COVID-19: Update: Back to work, BDA and FGDP comment
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- Published: Wednesday, 03 June 2020 10:20
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The BDA reports that, following the CDO’s letter confirming that practices in England could open for face-to-face care from 8 June, they have held further discussions with NHS England and the Office of the CDO. They will update members when they have more to share. FGDP(UK) said that, when practices open, the delivery of care ‘will be vastly different to what we knew before COVID-19’.
BDA advice on re-opening
“Our advice team continue to work hard to get you the most up-to-date information possible. There isn't yet a 'one size fits all' answer on re-opening. That’s why, we’ve pulled together your most frequently asked questions on it and added them to our FAQ page.
They have also produced two items to help members, a Poster and a draft Letter to keep patients informed. Both are available to members on their website.
FGDP(UK) and FDS RCS England issue a joint statement on the resumption of dental services in England
In response to the Chief Dental Officer’s announcement that practices are able to re-open from 8 June in England, Dr Ian Mills, Dean of the Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) and Professor Michael Escudier, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgeons at the Royal College of Surgeons of England said:
“Whilst we are pleased to hear dental practices will be open to the public in the coming weeks, it is clear that the delivery of care will be vastly different to what we knew before COVID-19. The CDO has said she supports a full resumption of routine dental care; however it will take time for practices to get back to speed before this can happen. We expect the range of treatments available to patients to be different from prior to the outbreak, as there will be a number of issues to consider to ensure the safety of patients, staff and practitioners, including hygiene rules, social distancing, resources and PPE.
“It will likely be some months before services return to providing care in a similar manner to that seen before lockdown, and will largely be dependent on the further easing of COVID-19 control measures. We look forward to seeing the NHSE standard operating procedures, as we hope these, together with practical guidance being developed by our Faculties will assist health care professionals in determining when they are ready to restart, the scope of safe practice they are able to offer and the processes which need to be adopted.”
BDA warns over lack of PPE
The Guardian reported that people suffering from toothache may not be able to get appointments with their dentist, despite the government announcement that dental practices can open from next week. But the BDA has warned that many surgeries will be unable to carry out a full range of treatments because of widespread shortages of personal protective equipment.
Eddie Crouch, vice-chair of British Dental Association executive committee, told the newspaper that dentists would need professionally fitted respirator masks to safely deliver routine procedures such as drilling and filling teeth because they generate millions of potentially infectious microscopic droplets. “Many practices will struggle to get the PPE they need to reopen fully,” he said. “It is unrealistic to think it is going to be business as usual in a few weeks’ time.”
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