The New Normal - How We’ve Adapted to COVID-19
By now it must go without saying that COVID-19 has changed our world, how we work, live and connect with one another. It has certainly been one of the greatest challenges our business has faced…but also a unique opportunity to adapt and find new and better ways to provide the high quality care our clients have come to expect in a way that keeps us all as safe as possible. In this post, I’ll share with you some of the steps we’ve taken to fight back against coronavirus and give you peace of mind when visiting our practice.
Online Video Consultations
Seeing the development the coronavirus on the lead up to lock-down, we were able to quickly prepare and implement our new online video consultation service for new and existing clients. Now running for around 3 months, this service has proven extremely helpful to many people and, based on it’s success, we intend on keeping this is service available to any and all who would like it – to find out more about this, check out our online video consultations blog post here.
Appointment-Only Entry
We have put in place an appointment-only policy on entering our practice and clear signs on the front door. This means nobody should enter the building who isn’t a member of the team or has a pre-booked appointment, therefore greatly reducing the number of physical contacts on a daily basis. Contact Details are of course available at the top and bottom of our website and on the front door itself.
15 Minute Clean and Protect Gaps
One of the most significant (but essential) changes for our team to work with is mandatory 15 minute gaps between appointments unless you are attending with another member of your household. This has a big impact on our capacity but makes two important things possible – firstly is allows plenty of time for a thorough clean down of the clinic and reception areas between each and every client. Secondly, as we are currently a single-chair practice, it should allow you to come for your appointment and leave again without crossing over with another client, thus giving you less contact and less risk.
Full PPE
Something we are all seeing (and hopefully using) a lot more these days! As healthcare professionals we see it as our duty to set a high standard of personal protective equipment (PPE) and as such you will be seeing our Podiatrists and reception team in PPE that follows guidance we receive from the College of Podiatry. We are also asking (if you can) to attend with your own PPE, particularly a mask.
Sneeze Screens & Sanitiser
We have installed 2 large Perspex “sneeze screens” for our reception area to create an extra layer of protection for you and the team when first entering the practice. Our hand sanitizer unit is now being highlighted to everyone visiting and we are asking each and every person to make use of this.
Advanced Air Filtration
Over a year ago we installed a high-end Dyson air filtration system in our clinic room. We did our homework before investing and the key reason for choosing this product was the superior quality of the filter which can remove air-borne particles including viruses as small as 0.1 microns (the coronavirus is approximately 3 microns in size so easily and reliably filtered). With hindsight, this has proven to be a wise decision to further keep the practice as safe as possible.
Ongoing Care & Attention
We are indebted to the amazing people at the College of Podiatry (to which I am a proud member) who have worked tirelessly to keep it’s members abreast of the latest COVID-19 developments and the standards to which we can follow to keep all of us as safe as possible. We as a team are deeply committed to doing our part to stop the spread of coronavirus and will continue to monitor and adapt our practice policies and team training to ensure we keep our promise – to provide truly exception foot and ankle care for the people of the Scottish Borders and beyond, with professionalism and (under the mask) a great big smile!