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COVID – 19 PATIENT INFORMATION FOR FACE TO FACE PHYSIOTHERAPY

COVID – 19 PATIENT INFORMATION FOR FACE TO FACE PHYSIOTHERAPY

COVID – 19 PATIENT INFORMATION FOR FACE TO FACE PHYSIOTHERAPY

20/05/20 – updated  02/07/20 / 3/10/20

While we await further detail from Stormont and the CSP it is clear that the second phase does not signal a return to ‘business as usual’ for CSP members but may see patients increasingly seeking physiotherapy intervention and asking for face to face treatments in the private practice.

We have a Legal, regulatory and professional responsibility and a duty of care to patients. We have documented our Risk assessment of Belfast Pilates & Physiotherapy at our new address 56 Holywood Road.

We have Infection prevention and control measures documented and in place.

We have procured personal protective equipment and will make sure it is always in good stock

We enforce a ‘Virtual first’ approach, with Patient risk assessment and clinical reasoning documenting clinically reasoned decision for offering either a face to face or remote consultation for each patient and for each of their planned contacts.

We will engage each patient in discussions regarding the rationale for remote or face to face consultations. If both parties deem it necessary to proceed with face to face care, the patient will be made aware of all current risks associated with this approach, they must give their consent and we must document these discussions and the outcome.

The clinician must be able to justify that the benefits of seeing a patient face to face are demonstrably greater than the risks of infection transmission.

We will have determined if the patient requires input from any other service such as A&E or urgent care/radiology, prior to coming into the clinic.

Patient consent for treatment both verbally during the 1st virtual appointment and the Covid-consent form will be emailed and returned digitally to be attached to their electronic records on TM2 cloud. At this time a “patient Covid-19 clinic info” document will be emailed to them outlining clear instructions to patients regarding where to come, what to expect when they arrive, and how things may differ from their usual visits.

We will comply with government social distancing and shielding directives and mitigate as far as reasonably practicable the risk of transmitting the disease to patients and the wider general public, particularly to those in the vulnerable and extremely vulnerable categories. We will keep abreast of all Public Health advice on IPC for COVID-19 which may change on a day to day basis, updating our policy as required.

Each Patient must be screened for signs of Covid-19. Have they at any stage tested positive for the virus. Has any of their household tested positive for the virus within the last 2 weeks. Does the patient or household members have a cough / fever/ anosnia / rash / sore throat / diarrhoea?

STAFF PPE

All staff must be trained in PPE use, including donning, doffing and disposal.

The clinic will supply; –

Surgical masks – sessional use (up to 4 clients)

Masks should be changed after each session or earlier if damaged, visibly soiled, wet or uncomfortable. A single session refers to a period of time where a health and social care worker is undertaking duties in a specific clinical care setting or exposure environment.

Visors – physio will have their own personal labelled visor for use until it is no longer fit for use when another will be supplied.

Plastic aprons – single use for each patient

Surgical gloves – single use for each patient

It is each Physiotherapists responsibility to be in clinic in good time and immediately wash their hands. We expect each physio to change into treatment clothing (not what they travelled in) e.g. scrubs. They must then sanitize their desk, keyboard and plinth, hard surfaces with disinfectant spray which is provided 1 per each clinical room. They must then wash their hands before donning their mask then visor, then apron, finally gloves. Doffing gloves 1st carefully peeling from outside of the glove with the opposite gloved hand, washing hands, tear off apron and roll away followed by hand hygiene. Donning new apron and gloves if seeing another patient, or at end of session removing visor, repeating hand hygiene, then mask removal, and hand washing. Instruction for donning and doffing in each treatment room to refer to.

We will ensure no patient to patient contact by patients waiting outside clinic to be contacted by phone when their physio is ready for them to come in (i.e. no waiting area for patients). The front door to the clinic will remain locked other than to allow patients to enter and leave. There is patient car parking for 3 cars at the front of the building as well as local car parks on Grampian Ave and Parkgate Avenue.

Our clinic has 7 treatment rooms over 3 floors with only ever 2 treatment rooms in use per floor with staggered treatment times to avoid patient to patient contact.

On arrival in the clinic, the patient will be asked to sanitize their hands. There will always be sanitizer in the vestibule for any arrivals / departures.

Each clinical room will have its own scanning thermometer and temperature will be checked when clinician does a final verbal screen for covid-19 symptoms.

If passes temperature check (less than 37.5 c) and verbal screening then both parties proceed direct to the allocated clinical room. During all subjective examination we will maintain over 2 metres distance. Actual hands on therapy should be kept to 15 minutes maximum. We will keep ajar / windows open to the treatment room to allow for ventilation.

Patients will be made aware prior to arrival that the clinic toilets are closed to patients during this pandemic.

In the odd occasion where a patient must use the bathroom, the physio must disinfect touch surfaces in the bathroom.

There will be no use of bed covers during this pandemic.. Paper roll may be used for 1 patient use then disposed of in the rooms bin liner. We have got plastic wipeable pillows for use in session which will be cleaned after each use. If a fabric pillow case is used, it is for 1 patient use and must be removed and bagged for a high temperature wash with antibacterial detergent.

Between every patient there must be a minimum of 10 mins to allow the doffing and disposing of apron and gloves in the rooms bin liner, hand washing, disinfectant spraying of couch, plastic pillow and hard surfaces and wiping down, before donning new apron and gloves and phoning next patient to arrive.

There will be a fresh bin liner for each session of physio and after each patient leaves, all paper roll, gloves, apron mask etc. is to be placed in the rooms bin liner and once tied at the end of session it must be placed in another bin bag, tied labelled with the date and deposited under the stairs in the ground floor fire escape hall which is only accessed to place bin bags into it.

All double bagged rubbish will be left for a minimum of 72 hours before being collected by the council’s waste service.

Because the physiotherapist will be phoning the next patient to arrive and a mask is worn throughout a session, it is important that the touch and speaking points of the telephone receiver are wiped at the end of each session.

Each Physiotherapist should change out of their treatment clothes, seal them in a bag, and take them home to be washed at high temperature using an antibacterial detergent (such as the Dettol washing machine additive)

We would ask that each physio mops their way out of their clinic room at the end of their working day using a disinfectant solution provided by the clinic.

Clinical Pilates Classes – returning from 13th July 2020 – updated 3/10/20

We are extremely fortunate that the new clinic houses three large Pilates studios situated across 3 different floors with high ceilings and lots of well ventilated airy spaces.

The clinic has 2 separate front entrances. One class will enter at a time via the emergency door and go straight up the stairs to Studio 2 or 3. The Studio 1 class will enter via the main front door which has a separate foyer and proceed straight to studio 1. We will stagger the exit of each class via the back door to avoid overlap of classes. We would ask that participants observe social distancing rules when waiting to gain entrance to the studio.

We ask that all pilates attendees wear a mask on arrival and during the setting up of their mat and equipment. Only once settled on their mat for exercise should they remove their mask for duration of the class. At the ensd of class we ask everyone to put masks on for clear up of the class and leaving the clinic.

We will provide a sanitising station at each entrance for use by every class participant. The corridors and classes will be clearly marked with 2 meter distancing stickers. The clinic entrance and exit doors will be kept locked during classes.

At this time we have decided to proceed with 2 metre social distancing within the classes to ensure optimum care of our clients and physios. This has been carefully measured out within the studios so that we can safely accommodate a maximum of 8 class participants plus instructor within each studio.

We realise that some of the zoom classes currently consist of a maximum of 12 participants and, if all 12 express an interest in return to the studio setting, then we hope to divide the class in to 2 bubbles and alternate week about for studio and zoom. We feel this will be the fairest solution until restrictions are comfortably eased. The physios are all happy to simultaneously teach a live class in the studio and simultaneously via zoom. We will continue to give a week’s notice on required equipment and send out the zoom link as per previous.

All participants will provide their own mat for the class which will be positioned on a distance sticker clearly marked in the studio for the duration of the class. We will continue to provide head blocks and relevant equipment which must be cleaned at the start and finish of the class with the disinfectant sprays provided or disinfectant basins. However, we encourage participants to bring their own head support and equipment to each class. The studio door and windows will remain open for the duration of the class and the studio will be wiped down with disinfectant between every class. Each studio is mopped with disinfectant at the end of each day.

If we can avoid using the airconditioning at this time we will, however we have been assured by the manufacturer that itis a split unit which does not recirculate the air so as long as windows are open we can use the aircon for both heating and cooling. It must remain running for 15mins after everyone has left the studio so no potential virus could remain on the filters when restarted.

Class Instructors will wear a visor to teach in.

If any participants household tested positive for the virus within the last 2 weeks.or any household members have a cough / fever/ loss of taste or smell / rash / sore throat / diarrhoea we must insist that the participant zoom rather than attend the clinic for 2 weeks.

Clinic bathrooms and changing rooms will not be in use during this time.

To avoid the swap system potentially creating too many people in attendance for studio class, we can only offer a zoom class at this time in place of a swapped class, (unless your class organizer Gillian / Sonia has said otherwise)

Thank You for your cooperation in these matters.