How LSH Dental Practices are helping you to stay safe during the COVID-19 Crisis
The points below outline the new patient journey that some of you will experience in the coming weeks during our phased re-opening.
When booking and attending an appointment with us, initially in Phase 1, you will be asked to follow these carefully outlined recommendations; they have been compiled with the intention of keeping all patients and team members safe.
The practice will call you three days prior to an available appointment to discuss your emergency dental issue and book an emergency appointment if need be.
We will ask you EXACTLY what the problems you have been having are.
We will confirm that you still require EMERGENCY care as per Phase 1.
To explain clearly, the treatment for Phase 1 is limited to what we can deliver as per our restricted guidelines:
- Extractions
- Pain relief advice
- Temp dressings (without drilling anything)
- Prescriptions for pain relief or
antibiotics - NON- AGP (aerosol generating procedure)
We will ask you questions about COVID-19?
- Have you tested positive for
COVID-19 in the last 7 days? - Are you waiting for a COVID-19 test or the results?
- Do you have any of the following symptoms?
- New Continuous Cough
- High Temperature or Fever (above 37.8 *C)
- Loss/Change of Taste or Smell
- Do you live with someone who has either tested positive for COVID-19 or had symptoms of COVID-19 in the last 14 days?
- Have you been at any large gathering/place, participated in a crowded public event or broken social distancing requirements in the last 14 days?
- Are you within one of the following groups:
You will be asked to wear a face covering when coming into the practice:
- A Scarf
- Cloth face covering
- Surgical mask
Please make sure you check your emails a few days prior to your appointment for latest updates and our reminders to complete your new “post-COVID-19” MEDICAL HISTORY forms and return them via email prior to your appointments.
Please attend at your appointment time or just five minutes before the appointment, no earlier.
We will ask you to sit in the car (or be prepared to wait outside) until we can invite you in.
Please check your temperature (and send a photo of it if you are unsure) the morning of the appointment.
We must ask you to attend alone as only one person is allowed inside the practice at any one time.
Could we please ask you use the bathroom at home before coming here as the toilets are temporarily out of use to the public during Phase 1.
Let us explain the new patient journey you will experience when you arrive:
- We will call you again a day prior to your appointment to remind you what to expect when you attend.
- We will check your temperature as you come to the Practice front door.
- We will direct you to use the hand sanitiser when entering and again as you are leaving the practice.
- We would prefer to only take contactless card payments so if you cannot pay this way, we may ask you to pay over the telephone prior to your appointment.
(NB: If you can only pay by cash, please discuss this with us prior to your appointment.) - If you require any sundries (Interdental brushes, single tuft brushes etc.) please let us know on the telephone – we will take payment for this – and have the items ready for you as you leave after your appointment.
- Please do not bring too many personal belongings with you:
- As you enter the front door, you will be asked to place your minimal belongings in a box or plastic bag.
- This will be left safely at reception or taken with you into surgery.
- Please could you thoroughly clean your teeth prior to your appointment as you will not be able to do so at the practice.
- We may ask you to do a preprocedural mouth rinse in surgery before we examine you.
- Let me PLEASE reinforce that we can only do the emergency treatment you have been booked in for – we cannot carry out routine non-emergency care at that visit in Phase 1.
- We encourage you to check our websites for the regular blogs and updates that we put there to assist you with these changes.
- You will notice that we will look different in appearance as we will be wearing more PPE.
- This can make it difficult to hear and understand us.
- Unfortunately, we will not be able to chat or converse as we once did, in these initial weeks.
- We will contact you by EMAIL OR TELEPHONE after your visit to discuss any treatment and to book any appointments etc.
- Depending on your emergency, you will be in the practice with us just long enough to complete your treatment.
We cannot stress enough:
- PLEASE do not attend the practice without a pre-booked appointment as we cannot allow you entry.
- BE AWARE: only patients who have been screened as above will be allowed to attend the practice.
These procedures will evolve again and change in the practice as we move into phase 2.
We will keep you updated as and when this happens. In the meantime, keep safe and we look forward to seeing you in the very near future.
Go Back