Appointments

Please note that there is a flight of stairs up to the clinic room.

COVID19 is a very infectious disease and is spread by droplets from an infected person. It may survive on surfaces for up to several days or from aerosol such as when one sneezes, and can stay in the air for up to 3 hours especially in an enclosed space. Many people are infected without having any symptoms and so unknowingly spread the virus.

Due to  the risks associated with activities involved being less than 2 metres apart, such as Osteopathic treatment, I have conducted a full risk assessment which you can refer to in the Articles section. The changes I have instituted are in the table below. Please read them carefully. Before making an appointment I will conduct a screening call over the phone on the day of the appointment or 24 hours before,  to assess whether it is appropriate to have a face to face appointment. You will be offered a remote appointment by skype, whats app or by phone if it is deemed unsafe.

 

In the screening call I will be asking the following questions:

Do you have, or have had, a high temperature in the last 14 days?

Do you have, or have had, a new continuous cough in the last 14 days?

Do you have, or have had, a loss of sense of smell and/or taste in the last 14 days?

Have you been in contact with any one with the above symptoms in the last 14 days?   If so please explain when and how?

Do you currently have asthma or hay fever or another condition causing coughing or sneezing?

Did you receive a form from the government, asking you to stay inside or to shield, during the first lockdown?

Are you in a household with someone, or have caring responsibilities for someone, who is shielding?

Have you been asked to self-isolate or quarantine or have you been abroad in the last 14 days?

Have you had either vaccine and when?

 

If it is deemed low risk to go ahead with a face to face appointment then I will start the appointment over the phone so that we can limit the amount of direct face to face time, during the appointment itself, so reducing a potential risk of spreading the infection. Although there will be a low risk of infection following the screening call and the changes that have been made in the clinic, it is impossible remove all risk, so you will be asked if you consent to a face to face and that will be added to the files.  I will ask you about your medical history and the history and nature of the presenting problem. I will also about your work, family and leisure pursuits which can be relevant to the onset and maintenance of the problem.

This first part of the appointment will last about 30 minutes. If you are a returning patient it will take a shorter time. I will have to make this screening call before every appointment until it is deemed that the risks of infection are very small. I will keep up to date with relevant government guidance and that from the General Osteopathic Council and the Institute of Osteopathy.

During the face to face appointment,in the clinic, I will ask you to do some movements so that I can assess the site, nature and severity of the pain and restriction. You will be given a diagnosis and an indication of how many treatments will be needed. I will then do some treatment.  Follow up Treatments will last for about 30 minutes. You may be given advice about posture, exercise, diet and hydrotherapy to aid the progress of the osteopathic treatment. I will not be showing you exercises in the appointment but will send you some by email. If you are not sure whether osteopathy can help you, please ring to discuss it with no obligation to make an appointment.

If you develop symptoms, within 2 or 3 days of having an appointment please contact the clinic to inform us. Similarly if I develop symptoms in that time I will inform you and advise you to self-isolate for 7 days to monitor whether you develop any symptoms.

If I am contacted by the government Contact Tracing Scheme asking who I have been in close contact with in the last few days I am obliged to give details of the patients I have been in contact with and give their names emails and phone numbers.

If you are contacted by Track and Trace, to give contact details please do not give my name as we are exempt due to wearing PPE.

 

Contact Details: phone 07754 093301 or email on osteojen@hotmail.com to make an appointment. 

 

We have assessed our practice for risks outlined and put in additional processes as detailed below
This has been done in light of the COVID19 pandemic
Undertaken a risk assessment	On the 31st May 2020 a risk assessment was undertaken at the Heath Osteopathic Practice. It will be reviewed following any changes or updates from the government, General Osteopathic Council and the Institute of Osteopathy
Heightened cleaning regimes	Clinic room will be cleaned between each patient Common areas/washrooms will be cleaned after each patient Hard surface in common areas will be cleaned after every patient?
Increased protection measures	All linens have been removed such as couch cover, cushion covers and face-hole covers and replaced with a PVC couch cover, new face-hole cushion and medical pillows which will all be disinfected after each patient. Chairs with material covers have been replaced with chairs which can be disinfected. Public towel for hand washing has been replaced with single use towels which will be washed after each patient. Any unnecessary clutter has been removed. Cashless payments to be used with card machine which is disinfected before and after each patient. Alternatively payment can be made through online banking. I will be wearing PPE, a waterproof surgical mask replaced every 4 hours unless damaged or wet, medical goggles, if necessary and single use nitrile gloves and apron. You will be required to wear a face covering or mask. If you don’t have one I can supply one for £1 which is the clinic cost.
Put in place distancing measures	Stagger appointments so that there is 30 minutes between each patient. Everyone will be asked to arrive on time and will be asked to wait outside the clinic if they are early. Please come on your own unless a chaperone is necessary. There will be no waiting facilities inside the clinic
Staff training	Correct handwashing technique best practice Put on/remove PPE safely Dispose or wash PPE safely
Providing remote/ telehealth consultations	All patients will have telephone pre-screening call. If it is deemed too risky for a face to face appointment either for the practitioner or the patient then the patient will be offered an online appointment through Skype or Whats App or by phone. Follow-up/maintenance appointments available via telephone/video call
	Document last updated: 31th May 2020

 

 

The Heath Osteopathic Practice

PRIVACY NOTICE

(Why we collect your personal data and what we do with it)

 When you supply your personal details to this clinic they are stored and processed for 4 reasons (the bits in bold are the relevant terms used which includes the General Data Protection Regulation – ie the law):

 1. We need to collect personal information about your health in order to provide you with the best possible treatment.  Your requesting treatment and our agreement to provide that care constitutes a contract.  You can, of course, refuse to provide the information, but if you were to do that we would not be able to provide treatment.

 2. We have a “Legitimate Interest” in collecting that information, because without it we couldn’t do our job effectively and safely. 

 3. We also think that it is important that we can contact you in order to confirm your appointments with us or to update you on matters related to your medical care.  This again constitutes “Legitimate Interest”, but this time it is your legitimate interest.

 4. Provided we have your consent, we may occasionally send you general health information in the form of articles, advice or newsletters.  You may withdraw this consent at any time – just let us know by any convenient method.

 We have a legal obligation to retain your records for 8 years after your most recent appointment (or age 25, if this is longer), but after this period you can ask us to delete your records if you wish.  Otherwise, we will retain your records indefinitely in order that we can provide you with the best possible care should you need to see us at some future date.

 Your records are stored*

 on paper, in locked filing cabinets, and the offices are always locked and alarmed out of working hours.

 We will never share your data with anyone who does not need access without your written consent.  Only the following people/agencies will have routine access to your data:

       Your practitioner(s) in order that they can provide you with treatment .

We also use Mailchimp to coordinate our messages, so your name and email address may be saved on their server. You can unsubscribe at any time.

You may have booked online via Doctify who may save your name, phone number, email address and date of birth

From time to time, we may have to employ consultants to perform tasks which might give them access to your personal data (but not your medical notes).  We will ensure that they are fully aware that they must treat that information as confidential, and we will ensure that they sign a non-disclosure agreement.

 You have the right to see what personal data of yours we hold, and you can also ask us to correct any factual errors.  Provided the legal minimum period has elapsed, you can also ask us to erase your records.

 We want you to be absolutely confident that we are treating your personal data responsibly, and that we are doing everything we can to make sure that the only people who can access that data have a genuine need to do so. 

 Of course, if you feel that we are mishandling your personal data in some way, you have the right to complain.  Complaints need to be sent to what is referred to in the jargon as the “Data Controller”.  Here are the details you need for that:

 Jenny Howell (osteojen@hotmail.com) Tel: 07754 093301, 1 Crayford Mews London N7 0DQ

 If you are not satisfied with our response, then you have the right to raise the matter with the Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF

Tel: 0303 123 1113    Fax: 01625 524510