Please take the time to read the COVID-19 Special Measures outlined below (also displayed in the clinic lobby).

It is important to keep things in perspective by remembering that as many as 80% of people that get COVID-19 are expected to have very mild symptoms or be asymptomatic. Having said that, the other 20% can have very severe symptoms, so we must not allow ourselves to become complacent.

Whilst I use my professional skill and judgment to do the utmost to minimise the risk of transmission between people at the clinic, it is impossible to eliminate the risk completely. Being a small clinic with just one osteopath and no receptionist does however provide patients with allot less exposure when coming in for treatment (compared to say a larger setting with multiple practitioners).

By booking an appointment you are consenting to having treatment with the following special measures in place;

What I would like you to do:

• If in the past 10 days you have had a fever, a new persistent cough, loss of/change in the sense of smell or taste, or have been in close contact with someone who has, you must not come into the clinic. If you develop any of these symptoms between appointments, please let me know immediately so that I can take appropriate measures.
• All patients, apart from children under 11 and those who have reasonable cause, such as a health condition, disability, physical or mental impairment, must wear a face mask, scarf or other covering. If you do not have a face covering with you, you can buy a mask at the clinic for £1.
• Please arrive promptly for your appointment to minimise the waiting time in the lobby. If you arrive early please wait in your car or consider waiting outside the building (observing social distancing). I will always try to make the clinic car port available for you to use.
• Please dress warmly as I won’t be able to offer you a blanket and your body temperature tends to go down as you lie on the couch and relax into the treatment. Also, you may want to bring in your own water bottle, as I cannot provide any like I used to do.
• Please do not bring additional family members to your appointments (unless needed as a chaperone), and only one parent/guardian for children’s appointments. The patient’s chair in the treatment room is placed at a safe distance from the desk to allow for social distancing.
• If you do come across one of the residents from the upstairs studio flats on your way in or out of the clinic, please liaise with them to respect social distancing.
• Please use contactless payment wherever possible, and avoid paying by cash.

What to expect:

• I will ask you a series of pre-screening questions before bringing you in for a face to face appointment and offer advice on the telephone or a video consultation wherever needed.
• With your permission, when you arrive at the clinic, I will take your temperature with a contactless infrared thermometer and apply a sanitising spray to your hands.
• All the soft furnishings such as couch cover, cushions in the waiting area, as well as reading material and toys have been removed for ease of sanitising the clinic and to reduce the risk of any cross contamination.
• Follow up appointments have been extended to one hour in order to avoid cross over and allow the necessary time for sanitising the clinic between patients.

What I am doing:

• I wear a freshly laundered clinic uniform, and a wipeable apron over my uniform which gets sanitised after every patient.
• I wear a fluid resistant surgical mask.
• I sanitise my hands up to my elbows before and after treating every patient.
• I take my own temperature with a contactless infrared thermometer and log it together with my general health at the beginning of every working day.
• The treatment couch and pillows (encased in a wipeable cover), door handles, door bell and patient’s chair are wiped down after every patient with a sanitising solution.
• The hard surfaces, toilets, etc are wiped down with a sanitising spray regularly throughout the day.
• The treatment room will always be aired between patients to maintain a healthy environment.

The official list of COVID-19 symptoms is available on the NHS website, which is reviewed regularly: www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/

You may also want to read the COVID-19 webpage on the government website, for the most up to date information and guidance: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus