Covid-19 Infection control measures
Before attending the clinic for a face to face consultation please complete our screening form.
We ask you to read this page fully before booking a face to face appointment so that you understand the risks in attending, your obligations in doing so and consent to treatment and contact tracing.
At all stages of treatment you must declare if you or anyone in your household or that you are in contact with are experiencing any of the symptoms of Covid-19 such as a persistent cough, a high temperature, loss of smell or taste, sore throat or fatigue.
At risk groups
In the latest update the government have actively encouraged people to attend medical appointments and advised that shielding is to be considered on an individual basis. If you fall into a High Risk risk group as listed below you should have a remote/video consultation before we can consider seeing you in clinic. If you are in a moderate risk group you will be triaged on the phone ahead of your appointment to ensure it is appropriate to see you.
If you are uncertain please call the clinic on 01223 350622 so we can discuss this with you.
High Risk group
- 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 you 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
- are an adult with Down’s syndrome
- are an adult who is having dialysis or has severe (stage 5) long-term kidney disease
- have been classed as clinically extremely vulnerable, based on clinical judgement and an assessment of your needs. If you’re at high risk from coronavirus, you should have received a letter from the NHS.
Moderate Risk (clinically vulnerable)
- 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
Other factors that affect risk
- over 60 – your risk increases as you get older
- from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background
Making a decision on face to face consultation
Covid-19 is believed to be transmitted from infected people to others who are in close contact through respiratory droplets, by direct contact with infected persons or by contact with contaminated objects and surfaces. In making a decision to offer face to face consultations and treatment we have to weigh up the risks of contracting Covid-19 by providing that care and treatment against the risks to the service user if that care and treatment is not provided.
In particular, we should consider:
- the health implications of not providing treatment to that service user; and
- the potential burden that may place on other services in the health and care sector if untreated.
Please call us to discuss these considerations with you so that you can make an informed decision and consent to treatment.
On arrival
If you travel by car we will ask you to wait in your car ahead of your appointment to be called in. If you travel by foot or bicycle and the weather is dry we will ask you to remain outside until you are called in. We ask you to wait at an appropriate distance from the clinic entrance or parked cars to observe social distancing guidelines in anticipation of someone exiting the building.
If the weather is wet we will allow you into the building and wait in reception or an empty treatment room to observe social distancing. We ask you to wear a face mask when you attend.
Entering the clinic
When you are called in to the clinic we will ask you to immediately wash and dry your hands or use the hand sanitiser provided and then make your way to your designated treatment room. We ask that only the patient with the appointment attends the clinic. If you need the assistance of a carer to attend the clinic please inform us of this in advance as we are trying to keep the number of people in the clinic to a minimum.
PPE
Your physiotherapist will be wearing a face mask, disposable apron and gloves and protective eyewear if deemed appropriate by the guidelines as set out by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.
Treatment
As you will be attending the clinic for hands on treatment it is not possible to maintain social distancing during your treatment session. The physiotherapist will open and close the door of the treatment room for you so that you do not have to touch door handles. Your appointment time will be 30 minutes however we will need a few minutes at the end of the appointment to wipe down surfaces, change and dispose PPE, ventilate treatment rooms and minimise the number of people in the building at any one time. When not providing hands on treatment during the appointment time we will observe social distancing and ask you to do the same. We will try to keep the hands on contact time to 15 minutes where possible within the treatment appointment.
We ask that you are on time for your appointment as we need this time to prepare for each appointment and cannot overrun.
Payments & future appointments
We will not accept cash in the clinic at this time. If you use contactless payments through your phone you can do so if the limits allow. We can also process your card payment as if you were paying over the phone so you do not have to enter a pin number or you can pay online. You can also use chip and pin and card machines are wiped down after every transaction. If a receptionist is not available payment will be taken in the treatment room and future appointments will also be arranged by the physiotherapist if possible while you are in the treatment room. These actions will be included in the time of your 30 minute slot but should not take more than a couple of minutes. Please note our fees & cancellation policy.
Exiting the building
Following your treatment session you will be asked to wash and dry your hands thoroughly again or use the hand sanitiser provided and the physiotherapist or receptionist will open the door to let you out minimising the need for you to touch door handles.
Between appointments
All surfaces including face shields, treatment couch and touch points such as door handles and card machines will be wiped down after each appointment. Gloves, aprons and bed coverings will be disposed of after each appointment and new ones fitted. Rooms will be ventilated by opening windows between appointments and will remain open during treatment if possible while still observing privacy and confidentiality.
Other measures
Alcohol hand gel santiser will be available in all areas of the clinic.
After your appointment
We will keep a record of your attendance inline with our privacy policy but you must also be aware that your details maybe used if required to comply with any government led contact tracing program.
Consent
Prior to your appointment you must complete our Covid screening and consent form (link) confirming that you have read this page and that you understand your obligation to declare any symptoms of COVID-19 within the last 14 days and to the best of your knowledge that you have not been in close contact with anyone with confirmed COVID-19 in the last 14 days. You must declare if you have been asked to isolate or quarantine and if so the result of any Covid-19 test taken in the previous 72 hours. You must confirm that you understand the risks in attending and your consent to treatment and contact tracing if necessary. You must also declare if you are in a clinically extremely vulnerable category and have been asked to shield by the government. You confirm your obligations in attending to wear a face mask, waiting outside to be called in for your appointment, observe social distancing where possible, hand decontamination and contactless payments where possible.
We will also inform you if we are experiencing any of the symptoms of COVID-19 and will contact you to cancel any appointments in line with government advice.