Open Letter to NHSE C&M

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The LDC’s of Cheshire and Merseyside have continuously requested to meet with NHSE C&M to coordinate support from GDP’s in establishing local urgent centres. Following repeated cancellations of arranged video conferences, the LDC’s of Cheshire and Merseyside have written a letter voicing our collective concerns to the dental commissioners at NHS England.

Should any practice be contacted directly by NHSE, and wish LDC support in decision making, they can contact us via this website.

The text of the letter is below:

C&M LDCs stand ready to assist and co-operate with local measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, including the development of urgent care centres and voluntary redeployment of staff. Practices will remain open during normal opening times to provide telephone advice and triage for all local residents, and to refer into urgent care centres when these are operational for all local residents.

But there is mounting frustration and concern among GDPs.

  • Safety is paramount for dentists, their staff and patients. Full PPE, training and fit testing must be available to dentists now as a matter of urgency. Most certainly before urgent care centres get off the ground. Patients should be spread between Practices which have appropriate facilities for the separation and treatment of patients.
  • After AGPs an appropriate “rest” period agreed with the local ICPT is essential prior to environmental decontamination.
  • GDPs are increasingly concerned for their patients that dedicated Urgent Care Centre arrangements are still not in place. Nor is there any information about the number and location of Urgent Care Centres or the roles of Trusts, Community Dental Services and the In Hours and Out of Hours services. In the absence of functioning and properly equipped LUCS dentists have nowhere to refer COVID and shielded patients who require urgent treatment.
  • There are mixed messages and conflicting places to register for redeployment, and no specific guidance on volunteering ( e.g for part-time staff, parents of small children etc. ) Clarity is needed on vulnerable staff for redeployment and confirmation is required that Crown Immunity will be available to dentists and staff who are willing to be redeployed.

Subject to resolution of the above, LDCs are willing to support the development of the Local Urgent Care System (LUCS) while regretting that they have not been engaged in the planning and therefore cannot respond to the many GDP queries they are receiving. The LDCs seek assurance that the LUCS will cover the whole population, not just those who routinely access NHS dentistry.

In addition:

  • Many GDPs are reporting that they are still not receiving NHSE/I NW C&M communications. While LDCs are willing to act as a conduit for onward transmission of information to Practices for which they have email addresses, could provision of Performer List email addresses to LDCs be chased up nationally as a matter of urgency.
  • There is conflicting advice and England appears to be off the pace compared to the clear and concise guidance given in Scotland and N Ireland.
  • Discussions at national level to clarify the financial position of mixed (NHS and Private) Practices need to be resolved satisfactorily at pace. Many Mixed Practices are worrying that without furloughing staff they will be financially compromised and unsustainable, leading to NHS contracts being returned. Practices cannot complete or commit to the recent mapping exercise until there is clarity on this matter
  • There is anger and confusion over the Communities Secretary statement 29 March that all dental Practices have received fresh supplies of PPE. This is certainly not the case in C&M. Some dentists have reported calls from GPs and Hospitals seeking to appropriate their non-existent allocation. The National Medical Director letter of 28 March was not sent to GDPs or the BDA

We look forward to hearing from you and working with you insafety to maintain dental services during the COVID-19 pandemic