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January 24th Lincolnshire LDC Update Number 42
Dear all ………….. I hope all dentists and their teams have either received one of the Covid vaccines or have appointments in place. The roll out in the last week has been at a pace with all areas of the County covered. If however, you are in an area where you have not been contacted either by a link to book an appointment, or directly by the local Primary Care Network, please let us know as soon as possible.
The likelihood is that practices or individuals still waiting to be contacted will be emailed or texted directly following option.
PCNs receive a list of Pharmacy, Optometry and Dental practices/businesses by locality and they are responsible for contacting those businesses and booking staff into clinic slots. This could be done on an individual basis with details provided in advance or by block booking of clinic slots given to those businesses.
The alternative option is when each PCN, using the Simply Book system, circulate a link in an email to each practice/business. The link would then be shared with each staff member of that business to access and book their own appointment on a first come/first serve basis. Further batched of appointments on additional links would be shared until all staff have had the opportunity to book a vaccination in their PCN.
This option enabled 450 individuals to book in at Skegness/ Mablethorpe last Sunday and Tuesday. When this link was sent, it was made perfectly clear that it should not be shared, other than within their own teams. Unfortunately, the link was shared on Facebook which resulted in many problems for those organising the vaccination programme. As a result, we believe this option will no longer continue.
We understand that travelling to Skegness/ Mablethorpe was either, not an option, or a difficult option for many. However, with the other option now in place, offering more local appointments, we hope this will be less of an issue.
Vaccination and the dental team………….What happens if a team member refuses?
We suggest that practices discuss vaccination with all members of the dental team. With concerns about the vaccine discussed in good time and with sensitively. It is important that individual’s wishes are respected. The University of Bristol has produced a helpful Communications Handbook on this.
Pregnant members of the dental team and those on maternity leave / nursing mothers are advised to speak to their doctor before receiving the vaccine. Similarly, if an individual has had a severe allergic reaction in the past and carries an Epipen or similar, then they should also seek medical advice before considering a vaccination.
If after a discussion, a member of the dental team refuses to have the vaccine, the practice has to accept the decision of the individual.
In any event, practices should ensure that all members of the dental team continue to adhere to the standard operating procedures and to practice policies and procedures. The situation is no different for associates.
The LDC has been advised that a separate advice sheet dealing with all these issues will be sent from the BDA in due course.
Lateral Flow Test
Most Practices with NHS contracts should now have either received these kits or had notification when they will arrive. Orders of lateral flow tests for those practices ordering after the initial deadline of 30 December, but before 17 January,will be delivered from this week. Primary care contractors should still place orders on the PCSE portal if they have not done so to date.
Please find attached the link to the Government website for reporting of the lateral flow tests. It is voluntary to undertake a test but once done, it is mandatory to report it.
Surgery Ventilation and Air Flow
A key input towards the restoration and recovery phase of NHS Dental services is the ability to increase patient access and treatment by reducing post AGP downtime. NHSE/I continue to support NHS dental practices to understand their air changes per hour (ACH) and downtime whilst meeting the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulation.
NHSE/I recognise these challenges and as a result are offering Dental Providers a contribution towards costs for a ventilation and filtration assessment.
Please see attached for further information on how to obtain this funding support.
At this stage, PHE Have advised the LDC that the purpose of obtaining these reports is an exercise in information gathering. Where it might become problematic however, is when a report highlights serious shortcomings in a particular treatment room which means ensuing remedial work is required.
If you have not already done so, I would suggest start making yourself familiar with regulation HTM 03-01 which provides guidance on the design and management in heating and specialised ventilation in health sector buildings. Please be aware that this regulation was published in 2007 and we are expecting changes/ a revision of this regulation.
The next question is………….. Who is able to do the necessary survey? We are currently trying to establish contacts in the Midlands and hope to let you know in next week’s update.
And finally ……………
It is very important that we monitor how quickly practices complete the vaccination programme for their own staff. This is vital information for the CCG to track the process of the roll-out.
When all staff members who wish to be immunised have received the vaccine, please will the practice owner / partner / practice manager please inform Sharon Cook, our administrator at lincsldc@gmail.com
Please do this as a matter of priority. Thank you
Keep safe and well
Best wishes
Kenny Hume Chair Lincolnshire LDC
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