COVID-19 statement

Covid-19 Statement 1st December 2021

As many of you will be aware dental practices and healthcare settings in general were asked to maintain many of their COVID19 protocols when most restrictions were eased back in July 2021. 

Following a review of COVID19 protocols in healthcare, the government’s revised infection prevention and control guidance and accompanying standard operating procedures were published at the end of November 2021.

The most significant change is the use of screening to place patients on either a non-respiratory or a respiratory pathway. Patients with suspected or confirmed respiratory infection should have treatment deferred if clinically appropriate.

The main points of the revised operating protocol, and what you can expect when attending an appointment, are:-

• Screening prior to your attendance, 24 hours before your appointment via online forms and on entering the building. This is essential to allow us to spot potential respiratory illness, including COVID19.
• Hand sanitising gel upon entering the building.
• We are still trying to reduce patient contact so please use the toilet at home prior to your visit where possible.
• Mandatory use of facemasks in the building until you are in the surgery room. This is to minimise risk of possible infection to other people such as non-clinical staff members and other patients in areas such as corridors and reception. Exceptions will be made if you are medically exempt.
• Reduced patient numbers in the waiting room. This is to minimise the number of people in the building at any one time which in turn helps minimise the risk of transmission between people.
• YOU NO LONGER NEED TO CALL US ON ARRIVAL FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT. You may come directly to the practice, but we politely request that this is no more than 5 minutes before your appointment time. Due to reduced capacity in the waiting room, we may not have space for you inside and we might ask you to remain outside.  We realise that this is sometimes an inconvenience, but your patience would be greatly appreciated in this effort to minimise the risk of spread of Coronavirus.

We will continue to review our procedures in line with best practice and wish to reassure all our patients that keeping you safe when coming to see us continues to be our main priority. We do understand that the protocols we have in place can seem frustrating at times but ask that you bear with us during what is an ever-evolving situation.

Andy, Shalini and all the team at Bamford Dental Practice

Covid-19 Statement 20th July 2021

As social restrictions are lifted, we want to remind you that our highest priority is the safety and well-being of both our patients and our staff members here at Bamford Dental Practice.

In line with government and official infection control policies, our “Standard Operating Procedures” will be maintained for the foreseeable future with no immediate changes on July 19^th 2021.

To remind those that are not already aware, the significant points of this operating protocol are:-

Covid screening prior to your appointment, 24 hours before your appointment and immediately before entering the building.

Hand sanitising gel upon entering the building.

Toilets are currently out of use unless essential so please use the toilet at home prior to your visit where possible.

Mandatory use of facemasks in the building until you are in the surgery room. This is to minimise risk of possible infection to other people such as non-clinical staff members and other patients in areas such as corridors and reception. Exceptions will be made if you are medically exempt.

Full PPE for clinical staff for any dental procedures that generate aerosols. This is to protect not only ourselves but also to minimise the risk of transmitting Covid to others.

Reduced patient numbers in the waiting room. This is to minimise the number of people in the building at any one time which in turn helps minimise the risk of transmission between people.

We politely request that you call us from your car or outside the practice (but not by the front door to allow space for people to enter and exit the building) when you have arrived for your appointment. We realise that this is sometimes an inconvenience, but your patience would be greatly appreciated in this effort to minimise the risk of spread of Coronavirus.

Please help us with our efforts to maximise safety and help us ensure that Bamford Dental Practice continues being the safe environment it always has been.  We aim to reassure everybody that comes to see us that they are not only being cared for in terms of their oral health but also that we have taken every possible measure to minimise the risk of Covid. As ever, it is always a team effort, not only from our wonderful team members but also our patients. Many of our patients are clinically vulnerable and it is vital that we take every measure possible to keep everyone safe but especially these members of our community.

Andy, Shalini and all the team at Bamford Dental Practice

Covid-19 Statement 6th November 2020

We would like to reassure you that in line with the latest Government rules, Bamford Dental Practice will remain open during the second national lockdown for routine and emergency dental care.

We would like to thank everyone who has been to see us during the pandemic and to say how grateful we are for the many messages of support our team has received praising our new operating system and hard work in ensuring our patients are kept as safe as possible whilst in our care. We have very stringent cross infection control and safety measures in place to mitigate the risks of COVID19.

These measures include:

•  COVID19 pre-screening before your appointment
• COVID19 temperature checks for staff and patients on arrival at the practice
• Reduced numbers of patients in waiting areas and mask use where appropriate
• Strict hand hygiene for all staff and patients
• High level PPE for our staff
• Additional cleaning and disinfection between every patient appointment.

We are continuing with our phased return to routine dental care which is outlined below:

If you are in pain and have an urgent dental emergency, please call the practice as early as possible as we are prioritising urgent dental problems.

NHS patients:

• As per NHS guidance we have to prioritise patients with urgent dental problems and those whose care has been interrupted by COVID19. Due to current protocols designed to ensure patient safety, we are operating at a significantly reduced capacity.
• If you are an NHS patient and have not yet received your recall for your next routine dental examination we will be in touch when capacity allows. You do not have to contact us at this time.
• In order to effectively deal with the high volume of patients who are calling with a broken tooth, lost filling or crown, but no pain, we have implemented a triaging system to allow us to prioritise the most urgent cases. We would greatly appreciate it if you could take a photo of the affected tooth with a mobile device and email this image along with your name, date of birth, contact telephone number and brief description of the problem to dental.v08876@nhs.net

Denplan and Private patients:

• We are trying to contact all of our Denplan and private patients to arrange your next dental appointment. If you have not heard from us, or have any dental problems, then please call our reception team to discuss your next appointment.

We hope that you and your families are all staying safe and look forward to welcoming you in the practice soon.

Andy, Shalini and all the team at Bamford Dental Practice

Covid-19 Statement 29th May 2020

Following the announcement on BBC news last night Bamford Dental Practice are pleased to hear that dental practices will be allowed to re-open shortly.

We will schedule a carefully planned, phased resumption of service to account for social distancing measures and the delivery of safe care to ensure we protect our patients.

Our first priority will be the management and care of patients that have suffered urgent dental problems during the lockdown period. We have a comprehensive list of all patients that have contacted us seeking urgent care and advice and we will contact those patients in due course.

Andy, Shalini and all the team at Bamford Dental Practice

Covid-19 Statement 5th May 2020

Following the continued guidance from the Chief Dental Officer of England and the continued guidance from the Government to stop all non-essential travel, Bamford Dental Practice is still closed for all routine care and unable to offer any face to face appointments. Our first priority is always to protect the safety of our patients, our team and to protect those patients in the most highest-risk groups in our wider community.

However we are still available to provide any advice and remotely deal with any concerns that you may have. We have an emergency triage system in place to help you deal with any dental emergencies you may experience, so please phone the practice during our normal working hours and a dedicated team member will be available to answer your call. During this current unsettled time, we have extended our working hours till 5pm on Fridays and will accept and triage any patient with a dental emergency – even if you are not a regular attender at Bamford Dental Practice. This is to help relieve the pressure on the NHS 111 service. If a patient is found to require additional urgent dental treatment you can be referred to a Local Urgent Dental Care Clinic where treatment can be provided. These clinics have been set up to provide emergency treatment with the correct specialist protective equipment whilst dental practice restrictions are still in place.

Patients who require out of hours advice should contact the practice where you will be given your options for out of hours advice.

We are working relentlessly to stay up to date with the developing Covid-19 evidence as it unfolds and will ensure that we adapt in accordance with the latest regulatory advice.  Patients will be kept up to date with any changes to appointments, and we greatly appreciate your co-operation with this. For all our patients who have appointments booked with us in the next few weeks, you should have received notification that the appointment has been cancelled and please know that we will contact you as soon as we are able to see routine appointments.

We appreciate your understanding during this uncertain time, Your care remains our top priority and we look forward to welcoming you back to practice as soon as we can.

Andy, Shalini and all the team at Bamford Dental Practice