Dear patients and friends of Dale House,

We would like to inform our patients that from Monday 8^th June many of our dentists and staff members shall be returning to work. However, it will be some time before our services return to pre-pandemic levels and we would like to take this opportunity to inform you of the changes we have had to make to keep us all safe. From Monday 8^th June our dentists will be telephoning patients who require urgent dental care to book them an appointment from Wednesday 10^th June. Due to a national shortage of PPE, we are unable to provide certain treatments until these items are delivered to the practice, which we hope will be towards the end of June. Patients will be contacted in due course for routine examinations and treatment. We have developed as close to a contactless journey for our patients as possible, which is described below:

• We will be operating a ‘closed door’ policy so you will need an appointment in order to enter the practice.
• You will be contacted twice prior to your appointment, once by your dentist to check for covid-19 symptoms, complete a risk assessment and book your appointment. The second telephone call will be from one of our receptionists 2 days prior to your appointment to check for covid-19 symptoms.
• Please arrive as close to the time of your appointment as possible and wait outside the practice, whilst complying with social distancing measures, until a nurse calls you into the practice. We will have one door (15 Albert Road) to enter the building and one door to exit (16 Albert Road).
• The nurse will ask if you are displaying any covid-19 symptoms, provide you with sanitiser for your hands, and direct you to the dental surgery for your appointment.
• Upon completion of your appointment, you will again be provided with hand sanitiser and asked to make your way to reception to complete payment and to rebook if necessary.
• The nurse will then direct you to the appropriate door to exit the practice.

We ask that when you come to your appointment that you:

• Attend on your own unless you need a parent/carer to come with you
• Bring minimal items, bags/coats etc
• Use toilet facilities prior to your visit to reduce the need to use our toilet facilities if possible

These are challenging times for us all, but we hope to provide all our patients with the confidence that attending our dental practice is as safe as it can be. We will be strictly abiding by the rules set by Public Health England and our Chief Dental Officer to significantly reduce the risk of transmission. Whilst we will be wearing lots of PPE including face masks, please be re-assured that we are the same friendly and welcoming team that we were prior to the pandemic.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us by telephoning 01827 66166.

We look forward to re-opening our practice and seeing our patients from Wednesday 10^th June.

Best Wishes from all the staff at Dale House Dental Practice