The safety and wellbeing of our clients, staff and their families, are of the utmost concern to us, during this Covid-19 pandemic; therefore, specific measures have been introduced to ensure that this is maintained during face to face appointments. We acknowledge that this is a responsibility for AlphaMedicol Ltd. and our clients, therefore this specific guidance is designed to help our staff and clients stay safe:

To assist in the limitation of risk, AlphaMedicol Ltd’s Staff will:

– Risk assess all clients before attending the clinic/centre
– Ensure that you are seen in centres meeting the WHO/UK government standards for social distancing (we rely on our partners IWG to ensure adherence to these standards.
– Ensure our booking strategy is sufficiently spaced and reviewed from time to time to avoid overcrowding.
– Send out and consent forms/texts, asking you to confirm that any high-risk criteria does not apply to you. We will require you to return the consent form before attending your appointment.
– We will ask you to agree to COVID-19 “Test and Trace” if a risk is detected following your visit.
– Check your temperature before the consultation.
– Wear appropriate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) during the appointment and while moving around the centre as required by the venue.
– Ensure that you are wearing a face covering.
– Whilst in the consulting room, we will ensure social distancing is maintained by 2m, or 1m with risk mitigation where 2m is not viable.
– Avoid unnecessary personal contact with you during the appointment and ensure there is a sneeze shield in place during the consultation.
– Avoid unnecessary contact with any of your personal possessions, including identity documents you bring with you.
– Ensure that any physical examination is minimally proportionate to what is required to allow us to complete our assessment
– Sanitise hands prior to meeting each client and put on gloves when examining you (You must notify us if you have Latex allergy!)
– Any equipment used within the consulting room will be appropriately cleaned prior to meeting you and after your departure. Please bear with us as this may cause delays between appointments.
– Ensure that hand sanitiser and tissue paper are available in the consulting room

To help reduce the risk of spreading or acquiring Coronavirus infection, please read the following guidelines and mitigation measures carefully.
COVID-19 Symptoms. You MUST NOT attend your appointment if:

– You, or any member of your household, are diagnosed with Covid-19 symptoms within 14 days of the appointment date
– You, or anyone in your household, develop a new continuous cough within 14 days of the appointment date
– You, or anyone in your household, develop a fever or temperature measuring 37.8 degrees or greater within 14 days of the appointment date
– You, or anyone in your household, suddenly loose the sense of smell within 14 days of the appointment date
– You have been in contact with someone who has had symptoms or been diagnosed with Covid-19 within 14 days of the appointment date
– You are deemed to be in a high-risk group and have previously been advised to “shield” by either the NHS or the Government (please refer to the high-risk criteria outlined below.)
– You should contact your referring agency or Alphamedicol Ltd. prior to the appointment to discuss whether you should attend if you have developed any of the above or any other unexplained illness within 14 days of the appointment date. We may be able to convert your appointment to a video examination if you have any concerns about your health unless we have been instructed otherwise

High-Risk criteria. You MUST NOT attend your appointment if you:

– Are having chemotherapy or antibody treatment for cancer, including immunotherapy
– Had an organ transplant
– 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 that you have a severe lung condition (such as cystic fibrosis, severe asthma or severe COPD)
– Have a condition that means you have a very high risk of getting infections (such as SCID or sickle cell)
– Are taking medicine that makes you much more likely to get infections (such as high doses of steroids or immunosuppressant medicine)
– Have a serious heart condition and are pregnant

Medium risk criteria. You may attend your appointment AT YOUR DISCRETION if you:

– Are clinically vulnerable – previously advised to stay at home as much as possible
– Are 70 years of age or older
– Have a lung condition that is 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)
– Are Pregnant

Please note the following instructions for your face to face appointment.

– Please have two forms of photo ID with you at the time of the interview
– You should ATTEND ALONE but may attend with one companion only if absolutely necessary to accompany a child or a vulnerable adult that, or if you require an interpreter.
– You should NOT arrive at the venue sooner than 10 minutes ahead of your appointment time and avoid being late as this may have an impact on the social distancing measures at the venue and the availability of parking spaces.
– We will not admit more than 2 people into the centre under any circumstances. If a family needs to be examined, please ensure that there are enough adults to supervise the children in and outside the centre
– We will NOT be operating a waiting room so you should come prepared with adequate protection for inclement weather and should have a mobile phone fully charged on you so that we may coordinate your entry into the clinic. If you are not able to stand it may be better to have a video exam.
– Your temperature will be measured using a non-contact infrared thermometer before being seen by Dr Oyinloye and you will NOT be seen if your temperature is 37.8C or greater. The appointment will be converted to video exam unless we have been instructed otherwise
– You MUST wear a face-covering, (which you are expected to provide for yourself), in the clinic. You will not be seen without a face covering. Face coverings must be secure and fully covering the nose and mouth. We will not accept face shields as the only facial covering although these may be worn in addition to face masks. If you are not able to wear a face-covering for medical reasons you should be booked for video exams only.
– You should maintain hand hygiene regularly in line with government advice
– You should Socially distance yourself from everyone at the venue who is not from your household, by 2m, or 1m with risk mitigation where 2m is not viable, including from your interpreter (if accompanying a child or vulnerable adult you will not need to maintain 1 to 2m distance)
– You MUST cooperate with the instructions given by our staff and Centre staff and follow any signposted routes outside and within the venue in order to maintain a COVID-19 secure environment.
– Please bring a pen along with you

When attending your appointment, it is your responsibility to adopt government guidelines to protect yourself and others during the COVID-19 pandemic. None of these guidelines and mitigation measures can completely remove the risk of developing COVID-19, but may help reduce your risk of infection and control the coronavirus.