Big News
Face to Face here we come
After careful deliberation, we have received assurances from the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) , and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP), that we can start to provide face to face physiotherapy appointments. These will be starting from the 6th of July, only in our Basingstoke Clinic.
It is important to emphasise, that these appointments will not be like how they were before the lockdown, and there will be many stipulations in place. We are still being advised that virtual treatment is strongly advised, but there are some factors which will allow us to move to a face to face session. I must add, that the current advice is extremely strict, therefore not every client will be recommended face to face treatment, only those who have met the strict criteria set by the HCPC and the CSP.
Firstly, all new and existing clients WILL require an online assessment. This allows us to not only assess the area to see if face to face is appropriate, but to also screen you for any COVID-19 symptoms. We have had excellent results with our online appointments with the use of our bespoke telehealth system and our exercise prescription app. In most cases, an accurate diagnosis can be obtained via an online session, and we can help to resolve the issue just as effectively online as we would in person.
For clients who meet the criteria to have face to face sessions, there will be rules in place to protect your safety and ours. Upon arrival, you will not be able to wait in the facility, you must wait in your car or in the car park until you are called through. From there we will take your temperature with our contactless thermometer. Upon entry, you must have a face mask in situ, which you will be required to provide. Once in the facility, we will be stressing to respect the 2 meter social distancing guidelines as much as possible.
To minimise any risk of infection, we will also be wearing a facemask, gloves, and a disposable apron. We will be disinfecting the room and all equipment immediately after the session, and the room will be left empty for 15 minutes between sessions to aid with the disinfecting process.
So the big question is, how will a physiotherapy session change? Physical contact will be kept to a minimum to prevent unnecessary risks. There has not been a conclusive stance on acupuncture, and if that would be a potential risk factor, so until this has been clarified, we will not be providing any acupuncture treatments. Regarding sports massage, this has not given the all clear, therefore we will not be returning to sports massage until we are issued firm clarification that it is safe to do so.
For all future sessions booked, we will email a more detailed summary of how this process will work to ensure clarity and your safety at all times.
If you have any questions or you are interested in booking in, please do not hesitate to contact us