As mentioned on Monday’s update of our return to conducting Face-to-Face clinical consultations, Inform Physio have carried out risk assessments on all the services that we offer to ensure we can continue to provide these safely.
With great confidence, we can deliver the essential services of:
- Clinic-based Physiotherapy Assessment & Rehabilitation
- Home Visit Physiotherapy Assessment & Rehabilitation
This will be reviewed on a frequent basis subject to Government recommendations.
Sadly, until there is a vaccine or emerging evidence acknowledging immunity after confirmation of infection, it is nearly impossible to eliminate the risk. All our customers must make their own decisions based upon an assessment of their own risk whilst following all government recommendations. However, Inform Physio are confident that all necessary steps have been taken to significantly reduce any risk where possible, and are delighted to share this with you.
Making our clinic “COVID-Secure”
Please carefully read the steps below – it is essential that you are aware of, and comply with, the measures we have implemented in order to achieve and maintain a safe environment for our customers.
Patient Care Pathway – Online vs Face-to-Face
To establish the most appropriate pathway for us to support you without compromising your health, Inform Physio will arrange for a free telephone triage consultation. This should take no longer than 10 minutes and will consider:
- Your current history of symptoms
- Your previous medical history
- Your overall health risk in relation to COVID-19 (including those “shielding”)
From this, we can identify whether an online for face-to-face consultation is the best way to approach clinically assessing your symptoms, considering any risks associated and ensuring compliance with the latest professional guidance.
Upon the outcome of the telephone triage assessment, we will then proceed to conduct our initial consultation online or face-to-face. During this assessment, we will explore your symptoms and overall health in greater detail along with any relevant tests, diagnose your condition or injury and provide advice on the most appropriate care and/or intervention to help you achieve your goals. This will include the prescription of a personalised digital home exercise programme emailed directly to you.
Inform Physio wish to make it clear that online consultations are the preferred method of service in the current coronavirus situation. If it is felt online consults are the most appropriate solution, we will then continue to review your progress via online consults until government restrictions are lifted. Should it be agreed face-to-face care – either via clinic or home visit – is the preferred route, you will be read a ‘Risks Statement’ and asked to provide verbal (recorded) or written consent that you acknowledge the infection prevention and control measures implemented (including the level of PPE you and the clinician are required to wear, and the risks associated with close contact during consultations.
Once the appropriate care pathway has been determined through the telephone triage consultation, you will be directed to the appropriate online booking page. Inform Physio are unable to accept cash or cheque payments and will instead be taken from either our online booking platform (SportsInjuryFix) or our online shop. We request that all appointments are paid for in advance – your therapist will send across a link to make payment securely online.
Symptom Screening & Tracking
We require all customers to complete a COVID-19 symptom screen prior to any face-to-face consultation. This may be completed online – it is essential that we receive this before your appointment – or in-person with a recording taken via our clinic digital doorbell. Before entering the clinic (or before we enter the facility if a home visit), we will also ask to take your temperature using a non-contact thermometer before the consultation takes place as part of screening.
As part of your consent to treatment, we are obliged to contact you as part of any track-and-trace system – we also strongly recommend you use the NHS COVID-19 mobile / tablet application upon its release in accordance with recommendations from our governing union, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.
Appointments
To reduce the risk of close contact with other customers, we will not allow any customers in before the allocated consultation time. Please wait at the front door of the clinic and your Clinician will greet you at your reserved time. All appointments will be staggered to ensure we comply with social distancing restrictions. There will be no other clinicians working within the clinic during your consultation in order to abide by the current government recommendations; we will notify you of any changes to this.
Inform Physio politely request that you do not bring anyone with you to your consultation. Should you feel more comfortable in doing so, we require this to be kept to one person only; they must be present in the clinic room rather than the waiting area, be required to undergo the same procedure of the COVID-19 screening form, temperature recording and must also record their contact details as part of track and trace. This includes any parents or guardians for children under 16 as per our Child Protection Policy.
Inform Physio will remain paperless and continue to submit any correspondence including reports, invoices / receipts or exercises via email – please make sure we have your correct email address and monitor your spam folder.
Clinic Hygiene & Social Distancing
All customers must use the hand sanitiser provided upon entering and leaving the clinic and should refrain from touching anything whilst in the clinic. Our therapists will ensure that they wash their hands in accordance with guidelines before and after any clinical interaction.
We ask all patients during home visits as well as those visiting our clinic to wear their own face covering. We can provide you with one at a cost of £2 should you not have any. All our team will be wearing a KN95 Face Mask for the duration of your consultation. For any part of assessment or treatment that requires breaching the current social distancing requirement of 2 metres, Inform Physio therapists will be wearing appropriate PPE in line with the latest guidance, including (but not limited to): Plastic Face Guard, Disposable Clinical Apron, Non-Latex Gloves.
Please always adhere to social distancing rules unless required to compromise as part of your consultation – this will be kept to a minimum and require extensive clinical reasoning on our part. Pay attention to any physical reminders on display including floor markings, posters, and display screen messages – Perspex screen barriers may also be in place for additional protection.
Additional time has been allocated to allow for extensive cleaning of all clinical and communal areas and any relevant equipment in-between consultations. All areas and items will be cleaned again at the end of the day.
All seating will either be wipeable (i.e. non-fabric or have with wipeable seating). There will be no soft furnishings or accessories present such as pillows and towels; we request that you bring your own pillow and/or towel for treatment consultations should you need either. Printed material such as patient information advice, magazines / books, or promotional material have been removed from public view. Water dispensers, vending machines or toilets will be out of use for visitors.
Implementing and abiding by the above measures will help to create the safest clinical environment with the lowest possible risk. We know this is a lot to take on board, but your co-operation will enable us to support you in your quest to improve your injury or condition.
For more updates – including a special announcement on Friday ahead of our return to face-to-face services – head to our social media channels over on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.