointment lengths where possible.
• Only people with appointments are allowed to enter the practice to maintain social distancing.

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If you are unsure whether you would be able to be seen then always contact us on 01478614218 and we will be happy to advise you further.

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