Last update 30.04.22

Living with Coronavirus-19

Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted across many sectors and it’s great to see that life is heading back to normal. However, the healthcare sector will be continuing with measures designed to keep patients and staff safe. New cases of Covid-19 remain high, in particular due to the more infectious Omicron variants. Therefore we have decided to continue with our current precautions as:

1. Not everyone has been vaccinated yet
2. We have a number of extremely vulnerable patients who are nervous about the lifting of the restrictions and have asked us to continue with the current measures
3. Dental visits are unique in that we have to be closer to people’s mouths than in normal social situations
4. People can choose their leisure activities according to the risks they are happy to take, but Dental Care is an essential service

In March 2022 there was a national review of Covid-19 procedures for Dental Practices which advised no change in current measures.

This area of Hampshire has seen high take up of the Covid-19 vaccination and we want to reassure you that all staff have had both vaccination jabs and most have had their booster too. All staff are now taking twice weekly lateral flow tests as an additional safety precaution. We are also using air purification units in the surgeries to try and reduce any risk from asymptomatic Covid-19 carriers.

We remain open and are providing a full range of services, just fewer appointments each day. Since reopening we have caught up with all the emergencies and cancelled appointments. If we haven’t seen you since before the first lockdown and you would like an appointment, please contact us today to arrange one. We still ask that you don’t come to the Practice in person unless you have an appointment – please contact us by phone or email first. We are also welcoming new patients, although we do have a  waiting list to be seen.

If you have an appointment booked and develop any symptoms of Covid-19 please do not come to the Practice. Instead, contact our reception team who can advise you on when it is safe to attend. We continue to ring patients 24 hours before their appointment to ask the Covid-19 screening questions. If you are living with someone who has tested positive, please take a lateral flow test before your appointment and only attend if it is negative.

There are a group of people who were advised to shield during the first and third lockdowns due to their medical status. These people are at much higher risk of experiencing complications should they become infected with Covid-19 - the clinically extremely vulnerable. Now these patients are no longer advised to shield, we are happy to see them for routine appointments as well as emergencies. Where possible we will offer this group the first appointment of a session so that they don’t have to share a waiting room with other patients.

Thank you for your continued support throughout this difficult time.

What to expect at your next appointment

We are continuing with our current Covid-19 precautions. All the staff, even reception, will be wearing some form of PPE like masks and visors. The clinical staff may be wearing bigger masks, visors and gowns which can be a bit off-putting at first if you’re not expecting it. Don’t worry, it’s the same friendly faces underneath!

The front door will be locked – please knock - and we will ask you to use the hand gel as you enter the Practice. We will provide you with a face mask to wear whilst you are in the Practice. Please arrive at your appointment time and no earlier to keep the number of people in the building to a minimum.

Please only bring minimal belongings with you and these can now be taken with you into the surgeries and hung on the door hooks or placed in the valuables boxes. We will aim to bring you straight in to the surgery without waiting. If there is a wait, we will ask you to take a seat in the waiting area.

Please come to your appointment on your own and only bring a carer if you really need to or if you are accompanying a child.

Please brush your teeth and use the toilet before you leave if possible. The patient toilet is open again, but we are trying to reduce its use to essential visits only!

The surgeries may be quite cold as we will have the air conditioning on low because the enhanced PPE is hot to wear. Please bring an extra layer of clothing to wear if you feel the cold.

We are trying to become as “paper free” as possible, so we will ask you to complete your medical history forms using a tablet or take details over the phone. If you need any help, reception staff will be on hand to assist you.  

We will ask for payment by card and would prefer not to take cash if we can avoid it. Payment can be made over the phone if requested.

There will be an extra PPE charge on top of our normal fees until we return to normal. This is £19 for treatments and £5 for non-aerosol treatment.

What are we doing to create a safe environment?

We have always followed strict cross-infection control procedures and we are continuing with measures based on the Covid-safe guidance from the Government, the Chief Dental Officer and various other dental advisory groups.

• We have installed a protective screen at reception to limit droplet spread when we are face to  face with our patients
• We will ask screening questions of everyone who enters the Practice – no-one who is confirmed or suspected Covid-19 positive will be allowed to enter
• The front door will remain locked so we can monitor who is entering the Practice
• Alcohol gel stations are situated around the practice for staff and patients to use
• All staff are wearing enhanced levels of personal protective equipment (PPE)
• We have reduced the numbers of people in the building at any one time and have planned longer spaces between appointments to avoid congestion at reception
• We have increased the frequency of environmental cleaning with virucidal cleaner
• We have removed all unnecessary and difficult to clean items from the waiting room to reduce the risk of transmission by touch
• We have reduced the amount of paper we handle and use of pens, by using digital systems for forms
• Where possible we will take card payments over the phone or using our dual terminal card machine to reduce handling of cards and cash
• We will ask patients to wear face coverings while in communal areas
• All staff have had both Covid-19 vaccination jabs
• Staff will self-report for Covid-19 symptoms daily and will not come in to work if they are symptomatic. They will not return until they have a negative test result.
• All staff will take lateral flow tests twice a week
• Air purifiers are used in each surgery to try and filter out any infectious aerosols in the air created during treatment.
• Staff will adhere to social distancing rules within the Practice. Where this is not possible, they will wear PPE