Coronavirus (COVID-19) Advice
Update 5/5/2023
As we continue to adjust to life "living with Covid" we are still screening our patients routinely regarding any respiratory symptoms. For those considered higher risk we would ask to postpone routine appointments or arrange visits to be managed under our "respiratory pathway" with enhanced precautions and safety measures. These continued steps ensure all of our patients and staff are akept as safe as possible. We apologise to any disruption this may cause you.
Service Provision Update 10/2/2022
Wales returned to Alert level Zero on 28/1/2022. In line with Welsh Government Guidelines, how we provide your dental care will be determined by your assessed Covid risk status. Before your visit you will be asked the following questions:
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If you answer "No" to the screening questions you would be seen as low Covid risk, and your treatment would proceed similarly to that of pre-covid conditions.
If the answer to any of these questions is "YES", we would ask you to defer any non-urgent treatment. This would include if you thought it was unlikely that the symptoms were Covid related, or had a recent negative lateral flow test.
If it is not appropriate to defer treatment, you would be advised on how your visit will be managed to maximise safety for you, other patients and staff. This would include arriving via the rear entrance and being led straight to the treatment area. Here, staff in enhanced PPE (such as we have used throughout the pandemic) will provide your care. You will then be asked to leave via the rear entrance and any payments or follow up appointments will be dealt with over the phone.After an appropriate period of fallow or down time, the treatment area and general enviroment will be cleaned according to our decontamination policies in readiness for the next patient.
Extra precautions will also be taken for any patients who have been identified as "Vulnerable" during the pandemic. This would include those over 70 years old, those with chronic chest or heart conditions, patients undergoing chemotherapy, the immunocompromised and pregnant patients. These patient would be asked not to wait in the communal waiting area but call us on arrival so they can be escorted directly to their treatment area. Steps would also be in place to ensure that these patients were not brought into contact with any patients considered higher Covid risk. Ideally vulnerable patients should be seen at the very start of the day but we appreciate this may not always be possible for every patient.
Covid Alert Level Update - 23/12/2021
From 26th Dec 2021, Wales will move into a revised Covid Alert Level 2. Further details on the restrictions can be found at https://gov.wales/covid-19-alert-levels.
Please be reassured that as throughout the pandemic, we will continue to provide your dental care whilst following all the national and local procedural guidelines to make your visit as safe as possible during this period.
17/5/2021
Wales have moved into Level 2 Alert restrictions from 17/5/21.
Details of what is now permissable can be found at https://gov.wales/covid-19-alert-levels
Dental practices are still required to follow modified procedures and protocols which unfortunately limits the amount of patients we can see. These restrictions are for the safety of patients and staff and we thank you for your continued patience during this time.
5/1/2021
Despite Wales being under level 4 alert restrictions, travel is permitted for healthcare purposes (including dentistry). We would ask patients to carefully consider their need to travel from outside the immediate locality, although pre-booked appointments are going ahead at this stage.
30/11/2020
Due to the emergence of a mutated strain of Coronavirus in mink farms in Denmark, you will now be asked about your travel history to this area in our screening programme. Anyone who has returned from Denmark in the last 14 days would be triaged to determine whether treatment can be delayed, or whether referral to a specialist isolation treatment unit is required.
28/9/2020 Update - Local Lockdowns
As the community transmission of Covid-19 rises, more areas will be put into local lockdown by Welsh Assembly Government.
For clarification, as things stand today, the Chief Dental Officer for Wales has confirmed that it is reasonable and permitted to travel out of or into a local lockdown area to receive dental treatment (either routine or emergency).
Any changes to this situation as infection rates change will be communicated via this website, so please check back for regular updates.
Over the last few weeks we have worked hard to install a new mechanical air extraction system in each of the practices four surgeries. This changes the air in the surgery many times an hour, effectively diluting any potential contaminants released during treatments. Not only does this make your visit safer, it means that we now have capacity to see more patients as we only require 20-40 minutes downtime after treatments instead of the previous 100 minutes.
Many thanks to the team at DJ Electricals of Ammanford for installation, and Gareth of Vector Air & Water, Pyle for their help and expertise in validating the system.
With community infection rates rising again, pre appointment screening for the symptoms of Covid is more important than ever.
If you are in any doubt over your "Covid status" and have an appointment already made with us, please telephone us to speak to a memeber of our team for assessment and advice.
If you no longer require your appointment please give us as much notice as possible so the slot can be offered to another patient.
7/7/2020 Update
Further to the allowing of emergency aerosol generating procedures, the latest guidance from the Chief Dental officer for Wales has widened the criteria to include routine ttreatments such as examinations where capacity allows.
As each check up is taking approximately 2 hours of surgery times under the current restrictions, we are prioritising examinations for those with the highest clinical needs and anyone for whom oral problems could worsen an underlying medical condition.
For further information and the latest situation update please call 01792 814734 to speak to a memebr of the team.
1/7/2020 Service Provision Update
On the announcement of the de-escalation of Wales into the amber alert phase by the Chief Dental Officer, we are delighted that from July 1st 2020, we will be able to expand the range of face to face treatments we will be able to offer our patients.
This next phase of gradual relaxation of the restrictions will mean that we will be able to see a wider range of treatments which may require Aerosol Generating procedures at the practice.
Whilst the need for fallow times (the period after treatment that the surgery cannot be used to allow aerosols to settle prior to cleaning) of 1 hour after each treatment, combined with enhanced PPE and cleaning regimes mean we will only be able to provide a very limited number of treatments each day, it does mean we can now offer some vital interventive treatment for patients with ongoing urgent problems that need us the most.
To make sure that your experience at the practice is as safe as it can be, we have made many changes to our operating processes which may make your next visit to us a somewhat different experience to that which you are used to– but we hope you can appreciate, and are reassured by, all the steps we have taken to ensure the safety of our staff and patients alike.
Prior to being offered a face to face appointment, you would still need to telephone us (we are operating a closed-door policy until further notice) for triage. You will be asked questions to determine your Covid status such as:
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Have you been tested positive or diagnosed with Coronavirus? |
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Are you having shortness of breath or other difficulties breathing? |
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Do you currently have a cough? or have you had a persistent dry cough in the last 14 days? |
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Any other flu-like symptoms, such as gastrointestinal upset, headache or fatigue? |
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Have you experienced recent loss of taste or smell? |
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Are you in contact with any confirmed COVID-19 positive patients? Patients who are well but who have a sick family member at home with COVID-19 should consider postponing elective treatment. |
If after a telephone consultation with one of our clinical team members, you are offered a face to face appointment, below are some details you will be asked to consider before and during your visit.
- With the exception of children and patients in need of support or supervision, patients should come alone. (If the patient is accompanied, the chaperone must also go through a covid risk assessment and wear a mask at the practice).
- Please use the toilet before you attend
- Please observe a distance of at least 2 metres if another patient is present in or around the dental practice
- Unfortunately, staff will avoid shaking hands even though we will be very pleased to see you!
- Staff will be wearing increased levels of PPE to what you may be used to. Please do not be alarmed. It is the same old team underneath. It will be particularly important to prepare children for this.
- Please come wearing a mask/face covering (like those required on public transport) if possible, or be prepared to wear one.
- Please do not to arrive early. Please wait in your car (or outside the practice but not on the pathway) and telephone to inform us of your arrival. You will then be instructed to wait (if necessary, to limit patient cross over and contact) or to come to the practice.
- On arrival at the practice door, please press the intercom and wait for a response.
- On entry you will be asked to use hand sanitiser and be asked the covid screening questions again.
- Your temperature will be recorded with a contactless thermometer if there are concerns over your health or covid status
- Please do not bring unnecessary possessions. You will be directed to place items such as coats and bags in the lidded plastic containers in reception
- You will be escorted directly to the treatment area (despite how much the team would love a chat and a catch up, at present it is wiser to minimise your time at the practice!).
- Wherever possible, rubber dam will be used to isolate your teeth prior to treatment – although some patients do not like this, it is essential we use this wherever we possibly can
- We will ask you forgo your normal post treatment rinse as again this generates a lot of unwanted aerosols
- After completion of the consultation, you will be asked to don your mask again and be escorted from the premises via the rear exit if appropriate
- Here you will be prompted to hand sanitise again and dispose of your mask before leaving.
- Wherever possible you will be asked to leave the building via the rear exit (this may not be possible for all patients depending on mobility as the lane is somewhat uneven in places). You may want to arrange to be met or collected at this point but please be aware there are no parking facilities at the rear of the practice.
- Arrangements for follow up appointments and payments if needed will be made later by telephone.
