04/06/2020
Patient information – Alert level 4
Mike brown dental is due to re-open on Monday 8th June. However, patients need to be aware that while the country remains on COVID-19 Alert level 3,4, or 5 we will continue to operate a closed door policy in line with latest professional guidance.
What does this mean?
Please do not just arrive at the practice. You need to contact us by phone first so we can triage you. You will then be given a combination of ADVICE, ANALGESIA and ANTIMICROBIALS, and placed on our “Urgent care priority waiting list”. However, now that we are open it is possible that you will be offered an appointment based on a risk assessment surrounding your COVID-19 risk and your dental risk. YOU ARE STILL SAFER AT HOME, but for some of you the level of your dental risk means that you need care.
Once you have an appointment what is new? ----- A LOT!!!!
1. You will be contacted prior to your appointment by phone, but if you have an email address please let us know because pre-appointment email communication will save time. This communication will confirm your medical history, your COVID-19 status, and it will be used to confirm what you expect from your appointment. Arriving at your appointment and advising us that you’ve “broken a tooth”, or “I’m in pain” will not result in immediate intervention in the way it has often done in the past. The reason for this pre-appointment communication is to reduce contact time once you are at the practice, and so we can establish if you need an AGP or non-AGP appointment (see later).
2. You must attend alone, unless you are bringing a child or a carer, in which case you must inform us before your appointment.
3. You must avoid touching anything within the practice except the stair rail.
4. Please bring your own pen.
5. Do not bring unnecessary items like bags or coats, especially valuables. You will not be allowed to take such items into the surgery.
6. If possible use the toilet before attending the practice. This does not mean our toilet facilities are unavailable, so don’t worry if you are “medically compromised” in this respect.
What happens when you arrive at the practice?
1. Telephone reception from outside so we can let you in. Only patients with pre-booked appointments will be allowed inside.
2. You may be asked to use your car as a waiting room, but if you cannot travel by car then you will be able to use our waiting area, but you will need to wear a mask in waiting areas.
3. Please be aware that although it will be very quiet in the practice, we will still need to observe social distancing rules outside the treatment area.
4. Once inside the building you will be met at the front door by reception, who will confirm your COVID-19 status, and medical history. Reception will confirm that you are ready for treatment as discussed in pre-appointment telephone call or email. You will need to sign COVID-19 consent form and consent form for treatment planned.
5. Receptionist will record your temperature with forehead thermometer.
6. Receptionist will assist you with hand hygiene at the “hand hygiene station” by the front door. You will be asked to wear gloves.
7. If necessary, you will need to leave coats and bags on hooks in downstairs hallway, but you are encouraged not to bring them. All coats and bags are left in hallway at your own risk.
8. Assuming all is well the receptionist will es**rt you to where you need to be.
What happens in the surgery?
The usual stuff! However, we may be wearing more PPE than you have been used to; and we may be using a pre-treatment mouthwash, depending on your level of risk.
What happens after treatment?
1. At the end of your treatment you will be asked to remove your gloves, and we will assist you in disposing of them in the clinical waste bins. You will then leave the surgery immediately. Outside each surgery there will be a hand hygiene station. You will need to clean your hands directly outside the surgery, at the hand hygiene station provided.
2. You will then be expected to make your own way out of the building touching as little as possible EXCEPT ON THE STAIRS. The stairs hand rail will be regularly cleaned. When you are back in your car please contact reception by phone, to arrange your next appointment, and provide any payment required. Alternatively, please contact us when you arrive home. Any payments required may be best provided by BACS transfer
Is there anything else you need to know?
There will be Aerosol Generating Procedures (AGP’s) and non-Aerosol Generating Procedures. After an AGP the surgery needs to be left fallow for 1 hour in most circumstances, to allow the infected aerosol to settle on surfaces ready for cleaning. This is why I cannot suddenly turn a planned non-AGP appointment into an AGP appointment. This will be a challenging situation and I request your understanding over the period we are at Alert level 3,4, & 5.
I apologize for the extensive nature of this information. We are following guidelines designed to keep you safe. Everything you can do to comply with these guidelines will give us more treatment time and less cleaning time.
Kind regards to all; we will be contacting our most severely affected patients soon.
Mike
