Thread by @T4Recovery

👇 #NHSVoices

"The reduction in access for NHS Dentistry must be explained…

From 25 March to 7 June Dentists were fobbing off patients and dishing out antibiotics like Smarties…"

[Thread] 🧵

"The reduction in access for NHS Dentistry must be explained.

NHSE + PHE forced the closure of ALL dental practices at end of Mar 2020 with only a handful of practices able to see patients face to face during early April building eventually to about 600 practices nationally...

"It was only on 8th June that all practices could re-open and see patients face to face.

So from 25 March to 7 June Dentists were triaging (fobbing off) patients and dishing out antibiotics like smarties under what was billed ‘Triple A’: Advice, Analgesics, Antibiotics...

"...an appalling way to treat toothache but forced by State obsession with Covid. An excessive response not used elsewhere in the world.

Things only improved slightly in June with practices operating under excessive protocols for PPE...

"...and the introduction of fallow time requiring surgeries to be tested for an hour after every use of the high speed drill.

No science applied and a 'talk to the hand' approach from PHE who refused to consider evidence from the EU and ROW that fallow time was not required...

"NHS practices were only required to do 20% of the activity provided in the same period last year. This ran from July to December 2020.

Many did much more than this but the activity included telephone calls so for some activity was exceedingly low...

"From Jan to March activity only needed to be 45% and from April to October 2021 60%.

All this against backdrop of continued use of excessive PPE and fallow time (although this has reduced in time)...

"The protocols we operate under deny patients access.

Nowhere in the world requires these procedures, they protect nobody.

It is essential pre-Covid protocols return as they have everywhere else in the world.

Only then will access recover."

#NHSVoices is Recovery's new outlet for NHS staff to bring to light concerns about how Covid policies are affecting patients.

We have to do this anonymously because we know many NHS staff are frightened to speak out.

👇Read more #NHSVoices here: timeforrecovery.org/nhs-voices/

Intimidating staff into silence is very dangerous, because without urgent action to fix the NHS crisis now, patients will suffer, and many will die needlessly.

NHS staff can submit their stories here: timeforrecovery.org/nhs

Read more #NHSVoices here: timeforrecovery.org/nhs-voices