PPE Equipment to Support Local Communities
May 7, 2020
Re: Covid-19 and Dentist Support
Dear Dental Colleague,
As a fellow dentist and dental practice owner, I am requesting your support in what I feel could be an important initiative for the dental profession over the short and medium term.
Like me, I am sure it saddens you deeply to hear that so many care staff, in addition to our great hospital and key workers, are struggling to get access to the very PPE which would keep them safe.
I have witnessed first-hand in Lebanon during charity work for a dental charity of which I am a trustee as to how important safety is and how we have a unique opportunity where we can help others.
We know from the government’s own stark daily statistics, that deaths in care homes and hospices, as a result of Covid-19, are all too common and unfortunately increasing.
So how can we as a profession help keep these compassionate and committed staff safe and well, so that they can continue the vital care of people from within our communities?
Rallying for PPE
I
believe that we have the opportunity to rally together and create a timely and crucial network of PPE supplies.
Like myself, I am sure you still have the opportunity to seek daily orders from your dental suppliers, thanks to your long-standing relationships. And indeed, you may also have your own excess stock, sitting inside practices which, sadly, you have had to close for now.
I am therefore asking you if you will consider joining me, to collectively gather as much PPE stock as we possibly can, such that it can then be distributed among the region’s care homes, care agencies, GP surgeries and hospices.
This gesture of collaboration will make such a difference to those who work in the sector and would not at all impact on the supply which is being received by our urgent dental centres.
BDA confirms...
The BDA confirms to me that they have received a number of interest similar to this initiative around the UK, who are keen to do something relevant throughout this hugely difficult period. I know they support the idea that we in East Anglia would look to come together in this mission.
I would be delighted to hear from as many of you as possible, about what stock you can access, and how we might begin to distribute this where it is needed most.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with your views and suggestions in any of the following ways:
Telephone: 01603 250583
As a practice we have set up a Just Giving page to collectively donate funds and distribute in the region: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ProtectOurHeroes?utm_term=6DvdgJvVe
I sincerely thank you for your time in reading this letter and here is to giving back to our local communities.
Yours Sincerely,
Gautam Sharma
West Earlham Dental Health Practice
Bringing Back Smiles to Norfolk’s Bereaved Children
A new charity partnership
In line with government and official infection control policies, our “standard operating procedure” will be maintained for the foreseeable future with no immediate changes on July 19th 2021. To remind those that are not already aware, the significant points of this operating protocol are: - Covid screening prior to your appointment upon booking and immediately before your appointment and before entering the building. Temperature checks and hand sanitising gel upon entering the building. We do not have toilet facilities for patient use, so please use the toilet at home prior to your visit as much as you can! 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. As many of you are now used to, we look a little bit different to how we used to! This is to protect not only ourselves but also to minimise the risk of transmitting Covid to others. Waiting rooms are currently out of use. 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. Thank you for your cooperation
Face-to-face appointments restart from 22nd June 2020 with extra anti-virus measures in place, on top of our usual stringent cross infection controls, to keep you and our team safe. Due to the high volume of calls we are experiencing; we ask for you to make contact only if you are in pain or your dental concern is of an urgent nature. Our priorotu is to treat these patients in the first instance. If you require an appointment please email us at smiles@westearlhamdental.co.uk or contact us via the website and we will call you back as soon as possible to discuss your concerns.
We are open, and the team are available to you on the phones to help. Due to guidance and the safety of our team and patients we have decided like the majority of practices to stop seeing patients under guidance from the NHS and the Government. If you wish to contact a member of the team, please feel free to phone or email us. Be safe, follow the government guidelines and we look forward to seeing you again when this situation resolves.
People in need of urgent dental treatment faced a “skeleton service” and strict new safety measures as some dentists reopened after 12 weeks in lockdown.
With the announcement stating we are able to open from the 8th June, we have yet to be provided with operational guidance in order to treat our patients in a safe manner as well as prepare for the safety of our team. For this reason and until further notice we are continuing to triage over the phone and unable to book in appointments. Please keep checking our website and Facebook page for further communications as we will be updating these regularly. We look forward to welcoming you back to the practice soon. Best wishes, Gautam and Team
