Dear Patient,
We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our community, country and world has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming habits and routines. While many things have changed, our commitment to you and to your safety has remained as important to us as ever.
At Portobello Dental Clinic, our infection control protocols and processes are set up so that when you receive care, it’s both safe and comfortable. We want to tell you about the additional procedures we have put in place to keep our patients and our staff safe.
We have spent a long time reviewing international research and dental guidelines for dealing with COVID19, currently our protocols and processes far exceed the current HSE and Dental Council recommendations. Additionally, we have invested in anti-viral clean air technology, chairside high-volume suctions, hospital grade Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for clinical staff and a total review of all our cross-infection protocols.
Our plan is to gradually reopen the practice over the coming weeks; we will begin a phased recommencing of treatments. You may see some changes when it’s time for your next appointment with us. For example:
- Our team will communicate with you before your appointment to ask some simple screening questions. You will be asked those same questions again when you attend for your appointment.
- Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. This might mean that you’re offered fewer options for scheduling your appointment.
- We will reserve some early morning appointments for elderly or medically compromised patients who may be particularly vulnerable to COVID. If you are not in one of these groups, we hope that you understand we may not always be able to offer you an early appointment.
- We will be providing hand sanitiser and will ask you to use it when you enter the clinic.
- We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the reception area at any one time.
- We would ask that you attend your appointment alone and make alternative arrangements for dependents to be cared for, while we look after you. In the instance where a parent/guardian needs to attend with a patient, we would ask that this would only be one parent/guardian.
- Upon arrival we will use a no-contact forehead thermometer to take your temperature and provide you with a mask to wear for the duration of your visit. (The staff will take their temperature at the start of each day to ensure a safe as possible environment.)
- You will see that our waiting rooms will no longer offer magazines, children’s toys, coffee/tea making facilities and so forth, since those items are difficult to clean and disinfect.
- We will be asking patients to fill in forms, make payments and receive prescriptions remotely in order to reduce their time in the clinic and reduce exposure risks.
If we had to postpone your appointment due to COVID-19, please be assured that we will be in contact to rearrange this for you as soon as possible, and we appreciate your continued support, understanding and patience.
We look forward to seeing you, and are happy to answer any questions you may have about the steps we take to keep you, and every patient, safe in our practice. You can call our team on (01) 454 2022 or email info@portobellodental.com. You can also stay in contact with us via our social media platforms and our website.
Thank you for being our patient. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming back our patients, neighbours and friends.
Sincerely,
Dr Helen Walsh & Dr Nicholas Beirne on behalf of Portobello Dental Clinic
