CV-19 Policy

CV-19 Policy

September 2020

This policy outlines key measures taken by Quintessence Portal to reduce risk of spread of CV-19 during face to face appointments. The content may be subject to change on a regular basis.

Adhering to guidelines

Throughout the pandemic, guidelines issued by the government, NHS, other relevant authorities and all professional associations, regarding safe and hygienic practice and the use of any personal protective equipment (PPE) will be followed.

COVID-19 Risk Assessment

A full risk assessment, in line with UK Government guidelines has been completed, in order to:

  • identify what work activity or situations might cause transmission of the virus;
  • assess who could be at risk;
  • decide how likely it is that someone could be exposed; and to
  • act to remove the activity or situation, or if this isn’t possible, control the risk.

A full risk assessment has been completed by York Natural Health in relation to the premises. Please see Appendix 1 for full details.

Health screening

Assessment will be made prior to seeing any clients via completion of an online questionnaire sent via email and text 24-48hours before appointments. Treatments will be moved to online method via Skype or deferred if:

  • I have COVID-19 or symptoms of COVID-19 or I am required to self-isolate or quarantine.
  • If clients have COVID-19 or symptoms of COVID-19; are clinically extremely vulnerable and shielding; anyone in their household has COVID-19 or symptoms of COVID-19; they have been in close contact with someone who has symptoms of COVID-19 in the past 14 days; are quarantining or they have been contacted by the NHS Test and Trace Service and told to self isolate.

All clients are required to email or call to cancel and defer treatment on the morning of their appointment if they have a fever or other symptoms of COVID-19.

Enhanced cleaning and hygiene measures

Enhanced cleaning and hygiene measures have been introduced at York Natural Health. Between all clients, washing and disinfecting any non-porous surfaces and therapy equipment, such as chairs and couches, and replacing any porous or single-use items, such as towels and couch roll with take place. Strict personal hygiene measures will also be adhered to, including regular handwashing/sanitising. Rooms will be ventilated between and during (if warm enough) treatments

Adapting or restricting treatments

It may be necessary to adapt or restrict certain treatments, in order to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 and/or protect clients’ health and safety. Any clients likely to be impacted will be advised as soon as possible.

Maintaining social distancing

Social distancing measures will be adhered to wherever possible. Including maintaining an appropriate distance during the consultation process, and when arriving and leaving for an appointment. Where this is not possible full PPE will be worn in accordance with current UK government guidelines

Specific In-Person Appointment Booking Terms and Conditions

Limited in person Homeopathic & Nutrition follow on sessions are available on Monday afternoons in York limited to 1 hour duration.

The fee includes additional requirements for PPE at this time.

A questionnaire must be completed prior to the appointment confirming fitness to attend. A link will be provided in text 24hours before the appointment.

Clients must not attend a booked in-person session appointment if they develop any symptoms associated with a cold, flu or CV-19 – new fever, cough or loss of smell/taste, anyone in the household has CV-19 or developed these symptoms or there has been close contact with anyone with CV-19 symptoms in past 14days, are self-isolating, or quarantining.

Clients are required to wear a mask for the duration of the appointment, and wash hands on arrival and leaving the premises. Masks can be provided at the premises for an additional £1 charge.

Clients may be asked to record their temperature or it may be done at the appointment.

Clients must not arrive more than 5 minutes before their appointment time.

Clients must attend alone unless a chaperone is needed and agreed in advance.

One bag only is allowed into the session space.

Refreshments will not be provided, clients can bring a bottle of water to the appointment if required.

All precautions have been taken by York Natural Health and Quintessence Portal to ensure that hygiene measures have been adhered to as set out by the UK Government guidelines for CV-19 in England at this time.

Clients must inform Quintessence Portal if they develop symptoms of CV-19 within 14 days of an in-person appointment so that Public Health can be informed.

Homeopathy & Nutrition appointments specific CV-19 cancellation policy

As much notice as possible must be provided if unable to attend a session in relation to CV-19 symptoms, self-isolation or quarantine.

If unable to attend an in-person then the appointment will be run on Skype (or via telephone where agreed in advance)

If it is not possible to undertake a Skype appointment due to illness from CV-19 e.g. hospitalisation, then the booking will be refunded in line with the current Quintessence Portal cancellation fees up to a maximum of 50% to cover the costs of the missed appointment.

If the therapist is unable to attend the in-person appointment due to CV-19 illness, self-isolation or quarantine then where possible it will take place over Skype (or telephone) instead.

If the appointment needs to be cancelled by Quintessence Portal due to CV-19 illness, self-isolation or quarantine, and cannot take place over Skype (or telephone), and it is not possible to find a mutually convenient alternative date and time either in-person or on Skype for both client and therapist then the session fee will be refunded in full if already paid in advance.

 

For more information contact Charlotte Batchelor via Quintessence Portal at [email protected]

 

Appendix 1

Risk Assessment York Natural Health Ltd 1st June 2020

 

Return of Practitioners to work with Covid-19 protocol

Phased return of practitioners to Risk assess at each stage of re-opening.

Running without reception staff

Automated Emails/ Texts and Website instructions to inform patients of protocol

Notice on door asking for anyone with symptoms not to enter.

Notice in reception asking people to maintain 2m distance

Notice in reception asking people to wash their hands before coming in for treatment

Keep the practice well ventilated- open the side door if warm enough.

Side Door sensor is in hallway – make sure this is on to alert you of client arrival

Open a window in the room to provide fresh air ventilation if warm enough

If too hot in the room then fans are permitted. The HSE has stated “The risk of transmission through the use of ceiling and desk fans is extremely low.” HSE Site

 

For Patients / Clients

All clients asked to arrive no more than 5 minutes before their appointment time. Wait in their car if they arrive early.

Instruct clients to wash their hands with soap and water on entering the practice.

Ask them not to touch surfaces or bring excess bags with them (one bag permissible) and to bring their own water with them and to have used their own toilet facilities at home before coming to the practice where possible. To come alone where possible, unless a chaperone is required.

Clients should be asked by their practitioner to inform their practitioner should they use our toilet facilities for more than hand washing, to be cleaned by the practitioner. Gloves and cleaning products provided in upstairs private laundry room.

If you will be closer than 2 m distance, then masks are to be worn by the patient, purchasable at reception for £1. Clients may bring their own masks. Please inform your client ahead of time of this necessity. Practitioners must also wear a mask when closer than 2 metres in the room.

Reception chairs have been spaced out 2 metres apart and facing away from doorways.

Patient appointments have been spaced out to on the hour on the quarter past the hour. For a Third practitioner on the half past the hour would avoid any excess contact in the waiting area. For the fourth treatment room on the quarter to the hour would work. Please discuss options with Alison.

Slots have been made one hour long for the 30 -40 minute osteopathy appointment time to facilitate room cleaning and avoid patient contact in reception

Ask patients to inform the authorities and you their practitioner and for the practitioner to inform YNH Alison Waring at [email protected] if anyone who has been on the premises in the last 14 days has symptoms of Coronavirus. This will lead to YNH contacting all practitioners who have been on site during that time.

 

For the rooms

Surfaces have been decluttered to enable easy cleaning down between sessions.

Water is not to be provided to clients to prevent sharing of glasses between clients, however well cleaned. Ask your client to bring their own water.

Couches are not to have covers.

All couches are to be wiped down with disinfectant between every client and at the end of the session. Wipes are provided.

Couch roll can be used to lie on.

Pillow cases must be changed between each client and stripped after use and placed in the laundry bin.

Laundry must be placed inside the bin bags in the laundry basket in the room to avoid contamination. These will be removed by the practice management team each day for laundering.

Washing will take place at 40degrees with the tumble dryer reaching over 60 degrees to disinfect. All handles to be wiped down on washing machines and dryer.

All surfaces and especially those that have been touched are to be wiped down between clients.

Wipe-able chairs provided in treatment rooms to be wiped between clients.

Wipe down arms of chairs in reception

Wipe down the card machine after use and keyboard in reception after use.

Wipes left in reception for this purpose.

No food to be eaten in the therapy rooms, until the new staff room upstairs is available please find a free room ( currently room 1) for lunch break. Check doors for engaged sign.

 

For the practitioner

The downstairs staff room is out of bounds until it’s opened as a fourth treatment room in August.

All cash boxes are stored in the filing cabinet in room 2-  key in pen pot on desk.

Pigeon holes are now under the stairs and the laundry cleaning room is the Private room upstairs

Give a triage call to assess symptoms before the appointment or send out an online form questionnaire to check no symptoms of Covid-19- this can be automated through the diary software if the client is booked into practice hub.

Consider taking your own temperature daily and your patient’s temperature on arrival. There is a thermometer in reception for you to use. Clean with a disinfectant wipe after you have used this.

Mark down cleaning between each patient and keep a list of names and addresses of all people who have come to the practice with the date they came.

Payments for Adhoc room rental will be made via xero invoicing from now on rather than the card machine.

Envelopes are in the waiting room cupboard. If you are distancing rather than wearing ppe and if patients wish to pay by cash you can provide an envelope on the desk for them to put their money in.

Wash your hands on arrival in the practice.

Open all doors for your clients

Wipe down all surfaces in the room after your client paying particular attention to any surfaces touched by you or your client.

Wearing PPE- must be put on and taken off when client not in the room

Dispose of ppe / wipes in the tall metal bins with bin bags – these are no longer for recycling- they are for landfill. Any paper waste from couch roll to be placed in tall metal bins.

Recycling paper waste not in contact with clients can be placed in the wire mesh bin under then desk.

Keep the door to the therapy room open between treatment sessions, for ventilation, it can be closed during the session.

For Osteopathy / Acupuncture/ Massage – take case history remotely and then make appointment times 30 minutes long with 20 minutes surface cleaning time between appointments.

If undertaking hands on therapy -Wear mask, apron / change of clinic coat and gloves for each patient. Dispose carefully in the tall metal bin.

All practitioners are to provide their own PPE.

Disinfectant and wipes will be provided in each room for practitioners use.

Rooms will be cleaned before the start of each day, but cleaning between clients is the practitioner’s responsibility. Also cleaning down surfaces at the end of your session is required.

Floors and a deeper clean including laundry and waste removal will be undertaken by Alison until cleaning staff return.

Watch this video for safe donning and doffing of PPE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GncQ_ed-9w

Wipe down card machine with disinfectant wipes after each transaction and the desk surface in reception if it has been touched by the client. Wipes on reception desk side.

For those charging £45 or less contactless payment can be made if you use our card facilities.

Apple pay is accepted or phone contactless payment for any amount on our card machine

Cleaning records to be taken for each room dated and time of each clean- see print out of cleaning log to be filled in by each practitioner.

To avoid congestion there is a front door key in the desk drawer in reception, if you wish to utilise this – Ebor and York Remedial Therapies your clients can come in or leave via the front door.

The bannister needs to be wiped down by the therapist if clients touch this going up or downstairs.

If the front door is used, then gel hand cleaner can be placed on the hall bookcase.

No more than 4 people including practitioner in any one therapy room (room 2) other rooms max 3 people. 2 people max in reception.