In order to ensure the health and wellbeing of staff and patients alike there are several new procedures in place to manage the risk of Covid-19.
Prior to any appointment every person will have to complete a Covid-19 screening and risk assessment. This is non negotiable and failure to do so will mean that appointment will be cancelled. You will receive an online form via the Acuity Scheduling system. This information and risk assessment form can also be downloaded by clicking here. You can then complete the form and either scan or photograph it the night/morning before your appointment and send it to info@philiptrubshaw.com.
The form consists of the following questions:-
1.Have you had a high temperature? (this can mean feeling hot to touch on your chest and back – you do not need to measure your temperature)
2 Have you had a new continuous cough? (this means coughing a lot for more than an hour or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours – if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
3 Have you lost sensations of taste or smell?
4 Have you had close contact (under 2 metres) with anyone with a confirmed Covid-19 diagnosis or someone exhibiting the above 3 symptoms in the last 10 days
5 Have you recently travelled abroad and/or been instructed by the government to quarantine?
6 Have you been contacted by the government or NHS and told to self-isolate for any reason?
7 Do you fall under the clinically vulnerable category or the clinically extremely vulnerable category (see below)?
8 Do you live with someone who is in either the clinically vulnerable category or the clinically extremely vulnerable category (see below)?
9 I have taken the necessary government mandated steps of conducting a risk assessment and instituting new social distancing, hygiene, hand-washing and PPE procedures in my practice to minimise the risk of Covid-19 transmission. In the course of the consultation I will have to have non-socially distanced contact with you to perform the treatment, hence while I will meet very high standards of infection protection control, it is impossible to completely eliminate risk. Please let me know that you understand this and are happy to proceed with the treatment.
Clinically vulnerable people People in this category of risk include:
1. Anyone aged 70 and older (regardless of medical conditions)
2. Anyone under 70 with an underlying health condition (that is, anyone instructed to get a flu jab as an adult each year on medical grounds) – such as:
a. chronic (long-term) mild to moderate respiratory diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema or bronchitis
b. chronic heart disease, such as heart failure
c. chronic kidney disease
d. chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis
e. chronic neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), a learning disability or cerebral palsy
f. diabetes
g. a weakened immune system as the result of conditions such as HIV and AIDS, or medicines (such as steroid tablets )
h. being seriously overweight (a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or above)
i. pregnant women.
Clinically extremely vulnerable people:-
People in this category of risk include:
1. Solid organ transplant recipients.
2. People with specific cancers:
a. people with cancer who are undergoing active chemotherapy
b. people with lung cancer who are undergoing radical radiotherapy
c. people with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment
d. people having immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer
e. people having other targeted cancer treatments which can affect the immune system, such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors
f. people who have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants in the last 6 months, or who are still taking immunosuppression drugs
3. People with severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
4. People with rare diseases that significantly increase the risk of infections (such as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), homozygous sickle cell).
5. People on immunosuppression therapies sufficient to significantly increase risk of infection.
6. Women who are pregnant with significant heart disease, congenital or acquired.
7. Other people have also been classed as clinically extremely vulnerable, based on clinical judgement and an assessment of their needs. GPs and hospital clinicians have been provided with guidance to support these decisions.
More information about who has been classed as clinically extremely vulnerable is available on the NHS Digital website.
Details of new procedures to protect against transmission of Covid-19
As you will be aware all public places have created new rules for visitors to follow for their safety and the safety of others. Please read through before attending the clinic. If you have any further questions, please let me know.
Social distancing
We ask all visitors to the clinic to maintain a two metre distance from all other people in the clinic at all times. The only exception to this is with your practitioner who will let you know when it is appropriate to approach under two metre and for how long.
For social distancing reasons, unless you require assistance for specific support and care needs, we ask you to come alone for the appointment where possible unless a chaperone, parent or carer is required. Please leave accessory items (bags and coats) in the car, or travel with as little as possible.
Before arrival
If you or someone you live with develops symptoms of Covid-19 by the time of the appointment, please contact me before attending the clinic.
Entering the clinic
We have spaced out patient arrivals and departures so that all visitors to the clinic can remain socially distanced.
• You will receive a specific time for arrival. We would be grateful if you could enter the clinic at exactly that time. Or,
• When you arrive, please wait for a text from the practitioner before entering. Or,
• When you arrive, please take a seat in the waiting room but make sure you keep two metre distance from all other clinic visitors at all times
Handwashing
Please wash your hands immediately upon entering the clinic. You will be directed to the appropriate facilities. There will be a poster nearby to demonstrate handwashing techniques recommended by the NHS. Please also wash your hands before leaving the clinic.
Please watch the following video on correct handwashing technique
Face mask and respiratory hygiene
We are recommending that patients wear ordinary surgical masks to the clinic. You may bring your own or ask your practitioner to provide one for you upon entering the clinic. If you need to sneeze or cough while in the clinic, please do so into a disposable tissue and throw it away immediately. Please wash your hands immediately after doing so.
We are also encouraging cashless payment where possible.
Failure to wear a mask means that your treatment will be cancelled.
If you develop symptoms of Covid-19
Test and trace procedure if you develop COVID-19 symptoms
- Contact us immediately
2. Establish if our last point of contact was within 48 hours of your symptoms developing
3. If we were in contact under 48 hours prior to you developing symptoms, we will be required to self isolate for 14 days, the clinic & centre will be required to close and others who have been in contact informed.
4. You must:
a. self isolate for 14 days
b. get tested as soon as possible
c. Inform us of the result as soon as possible
Our main priority is your health and wellbeing, by adhering to these guidelines we can reduce the risk of catching Covid-19. Thank you for your cooperation and patience during these uncertain times.
Recording your details and how your information is used
To support NHS Test and Trace (part of the Department for Health and Social Care) in England, I have been mandated by law to collect and keep a limited record of patients and visitors who come onto the premises, for the purpose of contact tracing. By doing this, and by sharing these records with NHS Test and Trace where requested, I can help to identify people who may have been exposed to the coronavirus.
As a patient/visitor of Philip Trubshaw Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine you will be asked to provide the following basic information:
- your name
- contact phone number
- date of visit, and your arrival and departure times
As the data controller for the collection of your personal data, I will be responsible for compliance with data protection legislation for as long as I hold your information. When that information is requested by the NHS Test and Trace service, at that point they would be responsible for compliance with data protection legislation for that period of time.
The NHS Test and Trace service, as part of safeguarding your personal data, has in place technical, organisational and administrative security measures to protect your personal information that it receives from us/me, that it holds from loss, misuse, and unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration and destruction.
In addition, if you only interact with me during your visit, my name will be recorded alongside your information.
NHS Test and Trace have asked me to retain this information for 21 days from the date of your visit, to enable contact tracing to be carried out by NHS Test and Trace during that period. I will only share information with NHS Test and Trace if it is specifically requested by them.
For example, if another patient at the clinic reported symptoms and subsequently tested positive, NHS Test and Trace can request the log of patient/visitor details for a particular time period (for example, over a particular treatment slot, day, two-day period).
I will require you to prebook appointments for visits or to complete a form on arrival.
Under government guidance, the information I collect may include information which I would not ordinarily collect from you and which I therefore collect only for the purpose of contact tracing. Information of this type will not be used for other purposes, and NHS Test and Trace will not disclose this information to any third party unless required to do so by law (for example, as a result of receiving a court order). In addition, where the information is only collected for the purpose of contact tracing, it will be destroyed by me 21 days after the date of your visit.
However, the government guidance may also cover information that I would usually collect and hold onto as part of ordinary dealings with you (for example, your name, date of birth and phone number). Where this is the case, this information only will continue to be held after 21 days and I will use it as I usually would, unless and until you tell me not to.
Your information will always be stored and used in compliance with the relevant data protection legislation.
The use of your information is covered by the General Data Protection Regulations Article 6 (1) (c) – a legal obligation which this clinic is subject to. The legal obligation to which I am subject, means that I am mandated by law, by a set of new regulations from the government, to co-operate with the NHS Test and Trace service, in order to help maintain a safe operating environment and to help fight any local outbreak of coronavirus.
By law, you have a number of rights as a data subject, such as the right to be informed, the right to access information held about you and the right to rectification of any inaccurate data that I hold about you.
You have the right to request that I erase personal data about you that I hold (although this is not an absolute right).
You have the right to request that I restrict processing of personal data about you that I hold in certain circumstances.
You have the right to object to processing of personal data about you on grounds relating to your particular situation (also again this right is not absolute).
If you are unhappy or wish to complain about how your information is used, you should contact me in the first instance to resolve your issue.
Philip Trubshaw (07970693827, info@philiptrubshaw.com)
If you are still not satisfied, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. Their website address is www.ico.org.uk.
I keep my privacy notice under regular review, and I will make new versions available on my privacy notice page on https://philiptrubshaw.com/data-protection-policy/.