Colne View Dental Surgery

Welcome to some changes at Colne View Dental Surgery
The business has been purchased by Brightlingsea DP Ltd
Piers Lambert is still the dentist at the Practice
Mr Pat Popat is now the owner and Dental Therapist - you can see him for you Gums and facial aesthetics,
Emily Tansley remains the Head Dental Nurse
Nicole Wren is now on Reception

We look forward to continuing to see you

We are now working our way through the New Patient waiting list as some spaces have opened up.

A big Thank you to all our Patients and a Happy 2023 to you all.

We have managed to keep our prices the same for 2023 to try and help with the cost of living, despite our costs rising.

Masks are no longer compulsory, but if you are vulnerable or want to wear one we encourage you to do so.

You cannot visit the practice without an appointment – you must phone us first to be triaged and a time slot allocated.

We are open for all urgent and necessary care including check ups at the current time.

Registered patients please call Reception(01206 302307) for any queries or to book.

Christmas Opening Hours

Friday 23rd December 9-1pm

we will be closed from Saturday 24th December until Monday 2nd January Inclusive

We are then open as normal Tuesday 3rd January

If you have an emergency that cannot wait in the festive period please call the emergency line on 01206 417032 between 9am and 5 pm and you will be able to leave a message for the on call Dentist

As a mark of respect Colne View Dental Surgery will be closed on Monday 19th.

Melissa is now back on reception!
We thank Scarlett for looking after reception and wish her the best with her new job

Colne View Dental Surgery Ltd updated their address.

Although restrictions are starting to lift, we will still be requesting anyone visiting the practice to still wear a mask in line with current guidance for Healthcare premises

December 2021

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Our Christmas Hours are as follows :-

Friday 24th December Christmas Eve 9am-1pm

Saturday 25th December Christmas Day Closed

Sunday 26th December Boxing Day Closed

Monday 27th December Bank Holiday Closed

Tuesday 28th December Bank Holiday Closed

Wednesday 29th December 9am-1pm 2pm-5pm – call for emergency appointments

Thursday 30th December Closed

Friday 31st December New Years Eve 9am-1pm

Saturday 1st January New Years Day Closed

Sunday 2nd January Closed

Monday 3rd January Bank Holiday Closed

Tuesday 4th January open as normal

If you have a serious emergency that cannot wait until we are open then please call 01206 417032 between 10am and 10 pm to be connected with the Dentist on call

November is Oral Cancer Awareness month

Mouth cancer (also known as oral cancer) is one of the most common types of head and neck cancer. It can start in any part of the mouth. The most common symptom is an ulcer or sore that does not heal in three weeks. This may be in the mouth or on the lip.

Other symptoms may include:
🔵 A white or red patch in the mouth that doesn’t go away.
🔵 A lump or thickening in the mouth or on the lip.
🔵 Difficulty or pain with chewing, swallowing or speaking.
🔵 Bleeding or numbness in the mouth.
🔵 Bad breath.
🔵 Loose teeth or dentures that don’t fit well anymore.
🔵 A lump in the neck.
🔵 Losing a lot of weight over a short time.

These symptoms can be caused by other conditions, but it's important to have them checked by your doctor or dentist. See our website for more information on mouth cancer signs and symptoms:
https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/head-and-neck-cancer/mouth-cancer

Mouth cancer - Macmillan Cancer Support Information on mouth cancer, including how it is diagnosed, treatments you might have, possible side effects and how to get further support.

Scarlett French has now joined the team as the a Receptionist. Please make her welcome and be patient while she learns our computer system. She is excited to meet you and help you with your appointments and queries.

RECEPTIONIST NEEDED TO COVER LEAVE
Good rates of pay depending on experience, however no experience needed, just basic computer skills, good with public and telephone skill.
Training will be given.
Hours
Monday 8.45am-1 pm 2-5pm
Tuesday 8.45am-1 pm 2-5pm
Wednesday 8.45am-1 pm 2-7pm
Friday 8.45am-1 pm
send CV to :-
Colne View Dental Surgery, 53 Ladysmith Avenue, Brightlingsea Essex CO7 0JD,
or email [email protected]
for queries regarding position call 01206 302307

From 1st September we are advised to get Treatment Plan signatures again, so we will undertake your examination then get you to sign a copy for us to add to your record. If you also want a copy please ask.

Although there are changes for the general public, our guidance and requirements will not change on the 19th July

England: Face coverings must still be worn in healthcare settings

England's Chief Nursing Officer Ruth May has now clarified that face coverings must still be worn in healthcare settings: "Face coverings and social distancing measures will remain in place across healthcare settings so that the most vulnerable people can continue to safely attend hospital, their GP surgery, pharmacy or any other healthcare settings for advice, care and treatment. And it is important for the public to continue to play their part when visiting NHS and care settings to help protect our staff and patients, particularly those who may be more vulnerable to infections."

May 2021
We are open more normally now, but still with restrictions to keep all our clients and staff as safe as possible.

You cannot visit the practice without an appointment – you must phone us first to be triaged and a time slot allocated. However you can now use the waiting room as long as you are wearing a mask.

We are open for all urgent and necessary care including check ups at the current time. .

Currently we are experiencing a long backlog of work and are doing extra hours to catch up but please be patient as you may have to wait longer than usual for an appointment.

Registered patients please call reception(01206 302307) for any queries or to book.

New patients can be accepted to our waiting list only at this time. As soon as we have caught up our backlog and have spaces we will then call you to make a New Patient Appointment.

March 2021 Update

We are open and able to see you but there are still restrictions in place to keep all of the clients and staff as safe as possible.

You cannot visit the practice without an appointment - you must phone us first to be triaged and a time slot allocated.

We are open for all urgent and necessary care including check ups at the current time. For those patients who are extremely vulnerable and have been advised to shield we do not recommend visiting us unless there is an emergency that needs face to face care.

Registered patients please call reception(01206 302307) for any queries or to book.
New patients can be accepted to book for new patient examinations.
We can only see non registered emergencies if we have space, and are currently booked up, but you can call to see if a space is available.

January 2021 Tier 5
You cannot visit the practice without an appointment – you must phone us first to be triaged and a time slot allocated. We are not booking check ups, only if you have a problem.

We are open for all urgent and necessary care at the current time. For those patients who are extremely vulnerable and have been advised to shield we do not recommend visiting us unless there is an emergency that needs face to face care.


Registered patients please call reception for any queries or to book.

Please note we are currently unable to see non registered patients for emergencies at this time as we have insufficient time to see them as well as our regulars. Sorry! Try calling 111 to find a dentist near you that should be able to help.

Christmas opening hours
We are closed from Thursday 24th December until Sunday 3rd January. If you have a serious problem that cannot wait until we are open on Monday 4th January then call the emergency helpline on 01206417032. This is active from 10am until 10pm on all days. You can then leave a message for the on call Dentist, who should get back to you.

From all the staff we wish you a Happy Christmas and good wishes for the New Year.

We are open in the New Year from Monday 4th January.

Registered patients please call reception for any queries or to book.
Please note we are currently unable to see non registered patients for emergencies at this time as we have insufficient time to see them as well as our regulars. Sorry! Try calling 111 to find a dentist near you that should be able to help.

We Are Able To Remain Open During The New Lockdown!

England: Dental practices to stay open

Chief Dental Officer for England, Sara Hurley, has confirmed that dental practices should remain open to treat patients, during the up-coming period of tightened COVID-19 restrictions

We will be open our normal hours under the strict proceedures that have been put into place for your safety at this time.

Although we are very busy if any of our patients have a problem please call the Practice on 01206 302307 to be triaged as we do have urgent slots planned in our book.

Our IQAir250 is used to purify the air during and after aerosol generating procedures helping keep everything as safe as possible for our clients.

We are back from our Summer Holidays and look forward to seeing you again!

We are on annual leave this week so the practice is closed.
If you have a serious issue that cannot wait until next week please phone the practice and leave a message on the answerphone.
This is checked a couple of times a day, and you will be called back within 24 hours.

We look forward to seeing you all again from the 10th August

We now are fully open again!
You can call to book check ups, problems or new patients can be seen for full assessment.
Still changes to how we used to operate with careful proceedures to keep you all safe.
The front door is locked you can only attend if you have made a prebooked appointment.
For Aerosol Generating Proceedures( high speed drill ultrasonic scaling etc ) we now have the very fetching PPE in the photo above!
Afterwards we have to close the room for an hour then cleanse it after so we have only specific slots we can fit these in.
Don’t worry though it’s still Nina and I underneath

We are open from Monday 8th in a very limited capacity
The door is still locked you can only attend if you have a booked appointment made by phone.
We are now starting to contact all our patients who contacted us with issues during our closure due to COVID.
We can start seeing people to replace crowns and bridges, doing extractions and placing temporary fillings.
We do not yet have the PPE( it was ordered over a month ago) to undertake any procedures needing fast drill yet( fillings, crowns RCT).
Tomorrow we will be taking phone calls for emergencies,
You will be put on a triage list and the dentist will call you for a phone consultation.
All those awaiting check ups please don’t call yet!

Last nights announcement from the Governments Chief Dental Officer that Dental Practices would be opening again came as a huge surprise to the whole profession.
We have worked all day to try and make this happen although the opening will come in stages and will be in a completely different way for us all. here is an insight into most of those changes:-
For the safety of all our patients and staff we have undertaken a comprehensive risk assessment and review of procedures in light of COVID and our new guidelines so many things have changed. Here is a guide of things new for the practice.
1. ALL appointments should be made over the telephone – no walk in visits are allowed.
2. There will be a phone triage from the dentist or receptionist where you will be asked questions about your health and Covid – only after this can an appointment be made. If you call with pain or a problem this means that you will be placed on a triage list and will be called back on the same day for the dentist to triage your needs. If you have any symptoms or have been in possible contact with COVID in the last 14 days we cannot see you! If you are in serious pain call us, and we can arrange referral to a COVID Urgent Dental Care Centre.
3. We will ask you to wait in your car in the car-park and call us on arrival so please do not arrive too early –the front door will be locked. We will call you when we are ready and we will aim to take you straight through to the surgery and use the waiting room as little as possible( only for those who have to use bus or have to walk). This will enable us to maintain full social distancing, and also see those who are vulnerable and/or shielding.
4. Drilling and ultrasonic cleaning procedures now are classed as Aerosol Generating Procedures ( AGPs) and require specialised PPE and for us to close the surgery room for at least 30 minutes afterward so will be done in a slot at the end of a morning or afternoon only, we will try to do as much in a single session as possible as this PPE is in short supply.
5. Thus simple cleans must be undertaken with hand-scalers only unless at the same time as a filling (AGP), and no polishing allowed again unless with a filling (AGP).
6. We ask that no coats, handbags etc are brought in, please leave in the car, (but bear in mind we cannot be responsible for any of your personal belongings).
7. Please try to use the toilet before you attend we are advised our facilities should only be used in an emergency.
8. Please pay by card if possible – as you may not have your coat or bag, please remember your card!
9. Reception has a screen and we ask patient to stand on the 2 meter social distancing marker on reception floor, please respect this.
10. We will still discuss your needs then print you a treatment plan, but not get you to sign a copy for our records anymore( to minimise contact through pens etc). We will instead place on your notes a record saying ”Treatment plan discussed printed and given to patient to obtain valid consent. No signature during COVID restrictions was obtained”.
These may change due to new guidance and the ever changing nature of the current restrictions. You can be assured we will do everything in our power to keep you as safe as possible during your treatment with us.

Unfortunately this table highlights why we are currently closed
Friday I am investigating an air extraction/replenishment system that will help to remove the aerosol our drill produces.This will help us get the surgery clean quicker after each patient in the future

Temporary Closure Due Coronoravirus(COVID19)
Update 11th May 2020

We are still unable to open at this time and are working hard towards getting the practice open again. If you have a serious problem please phone the practice and you will be triaged and advice given.

If necessary ( severe pain, severe swelling) then we can refer you to an urgent care centre only.

Before we can reopen we need to be able to source proper PPE needed for safe dentistry ( Full disposable gown, FFP3 masks, visors etc).

These are still unavailable to us as they are going to hospitals at present.

Hence we do not anticipate being able to open in May and will review the situation and let you know as soon as circumstances change.

Keep Safe

Piers Lambert and the Team at Colne View Dental Surgery Ltd