New urgent dental care centres available for Melton patients

NHS dentists have remained closed since social distancing restrictions were introduced and all non-urgent ‘face-to-face’ dental activity at dental practices has stopped.

Instead patients seeking help with dental problems have been asked not to visit a local practice in person but instead phone ahead, between the hours of 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday, for advice on alternative arrangements.

Alternatively they can contact NHS 111 evenings after 5pm, at weekends and on bank holidays.

And now those patients in Melton in need of urgent treatment will be referred to one of 30 Urgent Dental Care (UDC) centres set up across the East Midlands following telephone or video consultations.

The UDCs will operate by appointment only following telephone or video triage – there are no walk-in or drop-in appointments in order to ensure the safety of all patients and staff members.

Trish Thompson, director of primary care with NHS England and NHS Improvement in the Midlands said: “We now have a system in place to ensure that those people who have an urgent dental care need during the Covid-19 pandemic have access to treatment.

“It has been a collective team effort which we hope will help those with the most urgent dental problems.

“Every member of dental staff will wear full PPE to protect patients and also themselves.

“Each surgery will be ventilated and cleaned after each patient to prevent the transmission of the virus ensuring that the services we offer are safe. “These arrangements have been made at pace, and NHS England and NHS Improvement will monitor closely to ensure these meet the needs of the local population and will also take any learning from the Covid-19 incident to help inform the future design, access, resilience and sustainability of dental services.”

There are four types of UDC centre – for people who are vulnerable, who are shielded, who have symptoms, and who do not fit into these categories.

The NHS is not publicising where the individual centres are until a patient is referred to one because it is very important people do not go to the wrong one.

Patients should ensure they phone their dentist first for advice, painkillers or antibiotics, and for referral to the right centre for them if needed.

In addition, people seeking help should not visit A&E departments or GP surgeries for dental care - they will not be seen and will be directed back to their own dental practice or to NHS 111.