Following recently updated guidance (12th May 2020) from NHS England and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy we are pleased to announce that we shall be able to offer ‘face to face’ consultations, where clinically appropriate and necessary, from mid September 2020 at selected times.  We shall also continue to offer remote consultations for patients.

 

Any patients requesting a ‘face to face’ consultation will first receive a brief telephone  consultation from one of our clinicians to assess clinical need and screen for any additional risk factors.

Where assessed as appropriate  patients will be offered a face to face consultation. After the initial face to face consultation it will be agreed between the patient and therapist whether future treatment sessions can be delivered remotely or whether there will be a need for ongoing face to face sessions.
 

• Hygiene – All reasonable infection prevention and control measures are in place and we are compliant with Public Health England guidelines

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• We have been preparing thorough risk assessments for every aspect of our clinic environment and the patient journey to ensure we provide the cleanest and safest environment possible. We have been in contact with industry experts to ensure that our infection prevention and control measures along with PPE (personal protective equipment) not only complies with current guidelines and protocols, but also to minimise any risks of transmission of COVID-19 during treatment sessions. We will continue to follow the guidelines set out by the government and NHS England and respond to any changes to ensure we comply with all the necessary social distancing and personal protective equipment (PPE) protocols.

 

 Our 9 step safety plan

1. Face to face appointments will only be offered to patients where effective treatment cannot reasonably be carried out remotely. Patients will undergo a Covid symptoms telephone screening consultation and again on arrival for your appointment.

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We will not see people for face to face appointments that are at high risk of complications  because of coronavirus for their own safety:  

 

Guidance from NHS England  https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/people-at-higher-risk/whos-at-higher-risk-from-coronavirus/

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People at high risk from coronavirus include people who:

• have had an organ transplant

• are having chemotherapy or antibody treatment for cancer, including immunotherapy

• are having an intense course of radiotherapy (radical radiotherapy) for lung cancer

• are having targeted cancer treatments that can affect the immune system (such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors)

• have blood or bone marrow cancer (such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma)

• have had a bone marrow or stem cell transplant in the past 6 months, or are still taking immunosuppressant medicine

• have been told by a doctor they have a severe lung condition (such as cystic fibrosis, severe asthma or severe COPD)

• have a condition that means they have a very high risk of getting infections (such as SCID or sickle cell)

• are taking medicine that makes them much more likely to get infections (such as high doses of steroids or immunosuppressant medicine)

• have a serious heart condition and are pregnant

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People who are at moderate risk from coronavirus will be triaged and face to face appointments offered on a case by case basis, based upon a risk to benefit basis.  

 

This group includes people who:

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• are 70 or older

• have a lung condition that's not severe (such as asthma, COPD, emphysema or bronchitis)

• have heart disease (such as heart failure)

• have diabetes

• have chronic kidney disease

• have liver disease (such as hepatitis)

• have a condition affecting the brain or nerves (such as Parkinson's disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy)

• have a condition that means they have a high risk of getting infections

• are taking medicine that can affect the immune system (such as low doses of steroids)

• are very obese (a BMI of 40 or above)

• are pregnant 

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2. All patients and staff are advised not to attend our clinic if they are displaying possible signs of COVID-19 or if they should be self-isolating under current government guidelines. Patients and staff will be screened before their appointment to ensure they do not have any Covid-19 symptoms

3. Patient where possible will wait in their car or at main reception and will be called through to minimise corridor traffic outside the clinic. 

4. Our will be wearing all the necessary PPE including, surgical masks, gloves and aprons at all times during your appointment. If there is any chance of ‘splash back’ from bodily fluids e.g. during exercise, acupuncture or manual therapy, your clinician will wear a visor or eye protection. Washing of clinicians hands will be in accordance with NHS standards between each patient along with using alcohol gel 

5. We will be operating a significantly reduced service to minimise the number of patients during a single clinic 

6. Between each patient we will allow 5-10 minutes to deep clean all surfaces using virucidal disinfectant and change the necessary PPE. Couches will be wiped down between patients with anti viral wipes


7. Treatment room windows will be open throughout the clinic for ventilation 

8.  Maintaining a two meters distance policy at all times and any closer where possible we will try and limit manual treatment to 15 minutes during a face to face consultation. 

 

9. All patients must register at main reception for track and trace purposes.

                          These measures are for your safety and  will not effect your standard of care

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