Here's what
a trip to the Dentist will now look like
DENTAL practices will
be among the most sterile environments in the country when they
reopen in line with the latest Government guidelines, from
Monday, 8 June 2020. From temperature screening to cleansing
mouthwashes, patients will notice significant differences to
their usual Dentist experience since COVID-19, all specifically
made to minimise the risk of spreading the virus. Dentists hope
the measures will help reduce the concern of almost a 3rd of
Brits who expressed a reluctance to return to their Dentist post
lockdown, according to research from leading dental group,
Portman Dental Care.
Catherine Tannahill, Director of Clinical Dentistry, at Portman
Dental Care, which has more than 130 practices across the UK,
said:- "As practitioners we want to reassure patients that
a trip to the Dentist in the new normal will mean they will be
visiting one of the safest environments in the UK. While our
research shows some people are nervous to return, it's vital as
a profession that we reopen and provide treatments once again to
those in need, to help curb any potential dental health crisis
in the future, such as a spike in oral cancer, one of the UK's
biggest causes of cancer related deaths. The patient journey,
from the 8 June 2020, will be different, to ensure everyone's
safety, but the care and professionalism from our dental
practitioners will continue to be exemplary. In order to help
combat any nervousness and uncertainty around returning to
dental practices we want to clearly explain what this new
patient journey is likely to look like across the majority of UK
practices, including all of our own, that way people know
first-hand what to expect, how to prepare and understand that it
is safe. The virtual or remote consultations we have become
accustomed to will continue even after reopening to aid
convenience and reduce the need for contact in a surgery, with
those in need of treatment then invited into practice. All
patients in need of treatment will be called and briefed on the
new procedures in place and details of their appointment before
visiting the practice. They may also be asked to complete and
return a new medical history form digitally ahead of their
appointment. It is also crucial that people come to the practice
alone where possible, with the exception of young children and
those with carers, and that they bring as minimal personal
belongings with them as possible. The practice doors will only
be open to those with an appointment at the corresponding time,
in order to stop people gathering in the waiting rooms.
Therefore, patients will need to call the practice upon their
arrival and either wait in their car or stand outside,
practicing the social distancing recommendations, until a member
of the team calls them to tell them to enter the practice.
Before entering the practice, the patient's temperature will be
screened, which is something all colleagues will also undergo
each day. This is to check whether they have a fever, and anyone
with a temperature below 37.5 degrees will then be invited in.
For safety, those with a temperature above this will be asked to
rearrange their appointment. Once inside, receptionists will be
sat behind plastic screens and the patient will be asked to
sanitise their hands and put on a facemask. As Dentists we
obviously can't carry out social distancing when performing
routine check ups and treatments, so the teams will be in full
Personal Protective Equipment. In our Portman Dental Care
practices, we have also decided to further invest in state of
the art air purifying technology, which will continuously clean
the air and eliminates 99.99% of airborne viruses. Once the
appointment is complete, patients will need to wash their hands
and replace their facemask, before returning to the reception,
where they will dispose of their mask in a designated bin. The
treatment room and other key surfaces will then be fully cleaned
and disinfected. This means that there will be longer time
periods between patients, and so practices will be seeing a
reduced number of patients each day. Before, a private Dentist
may have seen up to 21 patients per day, but post lockdown this
may reduce to as little as 8. Dentists are likely to begin
working longer hours to accommodate the backlog of patients, but
there will be a priority for appointments in the first instance,
with those who are vulnerable, those in need of urgent dental
care or those in need of continued routine dental treatment
getting 1st priority."
According to the research from Portman Dental Care, only 28% of
people say they will feel comfortable enough to return to their
Dentist right away post lockdown, with a 3rd stating they will
wait a couple of months or so and one in ten even claiming they
will wait a year or more. Patients in London (44%) and those
aged 18 to 34 (51%) are the most hesitant to return, while those
in the East Midlands and Scotland are most likely to wait more
than a year to return.
"We understand that people might be nervous about returning to
their Dentists, as similarly to the hairdressers, social
distancing simply isn't possible between clinician and patient,
but it is concerning to see through our research that so many
people are hesitant to return and some may even wait months
before visiting. As with many other services, we are no longer
in a place of business as usual, and so Dentists have been
working tirelessly behind the scenes over the past few months to
restructure the way in which we carry out check ups and
treatments in order to help keep people safe and ensure the
patient experience is as seamless as possible. Hopefully this
outline shows everyone that practices are safe, but if people
need further information, we have also created a full breakdown
of what a new patient journey will look like in dental practices
post lockdown, which you can view
online." continued
Catherine.
"We must
be ambitious for our economic recovery" Metro Mayor
STEVE Rotheram, Metro
Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, has set out the Combined
Authority's initial analysis of the economic impact of COVID-19
on the City Region and revealed the 1st steps of a 4 pronged
approach to drive economic and business recovery.
The emerging priorities for economic recovery focus on
supporting businesses to adapt and thrive, jobs and skills,
places and infrastructure and identifying opportunities to Build
Back Better in the post COVID-19 City Region.
National figures predict a drop in GDP of almost 6% and a 30%
loss of economic output in the first half of 2020. The Combined
Authority's own research has shown 95% of City Region businesses
have already been impacted by the crisis.
The report, due to be considered by the Combined Authority, sets
out a mixed picture for the City Region. Before the crisis
began, the Liverpool City Region had the fastest economic growth
in England at 3.5% a year and well above average productivity
growth. Over the last 10 years, its business base has also grown
faster than national rates, with real strengths in retail,
culture and visitor economy, in health and infectious disease
control, advanced manufacturing and high performance computing.
Despite this progress, the City Region still faces the legacy of
long standing and deep rooted socio economic challenges and
inequalities, including in health, skills and employment levels,
which has led to a greater impact from COVID-19 locally than
elsewhere.
The City Region is also heavily reliant on its culture and
visitor economy. Plus its high degree of specialisation in the
manufacturing, wholesale, retail and motor trades and education
sectors; all of which are forecast to see a fall in output of at
least 50% nationally.
Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of Liverpool City Region, said:-
"My top priority throughout this crisis has been protecting
people's health and safety, as well as their jobs and
livelihoods. I have been working closely with our Local
Authority leaders, the Local Enterprise Partnership, businesses,
Trade Unions, the community and voluntary sector and national
Government, to assess the economic impact of the Coronavirus;
understand the needs of our communities and develop Region wide
plans for economic recovery. Before this crisis our Region was
making strong economic progress. As well as being the most
productive Region in the North, we led the country in GVA
growth. As we rebuild, those strengths will be even more
important. The road ahead will be a tough one, but I believe
that our resilience and creativity gives us the ability to come
back stronger than before. There can be no return to business as
usual; and nor should there be. We have a unique opportunity to
hit reset and Build Back Better. That means a fairer, more
inclusive economy and society that is kinder to the environment
and to each other. But the reality is that given the scale of
the challenge we face, we will need funding and support from
central Government. We must be ambitious about our economic
recovery and I want the Government to recognise the unarguable
case for investment in our Region. That's why today, we are
setting out the preliminary evidence and the 1st steps in a 4
pronged approach to our economic recovery. We will be announcing
further details through the recently established Economic
Recovery Panel and submitting comprehensive plans to Government
over the coming weeks."
The 4 priority themes for
economic and business recovery focus on:-
► Seizing the opportunity to Build Back Better, to reshape our
economy and society in a way that is greener, fairer and more
inclusive.
► An enhanced business ecosystem where commercial and social
businesses are supported to adapt, innovate, grow and thrive in
the post COVID-19 world.
► A people focused recovery that defends our progress over the
last decade with skills and employment at its centre, improving
health, wealth and wellbeing for everyone, driving inclusive
economic growth.
► A focus on investing in places and economic infrastructure
that protects our culture and visitor economy, re-imagines our
Towns, and attracts public and private sector investment in to
our City Region's infrastructure.
Councillor Pat Hackett, Leader of Wirral Council and Portfolio
Holder for Inclusive Economy and 3rd Sector, at the Combined
Authority, said:- "We must recognise the reality that
every one of the 6 Local Authority areas in our City Region has
been hit harder by COVID-19 because of long term socio economic
challenges and inequalities, which, despite the progress we have
been making, held back the potential of too many individuals and
communities. Because of devolution, we have a pipeline of shovel
ready, world leading projects like the National Packaging
Innovation Centre, the Health Innovation Liverpool digital
campus, the Construction Manufacturing Development and Training
Centre, our plans to bring ultra fast Digital Connectivity to
the whole City Region by 2023 and Town Centre initiatives, that,
with the injection of Government funding, could be started
almost immediately."
Councillor Kate Groucutt, Deputy Portfolio Holder for Inclusive
Economy and 3rd Sector, at the Combined Authority, said:-
"The Combined Authority's economic team has been working closely
with partners from our local authorities and across our business
community and trade unions to assess the economic impact and
develop our plans for economic and business recovery in the
short, medium and long-terms. This analysis has been vital in
developing these initial plans, which will ultimately help our
economy bounce back and support people and communities right
across our Region. What we need now is real support and
investment from the Government both in the themes identified in
our recovery planning but also in strategic, long-term projects,
such as town centre regeneration across the Region, the unique
Mersey Tidal Power plan and Northern Powerhouse Rail which will
bring jobs and economic growth years in advance of that
envisaged in current plans."
Coronaphobia:-
Employees are refusing to come back to work
BUSINESSES across the
UK who are making efforts to get back to business are facing a
new uphill struggle; employees claiming stress and anxiety or
are simply requesting outright to be furloughed for another 3
months. Workers who were furloughed back in April 2020 are being
gradually invited back to work, although some are being asked to
work from home. However, many small businesses are reporting
major issues in getting staff back to their roles, after 3
months being at home.
"It's crazy to think that after all this uncertainty and worry;
that happy time arrives when you can invite staff back to work
and that they don't want to actually come back!" says
Jonathan Ratcliffe who runs office space company Offices.Co.UK
Reports from SMEs across the
UK include:-
► Workers being too scared to come back to work and are being
signed off due to anxiety.
► Staff not wanting to come back to work, who would rather be
furloughed for a bit longer.
► Employees deciding to have a change of career.
"Those struggling mentally you can well understand and have my
sympathy, but we have seen 1st hand staff simply asking if they
can stay on furlough for a bit longer, it's crackers, I couldn't
believe my ears." adds Ratcliffe.
Businesses must tread carefully and understand the employee's
rights. Employers now face the daunting challenge of rebuilding
businesses across a wide variety of sectors with a lack of
motivated staff due to the long spell of lockdown.
The issue is complex, and the situation is unique for every type
of business and every employee. However, as companies see demand
for services increase over the next month, the issue of
reintroducing staff from furlough into a routine of work is
going to be a challenging one.
"I totally sympathise with everyone who has been furloughed,
it's a tough time, but we must realise the scheme cannot go on
indefinitely. We want to welcome employees back with socially
distanced open arms and build our way back out of this mess."
Ratcliffe from Offices.Co.UK concludes.
Total UK cases
COVID-19 cases - update for Liverpool City Region and
surroundings
THE total number of Coronavirus
(COVID-19) that have been laboratory confirmed, within the UK,
has risen by 2,095 cases
and the total number now stand at 271,222, that includes tests
carried out by commercial partners which are not included in the
4 National totals. The total number of deaths of people who have had a
positive test result confirmed by a Public Health or NHS
laboratory is 38,161. Daily number of COVID-19 associated UK
fatalities added to the total, was sadly reported to be 324
according to the Department of Health. In England, there are a
total of 151,982 confirmed cases. North West - total of 25,433
confirmed cases. The number of laboratory
confirmed cases within the following Local Authorities, in and
around the Liverpool City Region are as follows:-
► Liverpool, 1,614 confirmed
cases.
► Sefton, 926 confirmed cases.
► Wirral, 1,271 confirmed cases.
► St. Helens, 751 confirmed cases.
► Halton, 395 confirmed cases.
► Lancashire, 3,585 confirmed cases.
► Cheshire West and Chester, 1,117 confirmed cases.
► Cheshire East, 1,221 confirmed cases.
► Manchester, 1,565 confirmed cases.
► Stockport, 1,047 confirmed cases.
► Trafford, 815 confirmed cases.
► Wigan, 1,202 confirmed cases.
► Bolton, 1,013 confirmed cases.
► Rochdale, 777 confirmed cases.
► Bury, 749 confirmed cases.
► Tameside, 715 confirmed cases.
► Oldham, 1,068 confirmed cases.
► Blackburn with Darwen, 410 confirmed cases.
These stats are according to Public Health England as of
29/05/2020. Last updated 5.21pm GMT. UK total includes cases
detected through:- "Pillar 2" testing (tests carried out by
commercial partners) and therefore does not equate to the sum of
the 4 countries' counts, which only include:- "Pillar 1" (tests
carried out by NHS / PHE / Devolved Administration Labs)..
UK total includes cases detected through:- "Pillar 2" testing
(tests carried out by commercial partners) and therefore does
not equate to the sum of the 4 countries' counts, which only
include:- "Pillar 1" (tests carried out by NHS / PHE / Devolved
Administration Labs).
UK Government Coronavirus Press
Conference on 29 May 2020 Video