Rowtree Denplan COVID-19

Dear Patients

I hope this letter finds you and your family in good health.

You may have heard that dental practices can open to provide face to face care from Monday 8 June.
Our practice will be opening, but we wanted to be clear that this will not initially be business as usual. There are treatments routinely undertaken in the past that are now considered high risk regarding Covid 19 and we are being discouraged from undertaking them, while the national risk level remains at level 4. The precautions we are following regarding social distancing and added cleaning mean that like other practices we will initially have to see fewer patients per day.

We are sure you will understand that we will need to give priority, during the first phase of re opening, to patients who have serious dental problems that could not be addressed while we were closed. We will have telephone conversations with patients with problems, to try and priorotise those most in need. It will take some time before services return to what you previously experienced as normal. Please be patient.

Our practice carefully follows infection control guidelines made by the governing bodies. We are up-to-date on new guidance that has been issued. We do this to make sure that our infection control procedures are current and follow and adhere to recommendations.

You will see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We made these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example:

• Our practice will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You’ll be asked those same questions again at your appointment
• We have hand sanitiser that we will ask you to use when you enter the practice. We will supervise your hand sanitation
• We no longer offer magazines, children’s toys and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect
• Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.

We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.

How you can help:

• With the exception of children and patients with carers, patients should come alone
• A distance of at least 2 metres must be observed if another patient is present in the dental practice
• Payment should be made by card where possible
• Staff will not shake your hand
• If you show symptoms following appointment booking, you should contact the practice by phone
• Please do not arrive early to the practice. If possible, you should wait outside the practice in your car, we will ring you when it is time for you to enter
• Please do not arrive without an appointment
• Patients should come wearing a mask if possible or be prepared to wear one.

With very best wishes
Geraint Evans