Protective measures such as wearing a mask have become part of our everyday operations as we opened the practice during lockdown. We as a practice have never experienced what it was like “before” the pandemic hit everyone, so it is fair to say that it did become the norm for our daily operations and our staff.

As the UK has been getting used to not having to wear a face mask for the last couple of months now, it would seem obvious that this should apply to when visiting our dental practice. We have now decided that it is time to offer patients the choice to wear a mask, or not. However, all of our staff will continue to wear a mask in the practice at all times.

COVID aside, we are still at risk to numerous illnesses and viruses that are airborne or can be transmitted through touch, and we want to make sure that we are doing everything to keep our healthcare environment as safe as possible for patients and our staff so we still require hands to be sanitised on entry. Just today we have read an article on a new variant of COVID that is developing out in the US and I am sure it will be a matter of time before this reaches our shores and starts to have an impact for some of us, if not all.

Our latest procedures and safety measures explained

It must be noted that we have relaxed our procedures to some degree since the end of the pandemic by:

1. Offering less vigorous checks when confirming appointments
2. Offering you the choice to wear a mask if you feel this is better for you
3. No longer requiring temperature checks on arrival
4. Removal of the protective screen on reception to make the experience at front of house more personable (at last!)

We still require the following at present to ensure we can maintain a safer environment for all:

1. To advise us if you are ill or not well before your appointment
2. Sanitise your hands on arrival and leaving the surgery

We are constantly reviewing our procedures and policies in line with advice from the governing bodies.

If you have any queries or concerns about our policy, then please contact us on 01858 455100 or send us an email via hello@foxburydental.com

References

COVID-19: infection prevention and control dental appendix

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-infection-prevention-and-control/covid-19-infection-prevention-and-control-dental-appendix

 

New variants are poised to keep Covid-19 circulating at high levels throughout the summer

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/01/health/covid-new-omicron-variants/index.html