“We were doing our part by staying home but we believed we could do more. We believe we have got the skills to help where we can and we are more than happy to do so….We are ready to go. Hopefully, we can make a difference.”
Work is underway to transform London’s Excel Conference Centre into a 4,000-capacity hospital built to treat COVID-19 patients.
I blogged recently about talking to BBC Breakfast’s Naga Munchetty and Charlie Staytt about how the Love Teeth team had stepped up to join the fight against the virus.
We’ve volunteered our clinics to be Urgent Dental Care Centres providing treatment for acute pain, and we’ve also volunteered the clinics’ supply of vital personal protection equipment (PPE) if it’s needed.
In the last blog, I said that my team and I hoped to be among the medical staff on the frontline at the Nightingale Centre when the temporary hospital becomes operational.
I can now confirm that we have been chosen to be among the frontline staff.
I was invited back to speak with BBC news about preparations. There is no doubt that the months ahead will be challenging for my team and I, but we are immensely proud to be part of the frontline response.
The whole Love Teeth team will be involved – from receptionists and nurses, right through to dentists. The request for our support at the Nightingale Centre suggests that we may be involved in the provision of non-dental services.
The challenge ahead is daunting. But it is one that both my team and I are ready to fulfil. I couldn’t be more proud to stand at their side at the nation’s time of need.
Presenter:
Field hospitals are being considered around the UK. Work is currently underway to transform London’s ExCeL centre into the NHS Nightingale hospital to relieve pressure on hospitals treating coronavirus patients. 500 off the 4,000 beds being set up will be ready from next week, the government has said. Well, let’s speak now to Dr. Kunal Patel, a dentist whose team has been drafted in to work at the new hospital. Thank you very much for joining us this morning. So tell us what you know at this stage about the work that all of your team from your dental practise will be doing.
Dr. Kunal Patel:
Hello. Good morning. So as I don’t know, most of you may be aware, we were told to put down our drills early this week, all dental practises across the nation, due to, I believe so, the lack of correct PPE for us to treat our community, our patients and our team, keep them safe. So this whole Institute of the Nightingale hospital, on Wednesday we got a message from a Chief Dental Officer. I think it was every single dental practitioner in the country, that we should be ready to be deployed when asked upon at the Nightingale Hospital.
Dr. Kunal Patel:
I mean, as far as I’m concerned, I think all of us dentists across the country were ready to volunteer regardless but I know it was a very, very sad day for me and my team on Monday when we had to close up our clinic because what we do to a day to day basis is help patients and we felt as if we were stepping back and not being able to do our part for the wider NHS. So being summoned to be ready to deploy when I’m asked upon to the Nightingale Hospital, me and my team are ready to go to do our bit and toe the line again.
Presenter:
I understand we’re talking about all of your team here, receptionists, admin, through to the dental nurses, the dentists obviously. Do you know what roles you will be involved in once you get there?
Dr. Kunal Patel:
Yes. So on Wednesday when we received the letter from the Chief Dental Officer, it said in the aspect that due to our clinical experience and our skills that we have as dentists and a training at university level, that we may be asked to do a wider range of treatments. It’s not been specifically said what exactly, but they have requested for all of our entire teams to be prepared, from receptionists, to nurses, to us dentists.
Dr. Kunal Patel:
So I think from what we are hearing is, if we are asked to do something, which we will be asked to do, outside our dental profession, we will be hopefully made competent enough to do so. I’m sure we will be.
Presenter:
Now you mentioned, Dr. Patel, that you were asked to down tools as all dentists, were because of a lack of personal protective equipment. Do you have guarantees that when you get to the ExCeL centre, transformed into the Nightingale Hospital, that the personal protective equipment will be available there for you?
Dr. Kunal Patel:
Well, from speaking to other dental colleagues, we believe for them to create such an institute, a great institute, it will be available. I mean, one of the main reasons why we were closed down locally was due to the lack of it, for us to be called in … I think as NHS workers, all of us, I think our biggest fear was us transmitting the disease ourselves possibly. So having this correct PPE, I think is necessary and I don’t believe there would call us in without having it in place, I assume so.
Presenter:
Just a final thought. Dr. Patel. I mean, after the Clap for Carers last night, I just think it’s a wonderful, amazing how you’re there and you’re saying that you and all of your team are more than happy to get into the frontline of this fight. Obviously, you’re in a profession that’s there to help people but there are risks and it’s a really great thing that you’re doing.
Dr. Kunal Patel:
No, thank you. I mean, soon as my team had heard of the opportunity that we may have, I could see within them … because from day to day basis we help people, they were ready to toe that line. Looking at my team, I was so proud of them with all the messages I got when I offered the opportunity to my team.
I think it was sad on Monday when we felt as if … I mean we were doing our part by staying home, but obviously we believe we can do more. I think we believe we’ve got the skills to help where we can and we’re more than happy to do so. I mean, what the NHS has been doing and to be thought of that we had to sit at home while the rest of our NHS colleagues were able to help. I think we’re ready to do. We’re ready to go. Hopefully we can make a difference.
Presenter:
Well, we wish you the very best you and all your team, Dr. Kunal Patel who will be working at-
Dr. Kunal Patel:
Thank you.
Presenter:
… the new NHS Nightingale Hospital in London.
Dr. Kunal Patel:
Thank you.