As you will know, we have been at the forefront of preparing for the inevitable spread of COVID-19. 

I believe that this is certain to happen within the next week or two, if it hasn’t already. This is why we have such tight processes in place to keep both us and you as safe as we possibly can.

I would like to advise our process should a patient or staff member test positive for COVID-19, including:

• What we are doing to keep ourselves, and you, as safe as we can
• What will happen should a staff member or patient be infectious on our premises
• Advising patients of exposure
• How to advise us if there has been exposure
• Flexibility with Appointment Times

Please read on carefully.

Being a healthcare facility, we treat both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, people with chronic health conditions, elderly people and those at higher risk of illness should they contract COVID. We feel a duty to our patients to inform them should a positive case visit the clinic, AND there is an elevated risk for them (ie. the "old" definition of a Contact).

The controls in place at the clinic are as good as they could possibly be. Here is what we have implemented:

• The mandatory wearing of N95 masks across all staff members at all times, and eye protection for our clinical team when necessary.
• The purchase of a Carbon Dioxide Monitor to monitor air quality
• The purchase of HEPA grade Filters for each treatment room, and reception area
• Processes and Procedures for the social distancing of staff both during clinical hours, and the lunch breaks (staff are to eat on the outside balcony of our office down the street)
• All team meetings are held virtually – with everyone sitting in a separate room. Working from home for some admin team members is beginning to occur.
• We have sourced Rapid Antigen Tests for screening of any at-risk staff (we ordered these weeks ago in preparation for the outbreak)
• All staff are Double Vaccinated or Triple Vaccinated
• Cleaning Checklist (in use since March 2020) continues to be used every day
• All patients now wait in their vehicles until their appointment time, and wear masks while on the premises.

We are after all, members of a community, and when the virus is as widespread as it is, we will all have exposure when we go to the shops, or meet with family or friends. My team have all been guided on how to reduce their risks when they are not at work, and we are all doing the best we can to stay healthy and well.

I have used the Protocols supplied by both the Victorian Government and South Australian Government to guide what happens when a positive case attends a healthcare clinic. Queensland has no such protocols specifically for healthcare clinics at the time of writing.

I have been using these guidelines to guide our control measures. The result is that when these control measures are all followed that the risk to anyone of contracting the virus would be classified as Low Risk – which means that no further action is required on anyone’s behalf should a positive case attend the clinic. The risk is no higher than anywhere else in the community.

Each time I am informed of a positive case, either by a staff member or a patient, I will be using a Risk Matrix to perform an Assessment on the risk to my staff and my patients, taking the following considerations into account:

• Physical Distancing
• Masks worn and type of mask
• The time spent in proximity of the positive case and in which environment
• Whether the case and contacts are vaccinated or unvaccinated.

The premises will be cleaned as soon as notification has been given – on some occasions this may mean that the clinic needs to close for an hour or two. We appreciate your understanding if we need to change appointments etc as a result of a temporary closure.

Thankfully, all interactions with us would be classified as Low Risk if all controls are followed – this is why we’ve been planning for the best part of 2 years!

Businesses are no longer under obligation under Queensland Health Guidelines to advise you of any risk at all, given businesses are not a Household or Household-Like setting, and it’s rare to attend any business for 4 hours consecutively.

However, as a service to you, should the risk assessment via our risk matrix show that there is an increased risk to you (ie. the "old" definition of a Contact), we will contact you via an SMS message.

Please note:

• We have a "no guilt, no shame" policy when it comes to contracting COVID-19. It is a very contagious airborne virus, and expecting people to be "perfect" in preventing spread is impossible. There will be no judgement on anyone who contracts the virus, or unknowingly spreads it.
• We will not be giving any detail to you about who the person was that has tested positive, or the circumstances that they visited the clinic, as a person’s medical details are confidential. This includes my staff.
• We would never judge or vilify a person for their medical history, and we would appreciate that should I or one of my team become ill, that you would do the same. Any disrespect shown to any of my team during this time may result in us ending our professional relationship with you.

If you happen to have been infectious when you visited the clinic (ie. within 48 hours of positive RAT or PCR test), I have set up a secure online portal to let only your physiotherapist know, if you feel that you want to. There is no obligation to let us know, but we would appreciate it if you did so we can protect others.

Medical information is private and will be treated as such. We would appreciate you letting us know so that I can work through a risk assessment for my team and we are able to take any appropriate steps.

You can use this link here to let your physio know confidentially:

I anticipate that there will be a time where one or more of my staff becomes ill, or becomes a Close Contact and need to Quarantine. Due to workplace and privacy law, we will be unable to tell you the reason for a staff member being absent – I know you will understand this.

Should appointment times need to change for any reason, our team will work to rearrange the diary to ensure your continuity of care. This may include:

• Rescheduling to a different time
• Rescheduling to a different day, including after hours or weekends
• Rescheduling to a different physiotherapist
• Postponing your appointment (particularly for New Patients)
• Consulting virtually should it be clinically appropriate.

We appreciate your understanding as we think the next six to eight weeks will be very difficult for the Entire Health System – of which we are a part. It is crucial that the "non-COVID" conditions continue to be treated as best as possible.

Chris Fawcett

Director - The Headache and Pain Management Centre

10 January 2022