13th October GG&C LDC Update
13 October 2020
Phase 3c; Referral Criteria; Contact Tracing
- PHASE 3C
- By now most of you will have had time to digest the implications of the 12th October CDO letter.
- The letter essentially introduces another intermediary remobilisation phase. This has quickly come to be known (unofficially) as Phase 3c.
- What we know:
- The full range of NHS dental treatments will be made available from November 1st 2020.
- Patient charges will be reintroduced.
- The SDR will be back (for time-being).
- Most AGPs will still require FFP3, gowns, ventilation and fallow time (the letter states that NHS guidance and SOPs are in development).
- PPE will continue to be provided centrally.
- Questions we are asking:
- What Financial Support Measures will replace the current Covid FSM?
- Will any new FSM will be contingent on activity?
- Will the Prior Approval system be reactivated?
- What do practices who can’t provide AGPs do with all the patients who will now expect treatment?
- Will there be financial support forthcoming to retrofit ventilation to accommodate AGPs?
- REVISED REFERRAL CRITERIA
- Hospital Dental Services (HDS) have issued interim guidance and revised criteria for referring in to GDH specialist departments.
- The Public Dental Services (PDS) have also issued interim guidance and revised criteria for Paediatric, Adult Special Care, and GA patients.
- The guidance and criteria documents have been circulated in dribs and drabs to generic practice inboxes in the last several weeks. We will be placing these on our website to make them more accessible.
- CONTACT TRACING
- The 12th October GG&C Chief of Dentistry Update included a GG&C Contact Tracing guide for dental practices
- This details the protocols for suspected patient contacts and for suspected staff to staff contacts.
- LDC MANDATES
- Every dentist with a list number in GG&C can and should have an active LDC levy mandate.
- You can complete a mandate here. The process is entirely online and takes no more than a minute.
- Details of what we do can be found on our website.
- It is important to note that if you have moved practice or changed list number your mandate is no longer active and you should sign a new one with each change.