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Our Blog

By Stuart Bentley Blog News, Covid-19 , ,

Creating a Covid-19 Secure Clinic

Creating a Covid-19 Secure Clinic

No one has been untouched by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in some way. Throughout this time, the safety and well-being of all our patients and staff has been our utmost priority and will always continue to be at the core of all our decisions.  

We have missed being able to offer you the support and care that we know you value, and are planning to re-open our doors and are looking forward to welcoming you into the clinic again in June/July time, albeit with lo’s of changes and additional measures in place.

Being a healthcare environment, that inherently involves very close contact, there are obviously things we have to address and consider. 

Following the latest guidance, wherever possible, we will continue to offer virtual online appointments as a preferred alternative to face to face. Any patients making a booking will have to be assessed online first to identify which path of care is most appropriate for you. As it currently stands, lockdown restrictions have been eased and NOT lifted and therefore, we must continue to respect and follow guidance appropriately. 

Our priority is to keep you as safe as possible, and in order to re-open the clinic for face to face services, we have implemented a number of changes which we would like to make you aware of. 

These measures have been put in place following an extensive risk assessment and will be revised and amended as necessary. To help ensure we can run and maintain a safe environment for all, it is essential that you carefully read the steps we have taken and agree to comply with the measures we ask visitors to our clinic to take. 

The steps we’ve taken to create a Covid-19 Secure Clinic 

Online Virtual Consultations

  • Prior to booking any face to face consultations, we have to conduct an online assessment to identify which path of care is most appropriate for you. We must assess whether you have significant pain or an urgent clinical need that justifies attending for a face to face consultation, in line with the latest professional guidance. 
  • During this assessment we will diagnose your condition or injury, through a series of questions and tests, advise on the most appropriate advice and care and prescribe a personalised exercise programme, which we will then email you. 
  • Following the latest guidance, wherever possible, we will continue to offer virtual online appointments as a preferred alternative to face to face.
  • Should it be agreed face to face care is the preferred route, we will ensure that you understand:
    • The potential nature of close patient contact during our services
    • The level of PPE that a clinician will be required to wear
    • The infection prevention and control measures that must be taken
  • We will ask you to read a ‘Risks statement’ which we will confirm you understand and agree to. 
  • Given the guidance on shielding, those classified as ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ will be discouraged from face to face appointments during the period of shielding. 

Screening 

  • As part of the assessment, we will ask you a series of screening questions in relation to Covid-19. 
  • If you are attending for a face to face appointment, we will send you an online screening form which it is essential for you to complete online before your appointment.
  • We may ask to take your temperature on entry to the clinic as part of our screening.

COVID Secure 

  • All correspondence, invoices, exercises and receipts will be sent via email, so please ensure we have your correct email address and monitor your spam folder. We are unable to provide any paper documents, receipts or information. 
  • You will find physical reminders of social distancing throughout the clinic, including floor markings, posters and display screen messages.
  • All magazines, printed material and soft furnishings (including pillows and towels) have been removed. 
  • We would ask that if you would like a pillow or towel during treatment, to please bring your own. 
  • We will be minimising the use of equipment wherever possible. 

Clinic Capacity 

  • We would request that if at all possible, you do not bring anyone with you to your appointment. If it is your preference to bring someone with you, they will have to accompany you into the clinic room (they will not be able to wait in the waiting area) and will also be asked Covid-19 screening questions and to record their contact details should we require them in the future as part of track and trace. 
  • Children under 16 will need to be accompanied by a parent/guardian (in line with our Child Protection Policy), who will also need to answer Covid-19 screening questions. 
  • Please do not arrive early for your appointment to minimise the risk of contact with other patients. We ask that if you come by car, please wait in your car in the car park until your booked appointment time. At your appointment time, please wait at the front door of the clinic and your Clinician will greet you at your appointment time. 
  • Whilst in the clinic, please observe social distancing, by keeping at least 2m from anyone (unless receiving clinical treatment). 

Booking and payments

  • To reduce face to face contact with non-clinical staff, you will be asked to make any follow up appointments with your Clinician whilst still in the clinic room or online. No bookings will be made at reception. 
  • After your appointment, you will be sent an email with a link to make payment securely online. (Prompt payment would be much appreciated, don’t forget to check you spam folder if you don’t see the email). 
  • We will be unable to accept cash payments. 

Enhanced Cleaning 

  • We have put in place enhanced cleaning measures for all communal and clinical areas. The clinic rooms will be cleaned thoroughly in between every patient, and additional time has been scheduled to allow for this. 
  • All communal and high contact areas will be cleaned frequently.  
  • We have replaced all fabric chairs with wipeable seating and removed any soft furnishings and accessories, such as pillows and towels. 

PPE

  • We will ask all patients visiting the clinic to wear their own face covering. If possible, please wear your own face covering to the clinic. If you don’t have one, we will provide you with one. 
  • Our Clinicians will be wearing appropriate PPE in line with the latest guidance. 

Hand Hygiene 

  • Please do not wear your own gloves into the clinic, as this poses a potential risk. 
  • Please use hand sanitiser when you enter the clinic. 
  • Please refrain from touching anything whilst you are in the clinic. 
  • Our team understand the importance of hand hygiene and will ensure that they wash their hands in according with Covid-19 Secure guidelines before and after any ‘hands on’ interaction. 

Our services

  • We have carried out a risk assessment on all the services that we offer and we are confident that we can continue to provide these safely. We will be offering selected, essential services initially and will review what we offer on an ongoing basis subject to Government recommendations. 

We aim to make any interactions as safe, comfortable and valuable as possible. If you have any concerns about the services please let us know and we will do what we can to satisfy you. If you have any preferences regarding social distancing and ‘hands on’ treatments please advise your Clinician so that these can be respected. 

Thank you for your understanding