Staff Wellness

Support

If you work in the NHS aspect of our service there is no opportunity to furlough and as our urgent care services are operational there is work available and currently no option to re-deploy.

Many staff are finding this time anxious and stressful we understand and support the anxiety faced by many of you during these uncertain times. Staff who are concerned about continuing to work during the pandemic either for themselves or to protect a vulnerable family member are given the option to have a period of unpaid break. Your wellbeing is important to us please get in touch with any concerns you have. Please discuss your individual needs with your service manager.

Staff should be risk assessed for continuing to work in COVID-19

Testing

We are now registered to order testing of staff who are symptomatic or have been exposed to COVID-19 positive or symptomatic contact

Please register your need for testing to your Service Manager and arrangements will be made

Key Worker Status

Those of you working in the urgent care service during COVID-19 are deemed key workers

You need Staff ID for which you will need to provide a recent clear photo, full name, role and site. If you have provided all these and still not received an ID card please contact your Service Manager to investigate.

For additional discounts you may also apply for a BLUE LIGHT CARD

1. Government guidance for business and employers is found here
2. All staff should be risk assessed on an ongoing basis to protect them and keep possible cases, household contacts, staff who should be shielded, or those at increased risk, away from work.
3. In line with government advice, it is recommended that as part of risk assessment, dental services review resource requirements for service operations and commitments. Where appropriate, this should allow staff to stay at or work from home to avoid non-essential travel and contact; or to participate in local workforce redeployment efforts in line with local arrangements.
4. COVID-19 guidance around social distancing and good hygiene practice should be promoted as far as possible in the workplace, please see here

Staff with symptoms of COVID-19 and household contacts

Staff with symptoms of COVID-19, or who live with someone with symptoms, should stay at home as per advice for the public. Staff who are well enough to continue working from home should be supported to work from home

If staff become unwell with symptoms of COVID-19 while at work, they should stop work immediately and go home. Decontamination should be carried out as for a patient with symptoms of COVID-19 – for further information see here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-infection-prevention-and-control

No additional precautions need be taken for patient and staff contacts unless they develop relevant symptoms.

If a staff member tests positive for COVID-19, no additional precautions need be taken for patient and staff contacts unless they develop relevant symptoms.

Staff exposed to someone with symptoms of COVID-19 in healthcare settings

Staff who have been exposed to someone with symptoms of COVID-19 in healthcare settings, even if not using adequate PPE, do not need to stay at home unless they develop symptoms.

Staff at increased risk from COVID-19

The government has issued guidance about stringent social distancing and shielding for vulnerable groups at particular risk of severe complications from COVID-19. Staff who fall into these categories should not see patients face to face, regardless of whether a patient has symptoms of COVID-19 or not. Remote working is prioritised for these staff.

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NHS Risk Reduction Framework

Original framework tool available here

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Staff support and wellbeing

We recognise the impact that the COVID-19 response is having and will continue to have on dental teams, and it is important to support them as much as possible during their continued commitment to patient care.

The following mental health and wellbeing resources are available to staff:

• NHS Employers has resources to support staff wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic here

• The World Health Organization has published WHO Mental Health
• Considerations During COVID-19 please find it here
• MIND UK and Every Mind Matters have published specific resources in the context of COVID-19 :

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing/

https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-staying-at-home-tips/

• NHS Practitioner Health has developed frontline wellbeing support during COVID-19 please find it here
• BDA members can find further information about access to counselling and emotional support here
• The following learning resource is available to staff:
• Health Education England e-Learning for Healthcare has created an e-learning programme in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that is free to access for the entire UK health and care workforce. More details here:
• Informing the public and commissioners of service status
• To provide accurate information to the public, all dental services should:

1. Update their messaging and websites
2. Contact their regional commissioner, should practice availability hours alter as a result of staffing
3. Inform the commissioner of these changes and the arrangements for cover.
4. The regional commissioner will then inform the directory of services (DOS) lead or the NHSBSA as necessary, so that NHS 111 is up to date with the correct information.

• These measures are necessary for both practices/services providing remote care only, as well as those designated to receive patients. Keeping commissioners and the DOS up to date will help to signpost patients, support NHS 111 service provision, and enable resilience or contingency mechanisms within the local UDC system in times of limited capacity.

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Communicating with the local UDC system

Dental services should consider how best to communicate rapidly with their staff, with other dental services, with local pharmacies and with other health and social care teams to ensure that the local UDC system is as robust as possible.

Keeping aware of updates, alerts and communications

• Regularly check for NHS updates to COVID-19 guidance for dental services, found here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/primary-care/dental-practice/
• Prepare to receive communications in the following ways:

1. At urgent times of need: Central Alerting System

• For urgent patient safety communications, we will contact you through the Central Alerting System (CAS).
• Please ensure that you have registered for receiving CAS alerts directly from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA): https://www.cas.mhra.gov.uk/Register.aspx
• Practice action: when registering on CAS, please use a general practice email account, not a personal one – for continuity of access. Ideally use an nhs.net email account – it is more secure. Please register a mobile phone number for emergency communications using the link above.
• If you do not yet have a practice nhs.net account, please go to the NHS registration website where you will be guided through the short process. https://support.nhs.net/knowledge-base/registering-dentists/

2. At less urgent times: commissioner’s cascade/NHS BSA

• For less urgent COVID-19 communications, we will email you via your local commissioner or the NHSBSA.

Practice action: Please share a dedicated nhs.net COVID-19 generic practice email with your commissioner and the NHS BSA to receive communications. In the event of user absence, practices should ensure e- mails are automatically forwarded to an alternative nhs.net account and designated deputy.

3. Supportive additional information

We will use a variety of additional methods to keep you informed of the emerging situation, alongside Royal Colleges, regulators and professional bodies, through formal and informal networks, including social and wider media. You can follow these Twitter accounts to keep up to date:

• NHS England and NHS Improvement: @NHSEngland • Department for Health and Social Care @DHSC
• Public Health England @PHE_uk.

.Keeping staff safe