OSTEOPATHY

COVID-19 SAFEGUARDS FOR OSTEOPATHY, MASSAGE & REHABILITATION

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOUR OSTEOPATHY & MASSAGE  APPOINTMENT WITH OUR NEW COVID-19 SAFEGUARDS IN PLACE

BOOKING
Our booking procedure remains the same. Our receptionists are available on 01892 671764 or visit our online booking system here.

Please note that appointments must be booked at least 24 hours in advance.

Once you have booked your appointment you will receive an automated email which will include a link to this webpage. Here you will find our 5-minute video outlining our new appointment procedures and protocols. You will need to read the section related to our COVID-19 procedures and view the video before your appointment can take place. In this section you will also find a link to download our GDPR Consent Form. If you have not filled in one of these before, please do so and email a copy to me here before your appointment.

BEFORE YOUR APPOINTMENT
If you are a new client to Flow or if it is not clear that your appointment is a follow-up from a previous recent consultation, it will be necessary for Ben or Melissa to have a telephone call with you prior to your visit before your appointment can be confirmed. This can either be in the afternoon of the day before your appointment between 4 and 5pm or on the morning of your appointment between 8 and 9am. You will be contacted by our receptionists to decide which of these is most convenient for you.

In the phone call with Ben or Melissa you will need to confirm the following:

1. You have read this document and watched the video in full outlining our new appointment procedures, you understand theses procedures and the need for you to wear the surgical grade face mask which we will provided.
2. You have not developed symptoms in the last 7 days that might indicate an active COVID-19 infection.
3. You are not designated to be in a group with heightened vulnerability to COVID-19.
4. No members of your household has or has had symptoms of COVID-19 or are in a high-risk category.
5. You have not been been in contact with someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 in last 14 days.
6. You accept that, whilst we have put in place all required safeguards to mitigate the risks of infection, we cannot eliminate all risks.

The phone call will also be an opportunity to discuss:

• The issue that has necessitated your appointment
• Alternative options to a face-to-face appointment such as advice over the telephone or via email or a virtual consultation using Zoom
• Whether you require a chaperone. NB> It will be necessary to telephone the person acting as your chaperone for them to confirm points 1-6 above. To allow time for this, 48 hours notice will be needed before your appointment.
• Any questions you may have about the forthcoming appointment.

PAYMENT & COSTS
If it is agreed that the appointment will go ahead, payment will be processed over the phone using our usual payment system. It will also be agreed that your card details can be retained by us in a secure encrypted form to allow payment to be taken prior to any further appointments you may need.

The PPE and sanitisation and timetabling safeguards that we are required to put in place amount to a significant increased cost to our practice. Whilst we will absorb a proportion of this, we cannot cover it all. We have therefore decided that the appointment fee structure for Osteopathy will be:

• Initial appointment for new patients (45-60 minutes) and follow-up appointments (30 minutes) £50
• Surcharge for PPE per appointment £5
• Surcharge for a telephone call prior to the appointment if required (as outlined above) £5

We have decided that, although we will need to add 15 minutes between appointments to allow for cleaning and to prevent crossover of patients within the Flow premises, there will not be an additional charge for this.

PROCEDURES & PROTOCOLS

• To help us minimise the chances of contamination, please bring as little as you can with you. Ideally you will not have a bag or a coat or even a mobile phone with you.
• Please note that we cannot provide drinks.
• Whilst we do have toilet facilities onsite, it is better for your safety that this is not used. We appreciate that it may be necessary for you to use our facilities but please be aware that we will be required to fully sterilise the w/c afterwards.
• Please be sure to arrive on time but not earlier for your appointment.
• On street parking is available on Woodbury Park Road and the surrounding streets. Please do not park on our drive as this will block our household access.
• Once you have parked, please walk up the drive towards the large Flow sign on the large green side gates to the right of our house. Here you will be met by Ben who will walk with you to the Flow premises.
  NB> If the weather is very wet, please come through to the entrance door to Flow, where Ben will meet you.
• On entering the Flow premises, you will be asked to use 70% alcohol hand sanitiser before putting on a surgical grade face mask which we will provide. We will then move into the treatment room.
• You need to keep your face mask on throughout your appointment.
• After your appointment you will be asked to dispose of your face mask using the pedal bin provided and apply hand sanitiser before leaving.
• Single-use disposable paper tissues are available in the treatment room. If you need to cough, sneeze or blow your nose, please use one of these and then dispose of it in the bin provided. If you are unable to take a tissue in time, please cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow, not your hands.
• Should it be necessary for you to remove items of clothing for your treatment, we ask that you place your clothing on the plastic chair provided so that it can be wiped down afterwards.

WHAT WILL BEN BE WEARING

Ben and Melissa will be using the PPE stipulated by the osteopathic professional standards for COVID-19. This will include:

• Fluid resistant surgical mask (FRSM Type IIR)
• Nitrile disposable gloves
• Plastic apron

These will be disposed of after each appointment.

FURTHER INFORMATION
Our full COVID-19 Risk Assessment & Mitigation document is available here.

GDPR FORM
Please download and fill in our GDPR Consent Form here.

WHO WILL YOU SEE?

Ben Parker – Senior Osteopath
Ben has been a local osteopath since 1999 and has extensive experience in working with individuals with a wide range of physical complaints using both structural and cranial osteopathic techniques. Ben opened Groombridge Osteopathy in 2001 and has expanded his business into Tunbridge Wells.

He is particularly interested in helping people to understand the causes of their injuries and how to prevent their recurrence. Ben emphasises the importance of exercise in the process of recovery.

• Registered Osteopath – GOsC Reg. 4134
• BSc (Hons) Osteopathic Medicine
• Naturopathy Diploma
• 15 years of experience
• Accredited by all major health insurers