Dental Update - 7 January 2022
For over a year NHS Dental Services in Orkney have been re-opened, however, Covid constraints have limited the ability of dentists to see as many patients as they did prior to the pandemic. Jay Wragg, Director of Dentistry at NHS Orkney would like to thank the community for their patience as we work to restore NHS dentistry and also, explain additional impacts which are currently affecting the service in the county.
Firstly, the questions you are asked before being seen at the dentist have been expanded. In addition to the usual Covid questions you will also be asked about any other respiratory symptoms e.g., coughs and colds. If you have symptoms that indicate you have a respiratory illness, you may be asked to postpone your appointment until you fully recover. If your treatment is urgent, you will be seen but you may be asked to come back to the practice when other patients have left the building. These answers should be accurate and honest, they are designed to keep us all safe. The increased time it takes to ask these questions may mean phones are busier than normal. If you have longer to wait to get through, please bear with the practice.
Secondly, self-isolation regulations can affect our ability to operate fully. This will be especially if multiple staff are required to complete a self-isolation period at the same time. We expect this to be a rare occurrence, but should it happen, we will ensure all emergency appointments are covered by colleagues. This may mean being seen a different practice if staffing levels are critical.
While we hope these additional measures will be short lived, we are currently battling both winter and the pandemic. Dental teams across the whole of Orkney will keep you as safe as possible.
As a reminder, if you can not attend your scheduled appointment for any reason, please get in touch with your practice as soon as possible so we can reallocate the space to someone else.
Jay Wragg said “I want to thank you all, residents, visitors and colleagues for your patience. We are working hard to ensure we can offer you the best service available and hope you will continue to work with us. If you’d like to find out more, here are some useful resources:
- General advice regarding Coronavirus: https://www.nhsinform.scot/
- A short video describing NHS Dental Care: https://youtu.be/2BXCPJqIiqw
- Accessing dental care: https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/infections-and-poisoning/coronavirus-covid-19/healthy-living/coronavirus-covid-19-accessing-dental-services