Further to the NHS England and NHS Improvement South East Issue 3 Preparedness letter of 25 March 2020 this is to update in terms of actions being taken to implement the guidance. The Dental Team appreciate Issue 3 raised lots of questions that they have been unable to answer, however, further guidance is to be issued this week that is expected to answer many of your questions and they will circulate this as soon as it is received.
The letter of 25 March advises that all routine and non-urgent dental care (including Orthodontics) should stop. The Dental Team have received reports of dental care continuing post the issuing of this letter and this is to re-iterate this should not be happening. Dentists should now be providing telephone triage for their patients with urgent needs on the basis of the 3As (Advice; Analgesia and Anti-microbial prescribing where appropriate). Patients should be able to make telephone contact with a practice during normal working hours.
If a patient’s condition cannot be managed by these means they should be referred to their Local Urgent Dental Care System. The Region is working on the establishment of this system with the aim of mobilising hubs as soon as possible. Sites have been identified but critical to their opening is access to the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to support the safe treatment of patients, some PPE will be received shortly but some is proving a challenge to source and so are asking if any practices wish to donate PPE to their local hub to enable it to open while continuing to secure a regular supply of PPE and those that can do so please see the link below:
The Dental Team have also contacted practices via a staff survey to identify people to work in the urgent dental care centres. They have compiled the attached frequently asked questions for those that we are currently able to answer, some questions that have been asked require additional national guidance which we anticipate shortly.
The Dental Team appreciate this is a very difficult time for practices as they do not have a local Urgent Dental Care System to refer patients to, but as soon as they have confirmation of an opening date for the Urgent Dental Care hubs and how to refer patients to these they will let you know.
