Infection policy – Updated August 2023
To keep all patients safe, infection prevention measures remain in place in this clinic.
Please do not attend clinic with symptoms of any contagious infection, whether you have COVID-19 or not.
This clinic sees patients with serious illnesses; some have cancer or are immunocompromised through illness and medications. A common cold for one person may have greater implications for somebody less well.
Please contact the clinic as soon as you have symptoms of any infection, to discuss. This keeps the cancellation list moving and you can be re-booked into the clinic as soon as you have recovered, as priority.
Updated April 12th 2022
COVID-19 prevention measures remain in place in this clinic, as in all, regulated, health care settings.
Cancer treatments, operations and other medical procedures will be cancelled if patients or medical personnel contract COVID-19.
Lateral Flow tests
The only change to this clinic’s policy is that patients are no longer obliged to take a lateral flow test before attending clinic. This is because tests are now only free of charge to certain patient groups.
If you are still testing, please continue to do so on the day of, and prior to, your appointment in clinic. Your practitioner will continue to test.
Whether you are still taking lateral flow tests or not, please do not attend clinic with symptoms of any infection whether symptoms of COVID-19 or another infection.
These symptoms include coughing, sneezing, sore throat, runny nose, fever, or other cold or flu-like symptoms; nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or symptoms of any other infectious illnesses
Please consider that most infections are contagious, even if they are not COVID-19.
Please contact the clinic as soon as you have symptoms of any infection; this helps to keep the cancellation list moving and you can be re-booked into the clinic as soon as you are safe to treat.
Updated COVID-19 symptoms:
Fatigue (mild or severe)
Dizziness/fainting
Runny nose
Headache
Sneezing
A scratchy, sore throat
Diarrhoea or vomiting/nausea
The classic COVID-19 symptoms:
A new, continuous cough
A high temperature (37.8°C or higher)
A loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell
Shortness of breath.
How your appointment will run/Terms and conditions of attending clinic:
Please arrive at the time of your appointment. If early, please be prepared to wait outside. The external door will be locked to prevent patients from turning up early, crossing other patients and to stop people from wandering in.
I will meet you at the external door where I will take your temperature.
Please wash your hands thoroughly, according to the instructions above the sink, before ascending the stairs.
A clinically appropriate and clean face protection of your own that fits snugly over your nose and mouth is required. Patients without a clinically appropriate mask will need to buy one from the clinic for £2:00.
Attend your appointment alone. The clinic is strictly open only to patients being treated. The waiting room is not available.
Come with minimal bags and personal items, to reduce the probability of surface-to-surface contamination.
Payment method: contactless by debit card preferred.
Please leave your appointment on time. More time is required to sanitise and aerate the clinic.
I have agreed to see you in the clinic on the basis that you:
– Are free of any COVID-19 symptom or any symptom of infectious illness.
-Will contact me prior to your appointment if you have attended an event involving a large gathering of people in the 10 days prior to your appointment, to discuss.
– Will contact me prior to your appointment if you have been in contact with anyone, with suspected COVID-19 symptoms within the 10 days prior to your appointment to discuss.
-Are satisfied with the stringent measures that I am taking to ensure the safest possible environment for all patients whilst understanding that no environment can guarantee a 100% risk-free environment.
-Have given me consent to examine and treat you with these new measures in place.
You have also agreed to let me know if you develop symptoms within 2-5 days after the date of your appointment.
Important information:
-This clinic sees patients who have serious illnesses; some have cancer, are awaiting operations, or are immunocompromised through illness and necessary medications. Or, this applies to patients’ family members.
-A very small number of patients attending this practice might not be vaccinated due to ineligibility, medical contraindications/exemptions, or personal preference.
-To keep everyone safe, strict infection prevention measures continue to be followed in clinic. In addition, I take regular lateral flow tests and am triple-vaccinated.
–It is the responsibility of every patient attending this clinic to keep the clinic, and therefore all patients, infection and COVID-19 free.
Update relevant to December 31st 2021
This update does not replace the guidance, below, but exists in addition to it. The clinic’s lateral flow test requirements and other infection control measures remain in place (see below).
Please follow the guidance, below, for appointments in this clinic:
75% of people with new, cold-like symptoms are likely to have symptomatic COVID-19 (King’s College London; December 31st 2021)
Even if your lateral flow and PCR tests are negative, please do not attend clinic with symptoms of any infection e.g. coughing, sneezing, sore throat, runny nose or other cold or flu-like symptoms; vomiting, diarrhoea or other infectious illnesses.
Please consider that all infections are contagious, even if they are not COVID-19.
Please contact the clinic as soon as you have symptoms of any infection; this helps to keep the cancellation list moving and you can be re-booked into the clinic as soon as you are safe to treat.
Five, main symptoms of Omicron (very similar to the common cold):
Runny nose
Headache
Fatigue (mild or severe)
Sneezing
A scratchy, sore throat
The classic COVID-19 symptoms (now in approximately 50% of cases):
A new, continuous cough
A high temperature (37.8°C or higher)
A loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell
Shortness of breath.
Update relevant to July 19th 2021
As of Monday, July 19th 2021, COVID-19 control measures in public places, such as social distancing, mask wearing and foreign travel, are being eased. For this reason, further infection prevention efforts now apply to all patients attending this clinic. The following is a condition of attending this clinic.
New Clinic COVID-19 infection control measures:
All patients attending this clinic must take a lateral flow test on the day of their appointment, prior to attending the clinic. The result must be negative i.e. the test must indicate that you do not have COVID-19. Please inform me immediately, before attending, if your test is positive.
In addition to this, please take regular lateral flow tests. A single test will not give you a 100% accurate picture of your infected /non-infected status. Therefore, taking 3 tests in the week prior to attending clinic (or any appointment), at regular intervals throughout the week, is strongly requested.
Tests are easy to do:
Tests are free and can be obtained at all Boots pharmacies and most other pharmacies. They can also be delivered to your home by accessing https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests
Tests take a few minutes and can be completed in the comfort of your home.
If you have any concerns or questions about this, please contact me by email or by telephone well in advance of your appointment.
Important information:
-This clinic sees patients who have serious illnesses; some have cancer, are awaiting operations, or are immunocompromised through illness and necessary medications. Or, this applies to patients’ family members.
-A very small number of patients attending this practice might not be vaccinated due to ineligibility, medical contraindications/exemptions, or personal preference.
-To keep everyone safe, strict infection prevention measures continue to be followed in clinic. In addition, your practitioner takes a daily, lateral flow test and is triple-vaccinated.
–In addition to your practitioner’s efforts, it is the responsibility of every patient attending this clinic to keep the clinic, and therefore all patients, COVID-19 free.
-Please be aware that mild symptoms such as hay fever/cold-like symptoms, head aches or feeling slightly ‘off colour’ can be COVID-19 symptoms. Keep testing.
Common misconceptions:
1/. Misconception: If somebody is fully-vaccinated, they will not contract or pass on the virus.
False: You can still contract the virus and infect other people with it. In fact, the fully-vaccinated can be infected without any obvious symptoms. Therefore, they are more likely to pass on the virus, without knowing.
2/. Misconception: I’ve been vaccinated and so I won’t get ill.
False: Fully-vaccinated people can still become ill. It only lessens the probability of being seriously ill, hospitalisation and death; it does not eradicate these possibilities.
3/. Misconception: The young won’t be seriously ill if they catch COVID-19.
False: The young have made up a large proportion of hospitalised patients in 2021.
4/. Misconception: I’ve had COVID-19 and so I won’t get it again.
False: Anyone can catch and spread COVID-19 more than once.
All new patients will be informed upon booking appointments. Any change in advice will be posted on this page.
If you have any concerns, please contact this clinic well in advance of your appointment date.
Practice changes for patient safety.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this clinic will operate to maintain the highest standards possible in infection control. This is in order to protect you, every patient and the community at large from COVID-19. At each stage, the clinic will be guided by research and will adapt as appropriate.
This page describes the measures that will be taken within the clinic and the conditions under which patients will be seen for treatment as a consequence of COVID-19.
Please read all of this page so that you understand how the clinic will operate and so that you know how to contribute to its safe running.
At every stage of the patient experience, full patient cooperation is expected and required.
This page covers the following subjects:
1/. The priorities of this clinic.
2/. How these priorities will be achieved:
- Pre-appointment screening
- Contactless payments
- Sterilisation and aeration
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – patient and practitioner
- How appointments will now be conducted
- Video consultations
- Vulnerable patients – definition and provisions
- The current COVID – 19 risk
- COVID-19 symptoms
- Patient safety and hygiene in and out of the clinic
1/. The priorities of this clinic:
- To set and maintain the highest standards possible in infection control within the clinic setting.
- To provide an environment within which all patients feel safe and reassured with regards infection control at each stage of the patient experience.
- I adhere to and am guided by infection control standards set out by:
Public Health England (PHE)
The World Health Organisation (WHO)
The General Osteopathic Council
The Institute of Osteopathy
2/. How these priorities will be achieved:
Pre-appointment screening
All patients will be thoroughly screened 1/. before being accepted for an appointment 2/. will be reminded of the clinic’s T&Cs via email prior to their appointment and 3/. before entering the building.
Every patient will have their temperature taken before entering the clinic and hands will be washed upon entering the building, following WHO guidelines.
There will be no cross-over of patients within the building (see ‘How appointments will be conducted’, below).
Contactless payments
Contactless payments, by debit card, are preferred.
Sterilisation and aeration
There will be a gap between each patient to allow time to:
- Sterilise ALL contact areas throughout the clinic before and after each patient
- Aerate the clinic
- For PPE doffing, disposal and donning; hand and arm sanitising.
No clinic is able to guarantee a 100% risk free zone, however, every effort is being made within this clinic to mitigate infection risks.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Following PHE and WHO guidelines, your practitioner will be wearing a face mask, visor, gloves and apron.
Please wear your own face protection throughout your appointment. This must be appropriate to a clinical setting and clean. The clinic does not have adequate supplies to provide patients with PPE. Patients without a mask ,or a clinically appropriate mask, will need to buy one from the clinic for £2.00.
How appointments will be conducted
All patients will be screened for COVID-19 symptoms and risk factors by telephone when booking their appointment. Vulnerability will be assessed in partnership with each patient. We can opt for video consultations for those ‘unsure’ of symptoms, contact with symptomatic others and vulnerability.
When face to face appointments are deemed appropriate:
Please arrive at the time of your appointment. If you are early, please be prepared to wait outside. The external door will be locked to prevent patients from turning up early, crossing other patients and to stop people from wandering in.
Please attend your appointment alone. The clinic is strictly open only to patients being treated. The waiting room is not available.
Please come with minimal bags and personal items, to reduce the probability of surface to surface contamination.
Please leave your appointment on time. More time is required to sanitise between appointments and to ensure that patients do not overlap.
If you develop COVID -19 symptoms before attending your appointment, you must inform the clinic.
If you develop COVID-19 symptoms within 2-3 days following your appointment you must inform the clinic.
Video consultations
These are essential for any patient with suspected COVID-19 symptoms or those unsure as to whether or not they have been in contact with potentially infected others in the 14 days prior to their appointment.
These appointments are recommended for any patient deemed ‘vulnerable’ (addressed, below).
There are certain aspects of a face to face consultation that are not accessible without direct contact, however video consultations work very well in the management of pain and discomfort, using exercise prescription, exercise progression and self-care advice.
Vulnerable patients – definition and provisions
If you fall in to the vulnerable persons category, or live with or care for somebody who does, we can decide how best to proceed given the options, above. Please refer to government advice for the definition of ‘clinically vulnerable’ and ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ in relation to COVID-19.
The current COVID-19 risk
Please be aware that the COVID-19 virus remains in circulation and therefore its spread remains as relevant as ever.
It is the responsibility of everyone to help slow the spread and prevalence of new cases. Please continue to follow government advice and consider others, as well as yourself.
Classic COVID-19 symptoms;
- High temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature. If measured, ‘high’ = 37.8°C or more)
- New, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
- Loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
- Shortness of breath
- Tiredness
If you have any of these symptoms OR your lateral flow test is positive, get a PCR test.
See above for Omicron variant symptoms.
Patient Hygiene and Safety in and out of clinic
- As per government guidance, you must continue to observe social distancing and social gathering rules.
- Please continue to wash your hands, wrists (and forearms, if exposed) thoroughly, by working up a lather with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or for the duration of two rounds of ‘Happy Birthday’. Do this with every change of environment and do it regularly, throughout the day.
- If you sneeze or cough, do so into a tissue and take it with you until you can dispose of it safely. Then sanitise or wash your hands (as above). Alternatively, sneeze into the crease of your elbow to help prevent droplet infection.
- Avoid touching your mucous membranes – eyes, nose and mouth.