Clinic Health + Safety
During Covid-19 PandemicWorking to ensure you and our greater community stay safe + well.
You are at the heart of our practice and we are doing everything we can to keep you and your family safe!
Important Changes
To all my wonderful patients, in line with current government guidance, I want to assure you that I have considered every measure to ensure your safety whilst in clinic. I have created a clinic manifesto that I encourage you to download and read, below.
This details the intricate steps I have taken and will continue to take until this pandemic is more under control.
At the heart of our values here at Life + Lemons is to always create a welcoming, healing, nurturing space for you to come and escape the world. This has absolutely not changed but there will be a few changes
that require your attention prior to your up-coming treatment.
These are detailed in this document so please ensure you read them thoroughly, for your own safety and for the safety of our community.
It is to the clinics benefit that we are petite and tucked away with just 2 treatment rooms. There will only ever be one practitioner working at any one time and treatments will be spaced to ensure you don’t encounter another soul on entry or exit.
Rest assured, I am doing everything I can to make you feel safe but also have a restful and restorative experience.
I encourage you to please download the new health + safety manifesto below and read through the additional steps we have taken to keep you safe.
Your Step-by-Step guide to attending your next appointment
Online, Virtual Appointments
If you are a new patient, you will required to attend a free 30 minute consultation, prior to attending your physical treatment. This will be conducted by video call or a simple phone call if you would prefer. Details about how to join this consultation will be given to you when booking your appointment.
All follow-up appointments will be offered in person however, treatment is subject to a number of conditions detailed below. Please read carefully and email us should you have any questions.
Check Symptoms
4 hours before your appointment you will be sent an email asking you to fill out a short survey regarding your current state of health. It is ESSENTIAL you complete this survey prior to your appointment. Failure to do so will mean that you won’t be able to attend your treatment and you will be charged the full cancellation fee. This is to ensure both your safety and the safety of the practitioner.
So please check your emails 4 hours before your treatment and complete the short survey.
If you have started to develop symptoms in that time or you’ve been in close contact with someone that has then you will be asked to rearrange your treatment until after a period of quarentine, defined by the government. You will not be charged for this late cancelled appointment.
Bathroom
The bathroom is still open for use however I encourage you to use your own bathroom before and after treatment.
Arrive on time
It is essential you arrive on time to your appointment, more so now than ever. The reception room is no longer serving as a waiting room so if you do arrive early, you are encouraged to wait in your car (or on the bench outside). The clinic door will be locked until such a time that you are allowed in to clinic, at your appointment time.
Masks
This is now a legal requirement, outlined by GOV / WHO. If you don’t come with your own mask, you will be provided with one.
Shoes
On arrival in to clinic, you will be asked to place your shoes in a shoe box. You will be asked to place all your belongings in this same box too, to avoid you touching anything and ensure a safe and sterile environment during your time in clinic.
Wash + Disinfect
After you have placed all your belongings in the box, you will be asked to wash your hands for a minimum of 30 seconds with soap and water. There is also hand sanitiser that you can use on arrival/exit too.
Drinking + Reading
It’s with sadness that I will not be able to offer you cups of tea or magazines to read during your visit. It is my hope that this will change in the future and the waiting area will become a space of peace and relaxation once again. I will be providing paper, disposable cups for water however I encourage you to bring your own drinking vessel.
Your Safety is our Priority
The clinic has consistently had in place very strict guidelines regarding health and safety, throughout the Pandemic. As a private healthcare clinic we are bound to follow PSA, PHE and BAcC guidelines and as such we have been able to stay open throughout each tier and lockdown.
Each practitioner has also undergone thorough, additional WHO recommended health and safety training on the areas of hand washing, waste disposal and cleaning.
We aim to stagger all treatments to help you maintain correct social distancing procedures at all times.
I want to ensure that you feel like your health and safety is catered for from the moment you book your appointment to the moment you walk out of the door. If there is anything I can do in advance of your treatment, please email [email protected].
What to Expect From Your Practitioner during the pandemic
To ensure your optimal safety on confidence whilst in clinic, we are adhering to the strictest health and safety protocols:
- Daily Lateral Flow testing on clinic days
- FFP2 Filtered Masks during more severe/critical stages of the pandemic. IIR masks will be used at all other times.
- Regular deep clean of the clinic
- Cleaning down before every patient with medical grade anti viral products
- Medical grade air purifier on throughout treatment. On boost in between treatments.
- Velux windows slightly open to allow for adequate ventilation
- Wearing of scrubs, deep cleaned at 60 degrees after each clinic shift.
Please be reassured that all the steps detailed above are only in the interest of your safety. But the clinic and treatment itself is still the warm, loving, nurturing, feminine and safe space it has always been.
Despite there being masks disguising our smiles and a 2 metre distance between us, rest assured that you will always get the same attention and care as you have grown to love and expect from your previous treatments in clinic.
If you do have any further questions regarding any of the steps detailed above prior to your appointment, please contact me directly on [email protected]
Testimonial
“It was my first visit today and I was a little nervous. I definitely didn’t need to be. All the Covid precautions were some of the best I’d seen and it was beautifully clean. We had a lovely chat through the issues I’m struggling with, I didn’t feel rushed at all and it was nice to have someone listen and reassure me. The actual acupuncture was quick and painless and actually relaxing. I’m looking forward to my next visit”
– Jilly McMaster, November 2021
Safety + Quality Assured
Member of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC)
BAcC Members uphold to the highest standards in safe practice. It is very important to check that your acupuncturist is safe and competent. Acupuncture in the UK is not currently regulated by government, although this is expected to change in the near future.
All members of the BAcC can offer you the following assurances:
- BSc or BA degree level training or its equivalent in traditional acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and western biomedical sciences including anatomy, physiology and pathology (3,600 hours of study)
- compliance with current UK health and safety legislation
- full medical malpractice and public/products liability insurance cover
- expert practice skills maintained by following a mandatory individual programme of continuing professional development (CPD)
- regular updates from the BAcC regarding practitioners’ professional obligations to the public compliance with BAcC and patient access to the BAcC complaints and disciplinary procedures
Acupuncturists registered with the BAcC carry the letters MBAcC after their name.
Your Acupuncture Treatment is Covered by Private Health Insurance
Did you know that your acupuncture treatment is covered by your private health insurance? As a member of the British Acupuncture Council (MBaC), you are able to claim back up to 75% of your treatment costs back when you receive treatment from Kimberley. We will email you a receipt after each treatment and you simply need to send this off to your insurance company to be reimbursed. This makes your acupuncture treatment accessible and affordable for persistent problems that require a series of treatments in succession.
Find out if your insurance company covers you by following the link below.
