Covid-19 Policy

We are currently open as an essential healthcare service under the current Tier 5 restrictions in England. This means you are able to book an appointment if you have a specific health complaint or condition (physical or psychological) that you wish to address. At this stage treatment for purely wellbeing purposes are suspended. However if you are on a course of treatments for an existing health complaint to maintain the benefits, you may continue to recieve treatments at this time. If you are in any doubt please get in touch.

How to book in?

If you are an EXISTING patient book using the Bookings page.

If you are a NEW patient, and need to reschedule your FIRST Appointment, please get in touch by email/phone prior to booking.

If you believe you are or may be in a Vulnerable Group (see below) then please get in touch prior to booking. We can discuss the unique risks/benefits of receiving treatment for you at this time.

* The normal cancelation policy of 48 hours notice applies. You will not be charged if you believe you may have developed any potential Covid symptoms or may have been exposed to someone who is suspected to have contracted it. In these cases you must cancel your appointments.

Do you need to do anything differently?

• You will need to complete the Covid-disclaimer form online prior to coming for your appointment. There will be a link to this disclaimer form on your appointment confirmation and reminder emails for you to click and complete.
• You should bring a face mask to wear when coming for treatment if possible. A mask will be supplied for you if you do not have access to one.
• You should wash your hands with hand sanitiser when first coming into the clinic.
• If you work in a high risk environment (front line care worker or supermarket worker) please ensure you take sensible precautions prior to coming for treatments (e.g. fully shower and change your clothes after you finish work).
• The bathroom facilities at the Aston Clinic are not currently available so please make sure you go to the loo before you come!
• We are obliged by law to pass on your name and contact details to NHS Track and Trace in the eventuality that your practitioner gets symptoms of COVID within 48 hours of an appointment and then later tests positive. However, we will ask for your consent before we do this
• That’s it!

What are we doing differently to ensure your safety?

Acupuncture clinics already adhere to rigorous hygiene and
safety standards. We are taking the following additional hygiene and safety
measures to ensure the clinic is as safe and secure as possible for you when
you come in for treatment.

• Screening all patients to ensure that no-one enters the clinic premises if they have had any suspected Covid symptoms in the last 7 days or have come into contact with anyone else who has.
• Cleaning and disinfecting the major common surfaces between each appointment (this means your appointment time may be delayed by 5 minutes or so to allow this process to be thorough)
• Ensuring the treatment room is well ventilated between appointments
• Wearing relevant PPE such as a face mask at all times when treating patients
• Continually monitoring the UK situation and all Gov updates.

Vulnerable Groups

Clinically vulnerable people

1: Anyone aged 70 and older

2: Anyone under 70 with an underlying health condition – that is, anyone
instructed to get a flu jab as an adult each year on medical grounds – such as:

• chronic (long-term) mild to moderate respiratory diseases, such as
  asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema or bronchitis
  chronic heart disease, such as heart failure
  chronic kidney disease
• chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis
• chronic neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, motor
  neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), a learning disability or cerebral
  palsy
  diabetes
• weakened immune system as the result of conditions such as HIV and AIDS,
  or medicines such as steroid tablets

Clinically extremely vulnerable people

The government issued this further advice detailing specific medical conditions that place someone at greatest risk of severe illness from Covid-19. People who fall into this group will have been informed that they are clinically extremely vulnerable, and have been advised to exercise ‘shielding’.

Shielding means that they have been told to:

• not leave their house
• not attend any gatherings: including gatherings of friends and families in private spaces,
• strictly avoid contact with someone who is displaying symptoms of coronavirus Covid-19:

People in this category of risk are:

1 Solid organ transplant recipients.

2 People with specific cancers:

• people with cancer who are undergoing active chemotherapy
• people with lung cancer who are undergoing radical radiotherapy
• people with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment
• people having immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer
• people having other targeted cancer treatments which can affect the immune system, such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors
• people who have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants in the last 6 months, or who are still taking immunosuppression drugs.
• People with severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and
• severe chronic obstructive pulmonary (COPD).
• People with rare diseases that significantly increase the risk of infections (such as SCID, homozygous sickle cell).
• People on immunosuppression therapies sufficient to significantly increase risk of infection.
• Women who are pregnant with significant heart disease, congenital or acquired.

If you have any further questions please do get in touch and ask.

Wishing you and your loved ones all the best in this difficult time. Please stay safe and well.