Caring and professional treatment when you need it most

COVID-19 RISK ASSESSMENT AND MITIGATION POLICY

Assessment Date: 20th June 2020.

Last update: 12th April 2022.

Our risk assessment and mitigation policy is available on our website.
It is available on request and can be emailed, texted or posted to the recipient.
Each appointment confirmation email contains a link to this document.

Cleaning

• Each clinic room is cleaned between patients- including treatment table, pillow covers, desk, chairs, door handles, clinical equipment, phone, computer and payment machine  
• Cotton couch covers and pillow cases have been removed. All couch and pillow covers are washable vinyl. All floors are washable laminate.
• Reception is cleaned daily, including door handles, chairs, desk and seating 
• Wash rooms are cleaned after each use, including sink, taps, door handles, flush handle and toilet seat 
• Clinic rooms and reception have been de-cluttered to facilitate cleaning
• We use alcohol hand sanitisers and antiviral detergents for surfaces and floors

Room aeration

• Clinic room windows remain open during and after each treatment. Fans have been removed from the clinic.

Hand hygiene

• We wash below our elbows before each patient with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and use disposable paper towels.
• We request each patient to use hand sanitiser when arriving at the clinic

Personal protection equipment

• We wear surgical grade masks, and single-use nitrile gloves with each patient
• Our patients will be provided with fluid-resistant surgical masks on arrival at the clinic. As the clinic is a healthcare setting this is required. Video consultations are available for anyone unable to wear a facemask
• We will change into work clothes at the clinic and place them in a separate bag to take home for washing
• Our face masks are replaced at the end of each 4 hour session and will replaced if potentially contaminated, damaged, damp or difficult to breathe through
• Our used PPE is placed in lined foot-operated bins before being double-plastic bagged, separately from other waste, left for 72 hours and then placed in municipal bins
• Couch paper, cloths and cleaning wipes are disposed in the same manner

Distancing

• To avoid waiting in reception our appointments are staggered and patients are requested to arrive close to their appointment time
• Patients may be requested to wait outside the clinic before their appointment 
• Bookings and payments are completed in the clinic room rather than reception
• Our off-site reception handles all phone calls, allowing minimal use of our reception area
• All payments are cashless and online bookings are pre-paid.

Chaperones

• We encourage only one parent or guardian to accompany patients under 16 years of age
• Likewise we encourage only one chaperone to accompany a patient 
• Accompanying parents, guardians and chaperones will be pre-screened with patients.

Staff training

• All osteopaths have been trained in clinic cleaning, hand hygiene, donning and doffing PPE, and have read this Risk Assessment and Mitigation Policy document
• All osteopaths are aware of the need to tell the clinic if they or one of their household is a member of a vulnerable group.

Screening & Video/phone consultations

• All patients will be sent an email or text with a link to a health screening questionnaire. If email or text is unavailable then we will call the patient
• The screening questionnaire will check if the patient or any household members has had COVID 19 symptoms or other respiratory symptoms in the last 7 days, has been in contact with someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 in last 10 days
• The screening questionnaire will inform the patient of the risk of face to face consultation and that the osteopath is not experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. If email or text is unavailable then we will communicate this verbally
• Screening and risk communication is documented within the electronic patient management system.
• Video and phone consultations are available to patients in high risk groups, who are shielding or are unable to wear a face mask

COVID-19 symptoms or positive test - Patient

• Anyone experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or a respiratory infection is required to postpone any appointment until at least 7 days after their first symptoms or first positive test. 

COVID-19 symptoms or positive test - Osteopath

• An osteopath who experiences symptoms or tests positive can return to work after 7 days, after isolating for 5 days and when they have had 2 consecutive negative LFD test results (taken at least 24 hours apart).  In addition the osteopath would need to have improved clinical symptoms and no fever in the last 48 hours.  

NHS Test & Trace

• If we are contacted by NHS Test & Trace we are permitted under current GDPR legislation, due to the public interest during a pandemic, to share basic contact information such as the patient name, address, telephone number and email address with tracing agents. However, we are not permitted to share any medical information. Based on current guidance and our hygiene protocols any patient attending the clinic should not need to self-isolate, but should self Monitor for symptoms.
• If any patient receives a positive COVID-19 test and need to provide an osteopath as a contact they should inform NHS Test and Trace it is a “healthcare” contact not a general contact.