COVID-19 UPDATE

*COVID-19 UPDATE – GOVERNMENT RELAXATIONS*

22nd June 2022

In line with national guidance facemasks are no longer required to be worn by patients. You are of course welcome to continue wearing a facemask if you feel more comfortable doing so.

25th April 2022

Facemask use continues to be recommended in healthcare settings – please wear a mask when attending the practice. Public social distancing measures are no longer required however and the toilet facilities have reopened to patients. The front door is unlocked and the practice remains open to all patients. The reception area is closed to patients but appointments and the purchasing of oral hygiene products can be made via the hatch in the waiting room. Covid screening for patients continues as per national guidelines, please check your emails before appointments for a questionnaire that needs to be completed. Any patient with symptoms of Covid or a respiratory infection may be asked to delay their appointment. Deep cleaning and the use of enhanced PPE remains in surgeries after aerosol generating procedures (e.g. most fillings/scale and polishes/crown preparations). This means that whilst we are still not able to see the same amount of patients in a day as we were pre-pandemic, the removal of fallow times between patients has improved our capacity compared to at the height of Covid. Thank goodness!

31st July 2021

The front door to the practice is now open. Covid prevention measures continue throughout the practice (see below)

14th July 2021

In line with recently published advice from Public Health England and the Chief Dental Officer we will be continuing with the Covid prevention measures we have in place at the practice.

Your safety and that of our staff is, and always has been, our number one priority. We have worked throughout the pandemic both remotely and in surgery, and we remain open to all of our patients. Healthcare settings and dental practices in particular are at a heightened risk of Covid exposure due the nature of the work. We are however pleased to say that because of the safety measures we have in place at the practice we have had no known transmission of Covid at Orange Tree Dental since the pandemic began.

We politely request that you continue to wear face-coverings when visiting the practice unless you are medically exempt. Covid screening and social
distancing measures will remain in place. The front door will remain locked and we ask you not to attend if you do not have an appointment.

Please remember, if you have had contact with anyone who has tested positive for Covid in the last 10 days you will need to call us to rearrange your appointment.

Thank you again to all of our fantastic patients for your ongoing co-operation

Stay safe

The Orange Tree Team

 

*COVID-19 UPDATE – NEW ONLINE FORMS*

31st March 2021

We remain open and continue to provide both urgent and routine dental care services.

Those of you who have attended the practice since the Covid-19 pandemic started will be aware we are taking extra safety measures to protect you and our team. Part of these measures are asking essential Covid-19 related questions before you step into the surgery. We are now pleased to say that we can send you these essential forms to you via email to complete from the comfort of your own home, thus saving you time at the practice.

For the latest advice on visiting Orange Tree Dental please click here

We politely remind everyone over the age of 11 attending the practice to wear a face covering unless medically exempt.

Please attend alone where possible and as close to your appointment time as possible. The front door is locked, please call the practice to let us know when you have arrived for your appointment.

*COVID-19 UPDATE*

7th January 2021

WE REMAIN OPEN!

Despite entering a 3rd National Lockdown we are still able to operate as part of a service providing essential medical healthcare.

We will continue to provide both urgent and routine dental care services.

Restrictions remain in place at the practice.

For the latest advice on visiting Orange Tree Dental please click here

We politely remind everyone over the age of 11 attending the practice to wear a face covering unless medically exempt.

Please attend alone where possible and as close to your appointment time as possible. The front door is locked, please call the practice to let us know when you have arrived for your appointment.

 

*COVID-19 UPDATE*

4th November 2020

WE ARE STILL OPEN.

Despite an imminent 2nd lock-down, the practice can continue to operate as part of a service providing essential medical healthcare.

We will continue to provide both urgent and routine dental care services.

Restrictions remain in place at the practice as the National Covid Alert Level remains at 4 and the local area currently sits in Tier 2 (lock-down aside).

For the latest advice on visiting Orange Tree Dental please click here

We politely ask that everyone over the age of 11 attending the practice wears a face covering, unless medically exempt.

 

*COVID-19 UPDATE*

10th August 2020

Restrictions remain in place at the practice as the Covid Alert Level remains at 3

For the latest advice on visiting Orange Tree Dental please click here

We politely ask that everyone over the age of 11 attending the practice wears a face covering, unless medically exempt.

*COVID-19 UPDATE*

16th July 2020

The Covid Alert Level has moved from 4 down to 3 but unfortunately this does not affect the restrictions on how dental practices are allowed to operate.

Please see update below for details

 

*COVID-19 UPDATE*

7th June 2020

Following the announcement that dental practices can reopen on June 8th we have created a short guide on what to expect when we reopen.

Due to England still being at Level 4 on the national Covid-19 Alert System we are still very much restricted on who we can see and what we can do.

We will initially be seeing registered patients who require emergency dental treatment.

All routine appointments are currently postponed.

If you have contacted us with a dental emergency over lockdown we will be in touch with you shortly.

If you have a routine appointment scheduled our reception team will be touch.

If you do not need to come and see us we recommend that you stay safe at home until the Alert level drops and we can expand the treatments offered.

For more details please download our Patient Information Guide by clicking the link below

Covid-19 patient information

 

For your safety and the safety of our staff we will run through a series of Covid-19 related questions with you when making arrangements for an appointment.

Examples can be accessed below:

Please click to see our Covid-19 Patient Screening Questionnaire

Please click to see our Covid-19 Patient Status Assessment Questionnaire

 

Rest assured, we are here to support you 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

If you have a dental emergency please call us on 07816 359536 (Mon-Fri 9am – 9pm, weekends and bank holidays 10am – 6pm) and we will be happy to speak to you.

Thank you and stay safe!

The Orange Tree Team

*COVID-19 UPDATE*

28th May 2020

*BREAKING NEWS*

Hello everyone! You may well have seen media reports today stating that dental practices will finally be allowed to open from Monday June 8th. This is of course fantastic news.

Please be aware however, the world of dentistry is VERY different to how it was a mere 2 months ago for obvious reasons. We are in the process of putting in measures at the practice that will enable us to maintain social distancing and protect you and our team going forwards as best we can.

We are still awaiting final guidance from the government regarding the next steps but we do know that the number of patients we will initially be able to see will be much lower than before.

For the time being we will not be booking any routine appointments until we are happy that all the correct measures are in place. We ask you to please bear with us during this initial phase and thank you for your understanding.

We are working hard to get the practice ready and will open it as soon as it is safe to do so.

Stay safe and follow us on Facebook for more information as it comes out.

The Orange Tree Team

*COVID-19 UPDATE*

4TH APRIL 2020

As you will be aware, government advice has meant Orange Tree Dental has been forced to close its doors during the Covid-19 crisis. Due to the nature of our work we are at an extremely high risk of catching Coronavirus, and worse still, passing it on to anyone we subsequently treat. We have still been able to provide advice over the phone but unable to treat any one in person.

We were therefore very pleased to see that NHS health authorities have begun to create local urgent dental centres that are properly equipped to see patients with acute dental emergencies during this pandemic. This includes the staff having access to all the correct PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and clothing required to perform their job safely. Due to the severity of the risks associated with developing Covid-19 these centres will only be available to those who have an acute, uncontrollable dental problem.

Orange Tree Dental is unfortunately not eligible to be one of these practices as we do not hold an NHS contract. Rest assured however, the designated practice for our area will be local and open to any of our patients who warrant treatment due to an acute dental emergency. In addition, any fee payable for emergency dental treatment at an urgent centre will be fully refundable for all of our Denplan patients (please keep a receipt).

Various urgent dental centres are already up and running across the UK and we hope our local site will be very soon.

If you have an acute dental emergency please continue to call 07816 359536 and we will advise you on the best course of action. The helpline is open 9am to 9pm weekdays and 10am to 6pm weekends and bank holidays.

We continue to wish you all good health and look forward to seeing you all once the crisis is over.

The Orange Tree Team

 

25TH MARCH 2020

THE PRACTICE IS NOW CLOSED DUE TO THE COVID-19 CRISIS

Now is a challenging time for all of us, and we want to reassure you that we are taking all necessary steps to protect your safety, your family’s safety and the safety of our practice team.
 
?Postponing routine appointments?
 
In keeping with government advice all routine appointments have been suspended and we have had to make the difficult decision to close the practice. If you have a routine appointment booked you can expect to hear from us again shortly to postpone your appointment to a later date.
 
Please be reassured that you will not miss out on the dental care you need. Once the crisis is over we will be working hard to catch-up on any postponed appointments – which will be covered as always by your monthly payments for our Denplan patients.
 
?Helpline service?
 
Rest assured however, we will still be providing a telephone helpline service for you our patients. This will be manned by our dentists throughout the crisis, 7 days a week.
 
If you have a dental emergency or wish to discuss something with us please call 07816 359536 and we will be happy to talk to you.
 
The helpline will be available 9am to 9pm weekdays and 10am to 6pm weekends and bank holidays.
You can also contact us via email : info@orangetreedental.co.uk
 
?Supporting you any way we can?
 
You are really important to us – you are all part of the “Orange Tree Dental family”. The practice team are here to help any way we can. If you are isolating and need assistance getting essentials or anything else, please give us a ring and we will do our best to help.
 
We understand that some of you may be worried about your jobs and income. If you are experiencing financial difficulty please let us know in confidence and we will look at how we can help support you and keep you registered as a Denplan patient until things get back to normal.
 
Thank you for your patience and support as we navigate the next few weeks together. Please remember to check our website and Facebook page for news and updates.
 
With best wishes to you and your families
 
Alison Crellin, Tim Quarmby, Rebecca Quarmby, Charlotte Oxford and all of the team