Date 11/05/2020
With the recent Prime minister's speech on the 10th of May 2020 and the murmurations of lockdown easing it is important to remember that we are not out of this yet. Currently the whole dental profession is still waiting for our Chief Dental Officer to make an announcement on when and how dentistry will return and in what form.
Currently at Broad Street we are still operating a phone triage system. The Practice is open every day and we are here to help with any issues you may have. We have sent out many "home made" temporary filling kits, offered advice on pain relief and prescribed antibiotics when necessary.
Where do we go from here?
When dentistry does return it will look different. We will need to consider social distancing in our waiting rooms. Prior to any visit to the dental practice, risk assessments will be needed in the form of a simple phone call and questionnaire. We are still waiting for guidance but treatment may be initially restricted to "non-aerosol generating procedures" such as Examinations (check-ups), X-rays, hand scaling instead of using the ultrasonic, plus other dental treatments not involving a dental turbine (the one with water).
When aerosols are used they may be at certain times of the day to allow for correct decontamination and disinfection of the surgery and we will need to wait for further advice on this.
Rest assured that at Broad Street we will do everything possible to make your visit as safe as reasonably possible without compromising the quality of care which you have become accustomed to.
Best wishes
Andrew Farr and Team
Date 23/03/2020
Dear Patients, colleagues and friends of Broad Street
Dentistry
This is a challenging time for all of us, and we want to reassure you and your families that we are taking all necessary steps to comply with Government advice. Our priority is the safety of our patients and the team at Broad Street Dental.
We have made the decision that we are going to suspend all routine appointments from 23rd March, until Government advice changes.
We are however going to remain open as normal for emergency dental care.
If you have a problem, please be reassured that if you ring the practice in the normal way, we will aim to offer emergency treatment the same day at Broad Street Dental, as we have always done. Our out of hours emergency rota for Denplan and Private patients which we run with some of the other practices in Hereford, remains operational from 5pm – 9pm on weekdays and from 9am-9pm on weekends and bank holidays. If you have a routine appointment booked with us in the next few weeks, expect a phone call from us postponing it for a little while.
Some of you will already be isolating due to age, health issues or exposure to Coronavirus, and the news that we are not expecting you to come into town for your appointment may be a relief to you.
All the dentists (health permitting) will also be available for telephone conversations and advice in normal working hours.
Please let our reception team know and your dentist will call you back at a mutually convenient time.
Our patients are really important to us – you are all part of the “Broad Street Family”. Our caring team, will be quieter at work as a result of the crisis. If you are isolating and need provisions or other help, then please give our reception team a ring and we will do our best to help.
Please be reassured that you will not miss out on any of the dental care you need. Once the crisis is over, we are thinking of working extra hours per week with early morning or evening opening times to catch up and give you the quality care that you have always received from us, which will be covered as always by your monthly Denplan payments.
We understand that some of you may be worried about your jobs and income. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, then please let our reception team know in confidence and we will look at how we can help support you and keep you registered as a Broad Street patient until normality returns.
Thank you for your patience and support as we navigate the next few weeks together. Please look at our website and Facebook page for updates and news.
With best wishes to you and your families,
Andrew Farr, Michael Pawley, April Halford and Team