What we got up to during Lockdown
Posted on 11th June 2020 at 13:45
The Coronavirus is by no means over but luckily for my sanity and your foot and leg problems we were allowed to reopen our clinic this month.
We rely on advice from The College of Podiatry who support and insure us as well as advice from the government.
Much as I would like to say that I am a deep mahogany brown from sunbathing in lockdown weather, it’s not in my nature to lounge around, guilty conscience, I guess.
After the initial overwhelm began to dissipate, I decided on a short-term plan of action; a) to get me out of the house for a few hours and b) because I didn’t have a long-term plan.
This plan of action involved going through every drawer, cupboard and shelf and decluttering. You can only imagine what rubbish I came across, why oh why do we hold onto things that have no use anymore, I think Marie Kondo would have been proud of the amount I chucked out. Next, I began a deep clean involving a lot of dusting, bleach and of course elbow grease.
As I cleaned, I decided to paint… everything. Doors, door frames, skirting boards and walls, even the reception desk got a fresh coat. Around about the time the paint was being relentlessly applied the issue of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) began raising its head.
Prior to COVID-19 we always wore gloves and aprons in clinic. Of course, we always washed our hands in Hibiscrub® or used a 70% alcohol hand sanitizer between patients and we also cleaned the patient chair after every patient. Mask wearing was saved for when we used our drill and we have a Vax® Air Purifier in clinic too.
Now, with COVID-19 lurking in every crevice we needed to do more to keep our patient’s and ourselves safe. There is a great online support network amongst podiatrists and through this I was able to learn that not only was PPE scarce it was triple the price!!! Some entrepreneurial podiatrists had sussed the need for PPE as lockdown commenced and had sourced masks, gloves, aprons and hand sanitizer wholesale solely for us to purchase and in spite of the inflated prices I ordered lots and lots.
So now when you come to see us you will find a few things have changed.
1. We need you to use the buzzer to the right of the door.
2. Once inside use the hand sanitizer from the dispenser on you right.
3. The podiatrist will then approach you in full PPE: mask, visor, apron and gloves and take your temperature using our infrared thermometer.
4. Just walk straight on into the main surgery, all the doors will be open.
5. The podiatrist will ask you a few COVID-19 related questions and then get on with your treatment.
6. Following your treatment, the podiatrist will open the surgery door and you can head toward the reception desk.
7. The reception desk has a tall safety screen with an opening to pass the contactless card machine through. Then it’s time to rebook and if you choose, we can send a text or email with this information.
8. Once you leave, we leap into action cleaning; chairs, door handles right down to the buzzer where your treatment began.
There is a short video below to walk you through the process.
I hope you feel we have done enough but don’t just take my word for it.
I visited Stride Clinic on Friday 5th June since it reopened after lockdown due to the COVID pandemic. As soon as I entered the clinic (after having had to ring the doorbell) I felt reassured. Clearly a detailed risk assessment had been undertaken, whereby all aspects of safety and hygiene had been considered, including hand sanitiser and plastic screens around the reception area. Janet wore PPE and I felt totally secure and safe. I can highly recommend this clinic!!!
Hazel Jones
I felt very safe and I think everything was done to make sure all COVID measurements were met to a high standard. You both made me at feel at ease especially as this was my first time out in 12 weeks. Many thanks Linda x
Linda Worman
Tagged as: Coronavirus, COVID-19
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