Due to the recent Covid-19 outbreak we have undergone an extensive risk assessment and changed many of our clinic systems to protect our staff and you, our patients.
We have already closed our doors under government advice and plan to open in early June following guidance from the British Chiropractic Associaton, General Chiropractic council, Royal College of Chiropractors, General Osteopathic Council and Chartered Society of Physiotherapists.
Below is a list of system changes we would like you to be aware of before attending any face to face appointment at the clinic.
Before Arrival
Patient Categorisation
All patients that have booked a face to face appointment will be categorised into 1 of 5 groups before visiting the clinic. Only the group that meet the below criteria will be offered a face to face appointment at this stage;
- No current Covid-19 symptoms or symptoms within the last 14 days
- No contact with anyone with Covid-19 symptoms for at least 14 days
- Are not in a high risk group
Categorising patients before arrival allows us to limit the risk of the Covid-19 virus entering the clinic and prevents any risk of transferring Covid-19 to a high risk patient.
All patients will be offered video or telephone consultations as a first step or alternative to visiting the clinic in person. This further reduced time spent at the clinic and reduces the number of patients attending in person.
Patient PPE
All patients will be asked to provide and wear single use gloves as they enter the room and don a single use mask. Patient masks do not need to be surgical grade, covering the mouth and nose with a single use fabric will reduce the risk of airborne and contact transmission and follows the government guidelines advising people wear masks in confined spaces..
Reduce Time Spent In The Clinic & Risk Of Passing Within 2 Meters.
Patients will be asked to arrive as close to their appointment time as possible and to wait outside of the clinic at our side entrance on Milton Road. Please do not arrive through the bike shop as this will increase the chances of passing others at less than 2 meters. We will have signs to remind patients of this when you arrive. Your clinician will come down to collect you at your appointment time, please do not wait in our reception area upstairs.
We will have longer periods between patients to allow ventilation and reduce chances of patients crossing within the clinic.
To further reduce time spent in the clinic and surface transmission we have transferred all of our payments online and now patients can pay before arrival. We will activate this process before we open in June.
Clinic Protocols
Practitioner PPE
Practitioners will be wearing the advised full PPE including single use aprons and gloves and sessional use surgical grade mask and glasses. Any protective equipment that comes into contact with patients will be changed between patients.
Clinic Sanitisation
All contact surfaces will be wiped down between each patient with the advised grade sterilisation wipes and sprays. Our protocol for this systematic and exhaustive, any surfaces that have been touched either by the clinician or the patient will be wiped down following an appointment. We are allowing more time between appointments to make sure this happens thoroughly.
Clinic Ventilation & Contact Spread Control
All windows will remain open at the clinic to improve ventilation and reduce chances of airborne spread. All unnecessary items throughout the clinic such as water jugs, weights and towels will be removed. We will continue to use single use paper on our treatment table to provide another barrier to transmission.
Credit card machines have been removed from the rooms and payments are to be made online before attending to reduce the chances of contact spread and reduce the time spent in the treatment room.
PPE Disposal
All PPE used at the clinic will be disposed of following government guidelines.
If you have any concerns or further queries regarding our risk assessment and subsequent virus transmission control policies we encourage you to get in touch, we’re happy to help.
