Covid-19

Osteopaths, along with other Allied Health Professionals are considered essential workers & as such have been able to work throughout the Lockdown period to treat emergency cases, the decision to stay open being left up to the individual practice.  As the seriousness of the Covid-19 Pandemic became apparent, David Langdon of Langdon Osteopathy took the decision to stop treating patients directly. This was for personal reasons as he had to care for vulnerable relatives & also to protect existing & new patients from potential exposure to the virus.

Now that Lockdown conditions are easing, following Government Guidelines along with advice from Osteopathy’s Professional Body & speaking to the owners at John Bruno Total Training in Penarth & Sky Spa in Barry, David along with other therapists have decided the time is right to start seeing patients again.

How will we now operate?

At John Bruno’s, to reduce the number of people coming in to the premises it has been decided that only 1 therapist will be working in the basement treatment room at any given time & as such each therapist has been allocated a block booking slot to see patients.

Sky Spa in Barry are likely to follow a similar procedure but this will be updated ASAP

To maintain social distancing we ask that you wait outside the premises, if possible in your car & to call or text when you arrive & the therapist will call & welcome you inside when ready.

For the appointment you will be asked to wear a face-mask & to bring your own towel to place on the treatment table.

There will be hand sanitizer for you to use when entering & leaving the building.

The treatment room will be cleaned between each appointment & your therapist will wear appropriate PPE

What changes are there at Langdon Osteopathy.

The biggest change will be how the appointment is carried out, especially for new patients or existing patients with new conditions.

Normally, on your 1st visit, your osteopath will take a detailed medical/case history at the time of your appointment. To reduce the amount of time spent, face to face the case history will now be taken beforehand, either via a telephone call or by video link using e.g. Skype or Zoom. If possible some of the physical examination may also be taken in this way. There are 2 advantages to this, the main being reducing the time in contact but also to avoid taking a case history whilst wearing a face mask which may make communication difficult.

David will wear PPE at the appointment as appropriate

Patients will be screened before-hand for Covid symptoms & also to assess the risk status. The following is take from the NHS’s web-site:

Who's at higher risk from coronavirus

Coronavirus (COVID-19) can make anyone seriously ill. But for some people, the risk is higher.

There are 2 levels of higher risk:

High risk (clinically extremely vulnerable)

Moderate risk (clinically vulnerable)

Important

The lists below may not include everyone who's at higher risk from coronavirus and may change as we learn more about the virus.

People at high risk (clinically extremely vulnerable)

People at high risk from coronavirus include people who:

  • have had an organ transplant
  • are having chemotherapy or antibody treatment for cancer, including immunotherapy
  • are having an intense course of radiotherapy (radical radiotherapy) for lung cancer
  • are having targeted cancer treatments that can affect the immune system (such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors)
  • have blood or bone marrow cancer (such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma)
  • have had a bone marrow or stem cell transplant in the past 6 months, or are still taking immunosuppressant medicine
  • have been told by a doctor they have a severe lung condition (such as cystic fibrosis, severe asthma or severe COPD)
  • have a condition that means they have a very high risk of getting infections (such as SCID or sickle cell)
  • are taking medicine that makes them much more likely to get infections (such as high doses of steroids or immunosuppressant medicine)
  • have a serious heart condition and are pregnant

Information:

If you're at high risk from coronavirus, you should have received a letter from the NHS.

Speak to your GP or hospital care team if you have not been contacted and think you should have been.

What to do if you're at high risk

If you're at high risk from coronavirus, you're advised to take extra steps to protect yourself.

This is called shielding.

People at moderate risk (clinically vulnerable)

People at moderate risk from coronavirus include people who:

  • are 70 or older
  • are pregnant
  • have a lung condition that's not severe (such as asthma, COPD, emphysema or bronchitis)
  • have heart disease (such as heart failure)
  • have diabetes
  • have chronic kidney disease
  • have liver disease (such as hepatitis)
  • have a condition affecting the brain or nerves (such as Parkinson's disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy)
  • have a condition that means they have a high risk of getting infections
  • are taking medicine that can affect the immune system (such as low doses of steroids)
  • are very obese (a BMI of 40 or above)

What to do if you're at moderate risk

If you're at moderate risk from coronavirus, you can go out to work (if you cannot work from home) and for things like getting food or exercising. But you should try to stay at home as much as possible.

It's very important you follow the general advice on social distancing, including staying at least 2 metres (3 steps) away from anyone you do not live with.

Unlike people at high risk, you will not get a letter from the NHS.

If you have any questions about your appointment please don’t hesitate to ask