COVID-19 Risk Assessment and Mitigation Policy

Assessment Date: 20th June 2020.

Last update: 12th April 2022.

The risk assessment and mitigation policies of each clinic are available on their websites.
The policy is available on request and can be emailed, texted or posted to the recipient.
Appointment confirmation emails contain a link to this document (or similar, depending on clinic location).

Cleaning

  • The clinic room is cleaned between patients.

  • Toilet facilities are cleaned after each use.

  • We use alcohol hand sanitisers and antiviral detergents for surface cleaning.

Room aeration

  • Clinic room windows must remain open during and after each treatment.

Hand hygiene

  • Hand washing protocols are adhered to before and after each appointment.

  • We request each patient to use hand sanitiser (or wash their hands) when arriving for an appointment.

Personal protection equipment

  • Surgical grade masks (FRSM) or above (FFP2/N95 grade) are used for face-to-face appointments. Single-use nitrile gloves are used on a discretionary basis.

  • Please wear a face covering when you attend for your appointment. If you do not have one, you will be provided with a fluid-resistant surgical masks on arrival. As the clinic is a healthcare setting this is required.

  • Face masks are replaced daily. Either every 4 hours, or on a sessional basis. Masks are replaced if potentially contaminated, damaged, damp or difficult to breathe through.

  • Used PPE is 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

  • 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 or online.

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.

Training

  • Training has been carried out in clinic cleaning, hand hygiene, donning and doffing PPE, and through the development of this Risk Assessment and Mitigation Policy document.

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.

  • 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.