Mar 20, 2020
I know it is unusual to hear from us two weeks in a row but we felt it would be good to update you on information about our dental practice in Salisbury and your dental care.
Finally, today we received advice from the British Dental Association (BDA) advising that dentists and their staff are considered to be key workers. Given this information we will be continuing to remain open as usual and are happy to see you for your appointments, if you feel happy to attend. Your health is important to us and we want you to be safe. We just want to reassure you that we will respect your decision should you wish to move your booked appointment. So many of you have already contacted us for reassurance and the team are happy to answer any queries or concerns you may have. Feel free to give us a call, no matter what your query
As we said in our newsletter last week dental practices are highly regulated regarding our cross-infection control procedures and we wanted to reiterate that we haven’t had to alter anything we do in the treatment rooms with regard to cleanliness and hygiene in the light of the current pandemic. See our newsletter from last week for more information on this by clicking here
We have put some additional measures in place in the rest of the clinic.
- Provided hand sanitiser in our reception and lounge areas for you to use.
- We have a bathroom in our lounge so you can wash your hands when you arrive if you wish.
- We are taking extra measures to wipe the reception and lounge surfaces in between clients as well as the door handle on the entrance door after each client.
- Propped open doors so you do not have to touch door handles.
- We wipe tablets and card machines with disinfectant wipes after each use
- Please do not be offended if we ask you to hang your own coat. We want to minimise the risk of any transference to another client.
Please click here for the latest official and up to date advice about Coronavirus, symptoms and how to avoid catching and spreading it.
We would kindly ask that if you have any of the following symptoms that you reschedule your appointment by calling us on 01722 413311, even if it is at short notice. Email or text is also fine.
- a “new, continuous” cough
AND/OR
- a high temperature
If you have either of the above symptoms the advice is to self-isolate for seven days if you live alone or 14 days if you live with someone else.
Our team are also aware of this advice and will follow this should they get symptoms.
If you do have either of these symptoms and you have a dental emergency please call 111 for advice rather than attending the clinic as the advice is that we should not see you in the clinic.
Please be assured that in the event of an enforced closure we will still provide an emergency service for our existing clients; during normal opening hours; and without any additional fee for opening the clinic. Outside of normal opening hours, members do of course already have cover which takes care of this fee. For those of you who are not on the practice membership the normal clinic opening fees will apply.
If Rob has to self-isolate we have made arrangements with a trusted local private practice for emergency cover. For those of you on the practice membership you will be able to claim back some the emergency fee in the normal way through the membership providers.
We are continuing to monitor new advice. Please be assured that should there be any changes we will contact you. We will be keeping our website up to date with these blogs with any new information and we will communicate this to you via a text so you can be updated. Please feel free to share the link with anyone you feel may find it relevant.
So to other matters….
We have been notified that the volunteer service at the hospital are seeking volunteers. You do not need to be medically trained. You would be helping with a variety of tasks that would free up medically trained staff. If you have free time and feel that you would like to volunteer please follow the link here to find out more
As I am sure you are all too aware at the moment there is an issue of panic buying and stockpiling. So many of the supermarkets are providing time slots specifically for the elderly/vulnerable to come and do their food shop so that they reduce their contact with others. However, the shelves as you are all too aware are bare as the distributors are struggling to keep up with the demand. With a sense of community and caring for others in mind, lets all continue to spread the word that there is no shortage of food and only buy the amount we normally would so that those who are most vulnerable both from a health and financial point of view have access to essentials.
On a more positive front we are aware that there are many groups in the community who are offering their services to help out those who are self-isolating or vulnerable. If you know of any groups and would like us to share these details forward the details for us to share on our website.
Finally, one of our clients has notified us that the local food banks are struggling to keep up with the demand due to recent job losses. It means that there is an increase in need for the service however they have fewer supplies as the supermarket shelves are empty. Perhaps we could all look in our cupboards and consider if we really need everything in there. Could we donate it to a food bank to help support the vulnerable in our society?
Please click here for the link to the Trussell trust for more information
Stay well, stay safe and keep in touch with us for any queries
Rob, Niamh & the Gentle Dental team