River Bank Clinic - October 2020 Newsletter

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- RIVER BANK CLINIC - Your Twilight Clinic is expanding and going all Yin! Read about it below and the latest government guidelines too   E - Newsletter: October 2020 Hello, and welcome to River Bank's irregular clinic newsletter. If you are a new patient, and wanting to read about the C-19 procedures in place prior to your first visit, then you may want to skip this bit and scroll down. Otherwise, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride :-) South Yorkshire moved into Tier Three from 00.01 on Saturday 24 October 2020. This has required some local restriction of, or adjustment to, the way some local businesses operate. What does this mean for River Bank Clinic and its patients? There is no change to operating procedures for the River Bank Clinic as we are a designated health care setting and are following our own Covid-19 secure operating practices. So the good news is, the River Bank Clinic remains open and there is no disruption to your treatment continuity.   Saying that, we all need to do our very best to minimise the risk where possible. Please be assured that it is absolutely fine to cancel and reschedule your appointment when you are not feeling your best. As for myself, over the past few months, I have severely restricted and curtailed my social activities and engagements  in order to provide you with the longevity of service. This has included limiting my face to face meetings with friends, attending places of gathering or shopping//entertainment.   Nevertheless, as many of you know,  I am a Beaver Scout leader.  I strongly believe that at this time we must safeguard the mental health and wellbeing of our children and so I have resumed my volunteering, subject to meetings being in smaller groups and then only where socially distanced and outside.  However, I am also a parent and I am aware that there is a risk of contracting C-19 from my Y6 and Y7 boys, as I don't wear full PPE to cuddle them (when they let me!). I understand that these facts may inform your decision making at this time and I fully understand :-)    -Your Twilight Clinic is expanding and going all Yin -  I have been operating an irregular evening clinic for sometime now. To meet the current demand in addition to my regular working days at the River Bank of Wednesday and Thursdays,  the Twilight clinic will now run on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings for the foreseeable future. The appointments start from 5:30pm and the slots are limited, so get booking in. The bookings for this clinic are taken now for the date commencing 27 October, with some slots booked in already!  The Twilight is going all Yin....and what does that mean?  This is a simple recognition of the current and upcoming season and the time of the day. It is said that Yin is soft and yielding and dark and relaxing. In other words my evening clinic will greet you with turned down lights, warmth and an enhanced comfort aiming for a  deeply relaxing and immersive experience where possible. "Oh, but I need some hard core bodywork and an orthopaedic acupuncture!" No worries, your treatment outcomes are not compromised, after all there is no Yin without Yang, right?  The Yi (different to Yin, see below) simply acknowledges the passing of the time and season. If Yin is too difficult a concept, simply think of Hygge (which retailers did a good job of "promoting" last winter).  The concept of "Yi" is quite hard to translate but it is something akin to intention and focus. During the treatment you may see me go still or quiet, this is when I move my attention to the end of the needle. If you feel you or your children would benefit from some stillness and focus (Yi) practice, here is a video I recorded earlier, showing you how to make coins stick to a wall. No funky business, just focus and determination. Oh, and it looks cool too! Have a go, have fun, stay safe!   We have taken the following steps in order to be Covid-19 secure.  The key steps were initially introduced on 15 June to safely provide an 'urgent care only' practice. After a recent review some minor tweaks have been introduced but most of our adaptions remain to keep you as safe as possible.  Key Steps Taken 1. Treatment Spacing We are not running at full capacity with appointments having extra spacing between them. This will allow for additional room cleaning time and prevent patient crossover.  Inevitably this means that we have less appointment slots available but we will do all we can to accommodate you.      2. Soft Furnishings and Surfaces All clinic surfaces at River Bank Integrative Health have now been ‘decluttered’, ready for wipe down cleaning and disinfection between the treatments. Rest assured, just like before, all pillowcases and towels are changed after each patient. We already followed good infection control measures, so this is just a little extension to what we already do.   3. Soap & Disinfectant As has always been the case, I wash my hands prior to any physical contact and again immediately after. I will also ask patients to wash their hands upon arrival. The clinic’s bathroom is now equipped with paper towels and a forearm operated soap dispenser.   4. Opening Doors Please allow me to open all doors for you on arrival (and exit) at River Bank Integrative Health. Please make use of the banister on your way up/down as all touch areas including door handles and the banister are disinfected between patients.   5. Masks, for You & Myself I will be wearing a face mask on your arrival and I have also spaced chairs in the treatment room 2m apart. Patients are asked to wear a mask also. You may wear your own mask, but River Bank Integrative Health can provide one if you like. 6. Cleaning We have fully reviewed our (already robust) cleaning procedures and increased the time between patients for thorough room cleaning and ventilation. The clinic is fully stocked with hand sanitiser, soap, disinfectants, wipes and all other PPE equipment.     7. Toilet Facilities Our toilet facilities will remain open but we mention that it may be easier to go before or after visiting River Bank Integrative Health. For your convenience 75% alcohol disinfectant wipes are provided, for those who do use our facilities. Please note, these wipes are not flushable and need to be disposed off in the bin provided.    8. Payment River Bank Integrative Health is now a cashless business. All payments will be taken via bank transfer prior to your appointment at the clinic.     9 Tips to Remember Before and During Your Treatment 1. Check Symptoms I will ask you some Covid-19 health screening questions upon your arrival and may ask to take your temperature with a contactless thermometer.       2. Bathroom The toilet facilities are open for use, however, at River Bank Integrative Health we encourage you to use your own bathroom before and/or after treatment.     3. Be on Time Please arrive promptly. Upon your arrival, please wait in your car outside the clinic. Text me when you arrive and I will come out to greet you and open the door for you.      4. Wash & Disinfect Please wash your hands in our bathroom. Disposable paper towels and a forearm operated soap dispenser are provided for your convenience.       5. Masks Please wear a mask at all times whilst at River Bank Integrative Health.  We have masks available if you forget.  If you are having facial acupuncture we will discuss how we will undertake this prior to your appointment.      6. Consent Our insurance and good practice requires an increased level of consent from all patients. This is to check that you do not think you are at risk of bringing Covid-19 into River Bank Integrative Health and that you consent to treatment where the practitioner will need to be within two metres of you. This will be emailed to you prior to your appointment or as part of your pre-treatment telephone consultation.   7. Telephone Triage All new patients (and returning patients with altered treatment objectives) will undergo a telephone call triage prior to their first or restarted treatment. This interview typically takes up to 45 minutes and the objective is to minimise 'talking'  time in our shared space. There is no charge for this.   8. Cough and Sneezes Please adhere to good hygiene practice and cough/sneeze into the crook of your elbow to avoid spreading germs, and even better please follow the Catch It, Bin It, Kill  It advice. Tissues, waste bins and handwashing facilities are available throughout the clinic.   9. Payment All payments should be made prior to your physical appointment by bank transfer. The above phases are guided by current clinical and government advice. They are also designed to inform our actions in case we are required to restrict practice owing to the Covid-19 infection rate or prevalence increasing.  We are currently in the Phase 2 - Careful Practice (now open for all treatments), having initially re-opened on 15 June in Phase 4 - Urgent Care only practice. The Phase 4 practice provided us with the opportunity to embed and test our enhanced C-19 clinical routines, and we are now comfortable with the procedures that are in place.  The Covid-19 related disruption in to your acupuncture treatment affected the quality of life of many of you. An increase in (previously acupuncture controlled) chronic pain, reduced mobility, hot flushes, menstrual cycle disorders and often of newly acquired anxiety and sleep disturbances have all been reported to me.   At this time, and if you are feeling ready, I would like to welcome all patients back and invite you to resume your routine acupuncture appointments. Some of you have prepaid treatment cycles and of course that payment has been carried forward.  Please get in touch if you would like to discuss any aspect of your treatment and the safety measures that are in place.  I look forward to seeing you again soon.  Pavlina    We Want to Hear Your Suggestions We want to ensure that your health and safety is catered for from the moment you book your appointment to the moment you walk out of the door.   At River Bank Integrative Health, we have carried out a full risk assessment and worked hard to provide a Covid-19 secure environment.   However, we always look to improve, so if you think of anything else or if you have ANY questions in advance of your treatment, please email us at: pavlinafialova.acupuncture@gmail.com We are looking forward to seeing you very soon. In the meantime, please do take care and stay safe. Pavlina Social distancing works! Please help us to break the chain of virus transfer. Thank You :-)   Copyright © 2020 PF ACUPUNCTURE All rights reserved Contact us at: https://www.pfacupuncture.com/contact-me Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. In certain specific circumstances we are obligated by law to provide your name, phone number or email and the date and time of your appointment to NHS Test and Trace. By attending an appointment you consent to this.  For further information please ask to see our Covid 19 Personal Data Policy. Thank you