I hope that you are well and wish you abundent health and happiness in 2021. 

First, some Thank You's

On behalf of the team here at York Place I cannot thank you enough for the good wishes that you have given us, and the patience that you have shown since the end of February 2020. Your loyalty has been amazing and we hope that we can get back to the sort of service that you would expect sometime in 2021. 

In addition I hope that you will join me in thanking each and every YPD team member - they have been a true inspiration and have maintained the highest professional standards and good humour in difficult circumstances for ten months now. From the initial uncertainty about what was expected of us, to being told to close our doors and then changing over to a remote, telephone only service. Then being tasked with reopening with 8 days' notice, retraining to a completely new set of complex rules, re equipping and reorganising the whole practice and being ready for the next set of changes whilst still doing the day job, they have been magnificent and I know that I am a very lucky man.

We will remain open - but you need to read this…

You'll of course be aware that Cumbria has now been placed into Tier 4. I am aware that there is confusion about what people can and cannot do, and what is open and what has had to close as a result. I can assure you that all dental practices will remain open. The government have clearly stated that It is both safe and important to attend for all medical and dental care whether urgent or not urgent, even if you have to cross into an area that is in a higher or a lower tier.

Please keep us in the loop

Dental Practices have always had strict infection control procedures - Covid19 is just one of many infectious diseases that we have to guard against. Since we reopened on June 8th we have worked under rules designed to protect us all, which inevitably mean that we have to reorganise our days so that we can spread our services as far as we can whilst maintaining safety for all. Appointments are gold dust and we are still trying to catch up - so please give us at least two working days' notice if you mean to rearrange any appointment - this gives us a chance of offering the appointment to another patient from the waiting list and avoids a late cancellation fee.

How to contact us

If you need help, ask. The best way of contacting us is by email on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . You're always welcome to ring us on 01228 533431 but we might not be able to answer straightaway. We will always email or ring you back as quickly as we can, and we are delighted to arrange callbacks with the appropriate team member if it is better to do so.

What has changed when I come to the dentist?

Things may have changed since you last came to see us and it makes for an easier, safer, visit if you click the link here to see our patient journey page - everything you need to know is there and we update it regularly. 

Please watch this video

Please watch the video here before you come. Everything that you need to know is there and its only a few minutes long. Things have changed for now, and we find that patients who haven't done this tend to get confused. 

Stay safe and stay in touch

Richard Hellen BDS

31st December 2020