Dear Patient of StClements,

You may have heard that dental practices have been allowed to open to routine care from Monday, 8th June.

We are happy to be given the green light to go back to treating our patients and we would like to let you know that we are aiming to reopen for face to face appointments sometime in the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately, it will not be business as usual.

We are making every possible effort to secure the necessary protective equipment to continue to keep both our patients and our staff safe. However, due to the ongoing national shortage of PPE, this will be an obstacle that we are still working very hard to overcome.

Unfortunately, we cannot book appointments until we have a guaranteed reopening date, but our lines are manned during normal opening times and a member of our staff is triaging patients needing emergency care. Please be patient with us as we will need to prioritise the patients who have been needing urgent care over the last 2 months. All our patients are important to us, but we are sure you will allow some understanding to those experiencing extreme pain.

We predict that it will take some time until we will be able to increase our flow of patients and until we will be able to provide what you knew as “normal service”, therefore, your understanding will be much appreciated.

Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety.

As you are aware, infection control has always been a top priority for our practice, and you may have noticed this during your visits to our surgery. Our infection control processes are regularly updated, follow current national guidelines and are made so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable.

You will notice some changes when you will attend your next appointment. We will go through everything when booking you in and some details will need to be confirmed once more on the day of your appointment. All these changes in protocols are meant to offer a safe environment to you and to our staff.

For example:

• When booking an appointment, a member of our staff will need to go through a few COVID-19 screening questions with you. We will need to ask those same questions again on the day of your appointment.
• We will have hand sanitiser that we will ask you to use as soon as you enter the practice. You will find some in the reception area and other places in the practice for you to use, as needed.
• We will no longer have sundry items on display and cannot offer magazines or children’s toys since these items are considered an additional risk for infection.
• Appointments will have to be booked in advance by phone or email and will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. That might mean that you will be offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
• With the exception of children attending an appointment who will be able to be accompanied by one of the parents and patients who need to be accompanied by a carer, patients should come alone. Children will not be permitted into the building to accompany adults attending for treatment.
• 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 or bank transfer (BACS). No cash payments will be permitted. Please remember that we cannot accept payments by American Express.
• As much as we may have missed seeing each one of you, our staff will unfortunately not be able to shake your hand.
• If you start showing symptoms following appointment booking or if a member of your household starts showing symptoms, please contact the practice immediately.
• Please do not arrive early for your appointment. We will kindly ask you to give us a call when you arrive and if necessary, we may have to ask you to wait in your car or outside the practice, if you travel by public transport.
• Please do not arrive without an appointment. All enquiries and all appointments should be made by phone or email.
• Patients should come wearing a face mask or be prepared to wear one at all times while inside the practice and not receiving care.

It is not known yet if these measures will only be temporary or if they will become a permanent feature of the way dental practices must run to ensure patient safety in the future.

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

Please contact us by phone or by email if you are experiencing dental pain at present or have experienced pain during lockdown so that your treatment can be prioritised. We would also like to hear from you if you have urgent ongoing treatment which was stopped due to the lockdown. This will include those who are currently receiving orthodontic treatment.

As you may expect, our email and phones lines are extremely busy with enquiries and our team are working hard to help our patients. Please allow us time to process these calls and emails. You are important to us and you will not be forgotten.

As circumstances and official guidance change frequently, we will regularly post patient updates on our social media channels, so please make sure you follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/StClementsDentalCare/ or on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/stclementsdentalcare/ to make sure you have access to the latest news.

We will also add a dedicated Covid-19 Patient Information section on our website that you will be able to check at all times.

Thank you again for your continuous patience and understanding. We look forward to seeing you all in due course.

In the meantime, please stay safe.

Sincerely,

John O’Dea
Principal, StClements Dental Care