COVID-19 Procedure

COVID-19 PROCEDURE 

Start to finish procedure (COVID CLEANING) initial appointment

BEFORE

 - sanitise consult room before clients attends (table, chair, bed, door handles, pens) 

 - contact client for COVID-19 screening before entering the clinic

DURING

 - practitioner sanitises or washes hands 

 - client is wearing face mask 

 - check client is checking in with Service NSW 

 - keep door open in consult room to allow airflow 

 - monitor if client displays any "Aerosol generating behaviours" (AGBs, e.g. coughing, sneezing) or tasks their mask off for any reason (touches face, drinking, exemption) 

 - if need to touch or move client, ensure you are wearing PPE (e.g. gloves) and gloves are then removed in a hygienic manner. (dispose of in bin and wash or sanitise hands) 

AFTER 

 - after client leaves consult room, sanitise (table, chair, bed, door handles, pens) 

 - sanitise front desk, (EFTPOS, pens, clipboards) 

 - sanitise or wash hands after contact

Entry into clinic:

One on one in clinic

- Text remind two days before * See bellow *

- Screen clients  while notifying they can enter the clinic ... * See bellow *

- Clients to check in and SHOW tick to reception... if not possible sign in with COVID CHECKLIST at front desk.

TBC

COVID-19 Screening/ Questions

1. Do you have any cold or flu like symptoms? 

2. Have you been told that you are a close contact or have been in contact with a close contact (casual contact)?

3. Have you recently returned a positive RAT in the last 14days?

If YES any of the above  - kindly ask them to leave the clinic, monitor for symptoms and we will rebook them at the soonest time possible (if a casual or close contact ask if they have returned a negative RAT first)

Text Prior to Appointment 

Clients attending initial appointment during lockdown PRE TEXT 

" Hello _____

Due to the current COVID-19 circumstances, we ask that you please wait in your car before your appointment to reduce contact in the clinic. Please use the car park at the front of the clinic as we will see you arrive and call you when it is time for your appointment. 

Please contact us if you have any concerns or would like more information on our COVID-19 procedure" 

Cleaning Procedures: 

Between Clients 

Admin: Desk, bench, EFTPOS, pens, chairs if needed, drink station, door handle (every use) 

AEP: Gym - equipment used, cubes, consolation desk, chairs, beds (every use)

All: Bathrooms, all door handles (every 3 hours)

If POSITIVE Covid-19 case has attended clinic:

- Notify other clients from timeframe immediately  ( e.g. client attended Monday 10:45am - 1:35am... call all clients at the clinic from the time of entry until the end of the day) 

- Bulk text with information for following days ... (recommend test, mention procedure "due to our extensive cleaning procedure...", LOWER panic)

- call clients on same day, text, update us if positive test result...

- Deep Clean : Follow SAFE WORK AUS Instructions on "how to deep clean"

- All team members get tested (Clinic CLOSE until negative test results) 

- Reschedule clients, rebooking, send to do list for employees

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

COVID scripts

Client welcome:

Hi, welcome [name]. Can I just get you to please check in/put this mask on before taking a seat? Thank you.

While you are sitting down. Are you aware of any case locations you may have visited over the last few weeks in June?

Client does not wish to wear mask

-We understand your concern, however it is just a current regulation that we are required to follow for the next few weeks. We appreciate you helping us through this short period of time

If they refuse

- Do you know if you fall into the exemptions for wearing a mask? [explain exemptions]

- If you do not fall into any of these categories unfortunately it is required at the moment. We are the ones who get into trouble if you are not wearing a mask so you can see why we are asking you

Client cancellations due to being in lockdown area, sick, etc.

- Mention they can attend for a medical appointment (if they are well but in lockdown)

- Offer Telehealth

- Offer EP session at local park (if well)

- Offer home visit (if well)

Call enquiring to cancel:

If client has been in Greater Sydney, Wollongong or Shellharbour, they are still able to attend appointment as it is a medical reason IF they have not been to a Covid Case Location

Screening 

-

When we hear a client was a close/casual contact

- Find out the nature of the contact were they told Close or Casual Contact

- Call the client each day to check in on them (any symptoms etc)

- Get the dates from the client (date of their close contact)

- If they return a positive test, the infectious period will be the 2 calendar days prior to first symptoms or the date of the test

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

POSITIVE COVID CASE IN CLINIC PROCEDURE 

1. Find out when the Positive Case attended the clinic... appointment time, when they arrived and when they left... add a 15 minute buffer 

2. Ring all clients in that period of time (BE UP FRONT) *see script below*. (You DO NOT need to contact other clients who it does not effect and were not present on the day or after)

- If there are any questions you do not feel you have the knowledge to answer, take down the clients name, number and question to be passed on and escalated to the director.

3. Close clinic for that day as ALL STAFF present at the time of exposer will need a COVID test and wait till they receive negative results.

4. Reschedule clients for the following day 

5. Questions for the Positive Case (if you have been informed who it was) *see below* 

NSW Health Advice (obtained 10/01/2022)

QUESTIONS NSW HEALTH MAY ASK

- Confirm time of exposure 

- List of team on sight 

- What PPE was wore by those team members at the time

- How long was the Positive Case in each area 

- Who had direct contact with the Positive Case

QUESTIONS FOR POSITIVE CASE

- When do you remember entering the clinic

- Did you sign in immediately?

- Did you go to the front desk or straight to the exercise area?

- Did you sit in the Welcome Room?

- Did you touch or read any of the books in the Welcome Room?

- Did you place anything in the client storage ?

- Did you use the Filtered Water Station in the Welcome Room?

- Did you remove your mask for any reason in while in the clinic. This includes drinking water, to breath in between exercises or while in the bathroom?

- Did you enter the consult room at any point in time?

- Did you use the bathroom facilities ( if so, which cubical?)?

- Did you touch anything in the non client area e.g. the staff area, behind the front desk, the EP's standing desk?

- Is there anything else you feel we may need to know? 

SCRIPT FOR INFORMING CLIENTS OF POSITIVE CASE IN CLINIC 

" Hi CLIENT, we are providing a curtesy call today, some information has just come to light and we want to share that with you (*the information we know*) 

* We have been informed of a COVID Positive person attending the clinic between (time they entered) and (time they left)... our records show you were at the clinic during that period. We need you to follow the public health advice and recommend you get a Covid-19 test. We also want to reassure you we have been following the NSW Health guidelines for regular cleaning and COVID-19 protocol e.g. appropriate PPE, personal hygiene of all Effect's Staff*  

What questions do you now have for me?"

Possible Questions:

What about my next appointment? 

Who was the person with COVID? 

Staff Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) Protocol

Staff are required to have routine testing to ensure that we limit spread of COVID-19 to keep our clients safe and other staff safe.

All Full-Time staff are required to take a RAT test the day prior to starting the working week (eg. Sunday) and mid-week (eg. Wednesday). This is required to cover staff if they are COVID-19 positive yet asymptomatic.

Other times to have a RAT

• • If you are feeling cold & flu like symptoms (Please inform manager/director that you are unwell regardless of RAT result)

  • If you fall under the category of a close contact

  • If you generally feel you may have been in contact with someone in the community who may have had COVID-19 (eg. attendance of a festival/concert).

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR ROUTINE TESTING??

As of 09/05/2022:

If you test positive to COVID-19

• • If you have a positive RAT you must isolate for 7days. You may exit isolation upon negative RAT and no symptoms on day 6 of isolation.

  • If you are unsure about the results of your RAT you make take another test or obtain a PCR to confirm (see above image)

  • It is Effect Exercise Physiology policy to self isolate for 9days before returning to working face to face with clients.

  • You must be asymptomatic to return to work.

  • Isolation will be considered sick leave unless prior arrangements have been made. If you run out of sick leave you can apply for pandemic leave disaster payment by looking at the tutorial here.

If you are a household or confirmed close contact:

• • You must self isolate from work for at least 3 days. You may still work from home (discuss with management first), performing activities such as

  • - Telehealth appointments

  • - Reports and letters

  • - Case conferencing calls

  • - Social media activities

  • Each day you must do a daily RAT test. Upon 3 days of negative RATs and being asymptomatic, you may return to work. 

  • If returning to work

  • - Continue daily RATs returning a negative before travelling to work

  • - Continue monitoring for symptoms for at least 7 days from close/household contact

  • - You are not permitted to work at any external facilities (eg. aged care, disability care) under current guidelines

  • - You must ensure to continue wearing masks inside and out of the clinic as per current guidelines

  • Follow current guidelines for your normal day to day when staying at home

EXAMPLE SCENARIO

You test positive on RAT on Monday. You must isolate until the next Monday as per current health NSW advice. From that Monday take another RAT and from a negative result you may leave isolation from home.

• If you return a positive you must continue to isolate

• If you have symptoms you must continue to isolate

 You must however take an extra 2 days away from work as we work with high risk clients and take extra precautionary measures. Before returning to work on day 9, which is this scenario would be the Wednesday. You must return another negative RAT.

• If you return a positive you must continue to isolate 

• If you have symptoms you must continue to isolate