Good day to all our lovely patients on this glorious Wednesday afternoon! I hope you are all keeping safe and well, and haven’t got sunburn đ
I’ve seen a few reports today on various media outlets and newspapers which have said that dental practices are allowed to reopen.
As much as I wish this were the case, it’s not true I’m afraid.
We all had an update from the Care Quality Commission last night that basically said that it’s not up to them to decide whether we are open or not and that we would need to seek advice from our other governing bodies (the British Dental Association, the General Dental Council and the Chief Dental Officer) on when to reopen.
Some people have misunderstood this to mean that we can now reopen.
However, we still have no guidance at present on how to go about this in a safe and proper manner. The reason we are regulated is so that we all, as dental practices, adhere to the same policies and that we are all on the same page, offering the same level of care and attention to our patients to keep them safe. At the moment, there are no policies or guidance that exist for this type of pandemic.
We also all have to have indemnity to protect ourselves and our patients, and unfortunately a lot of indemnity policies do not cover this pandemic and will not allow us to work.
Until we receive word from the Chief Dental Officer, who is basically the top of the pyramid of our governing bodies, we are unable to reopen at this time for general dentistry.
Trust me when I say this is the most frustrated that the dental profession has ever been! All we ask for is clear guidance and it hasn’t been forthcoming. We are a very niche profession, being that we work so closely to other people, in the mouth, with aerosols generating spray made of saliva. We are literally ground zero when it comes to Covid-19. Everyone is being told to cover up their mouths and wear face masks in public to stop the spread, but we can’t possibly work like that.
We really do appreciate everyone’s understanding at this time. As soon as we can reopen, we will let you know. And we are so sorry that we can’t currently offer our usual level of service. Our hands are completely tied, and the news telling everyone that we can reopen is really not helping. Our patients are our everything and I just can’t put into words how frustrating this entire situation is. We really want to get back to work!
As ever, in the mean time, if you have any problems at all, please call us, message us, anything. We are still here to offer advice and help keep you out of pain.
We will be back soon!
Aditi, and all the team at Halesowen Dental
0121 550 6958
0737 550 6958 (WhatsApp available)
Info@halesowendental.co.uk
www.halesowendental.co.uk