Bridge 38 Physiotherapy 2020.
As Bridge 38 Physiotherapy gets ready to re-open on September the 1st 2020, a number of measures have now been put in place to minimise the risk of transmission of Covid -19, to keep you and the practitioners as safe as is reasonable practicable.
Please read the below policy prior to your attendance at Bridge 38 Physiotherapy.
Covid-19 is highly contagious and in the community, it can be transmitted in two ways;
- Contact with contaminated surfaces.
- Respiratory droplets traveling within a 2m radius from the infected person and making contact with a mucosal surface of another individual.
Therefore, only those whose symptoms cannot be treated remotely, and are having a significant impact on their life and may otherwise cause the patient to attend primary care are being seen for face-to-face appointments. Due to the nature of these appointments, there will be an element of contact and social distancing that will not be able to be followed at all times.
As such, we have implemented measures throughout the clinic to minimise the risk of transmission or exposure to the virus by following the advice by the CSP (Chartered Society of Physiotherapy), Public Health England, HSE (Health and Safety Executive) and the UK Government. The below guidelines outline what you can expect and what is expected of you before and during your attendance at the clinic for a face-to-face appointment.
These guidelines are in place to ensure the safety of all visitors and practitioners here at Bridge 38 Physiotherapy.
COVID-19 symptoms?
Patients and chaperones (see below for more details on chaperones) must ensure they are fit to attend their scheduled Physiotherapy appointment. The day before your clinic appointment you will receive a reminder email with a COVID-19 screening questionnaire. This must be filled out before attending your appointment. If you are unable to fill out this online, a paper screening questionnaire will need to be filled out and signed before you can have a face to face consultation. You will also receive a triage call before your appointment to determine whether a face to face of video consultation is the most appropriate at this stage.
PLEASE DO NOT ATTEND YOUR APPOINTMENT IF YOU ARE UNWELL OR HAVE ANY OF THE SYMPTOMS LISTED BELOW: Please advise the clinic to cancel or re-arrange your appointment and if you need further advice dial 111 or telephone your GP.
- a high temperature– this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
- a 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)
- Change in sense of taste (Dysgeusia)
- Change in sense of smell (Anosmia)
Please advise the clinic to cancel or re-arrange your appointment and if you need further advice dial 111 or telephone your GP.
Clinically extremely vulnerable/shielding?
If you have been asked to shield by the government or your GP, you should notify us immediately. It is advisable that your appointment should be carried out via video consultation.
Returned from abroad in the past two weeks?
If you have returned from abroad in the past two weeks, please notify us and not attend the clinic for a period of two weeks from the date you returned.
What to expect when attending the clinic:
Physical distancing:
Although the 2m social distancing policy has now reduced to 1m in the UK Bridge 38 Physiotherapy will continue where possible to remain at a 2 m distance in both the public areas of the clinic as well as the treatment rooms.
If you require any specific hands-on for assessment and treatment this will be discussed with you to ensure you consent to proceed. In order to maintain social distancing, fewer appointments will be carried out or maybe staggered with the option to wait outside the clinical building.
- Do not attend the clinic without a pre-booked appointment.
- Please do not enter the clinic before your appointment time, but please attend on time as your appointment will not run overtime, as the time between patients is specifically designated for cleaning and to provide time between you leaving and the next patient arriving.
- The external doors to the clinic will be closed to avoid people coming in and out of the building freely, so customers will need to use the intercom system for entry to the building.
Chaperones:
- Please attend appointments alone, where this is not possible due to travel to and from the clinic then please ask whoever is attending with you to wait in the car or outside the clinic.
- If you require a personal chaperone or you are attending with children, they must also follow hygiene and social distancing procedures and must also comply with the health screening and consent to contact tracing in order to attend in the clinic room.
Hygiene:e
- As a patient, you must use the provided sanitation gels to disinfect hands on the entrance to the practice and on departure.
- Between patient appointments, time will be allowed for sanitisation of seating, beds, tables and public waiting area.
- Please be mindful of unnecessary contact of surfaces during your visit to the clinic.
- Tissues, foot-operated bins, and handwashing facilities or hand sanitiser will be provided in all clinic rooms and within the waiting room. In the event of a cough or sneeze please follow the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ guidance by disposing of your tissue in the bin provided, and sanitising/washing your hands immediately.
- Use of reusable equipment (such as gym equipment) within your appointment will be avoided as far as reasonably practicable in order to minimise surface contact. If it is not possible to avoid it, the use of this equipment will be kept to a minimum and the equipment will be cleaned thoroughly prior to and after use.
PPE:
- Physiotherapists will be wearing face masks and possibly face visor shields. Due to the close proximity of hands-on treatment, this can minimise the risk of infection to them or yourself.
- Physiotherapists will also be wearing plastic disposable aprons which they will dispose of after each patient.
- The Physiotherapists will adhere to a rigorous and stringent handwashing routine between and during each appointment and, therefore, may not be wearing gloves for your treatment.
- It is recommended that you wear a mask during your treatment. If you do not have your own, a disposable mask will be available for you to purchase for £1 which will be added to your appointment charge. Exceptions will be made If you are unable to wear a mask for a specific reason.
Contact Tracing:
- If you or your chaperone test positive for Covid-19 within 14 days of your attendance at the clinic you must notify us as soon as possible so that we are able to trace and advise all those who may have been affected.
- In order to attend, you and your chaperone will be asked to consent to contact from ourselves via a telephone number that you provide on the day of attendance. This means that, in the event that you may have been exposed to someone who has tested positive, we can inform you and provide you with guidance on the next steps.
If you have any questions prior to your appointment or have any queries in relation to this policy, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01283 716559 or info@bridge38physiotherapy.co.uk