All patients can expect the clinician to adhere to the following:
- You will be required to use surgical gloves that are disposed of after every treatment and/or after they have become damaged or visibly soiled with bodily fluids (as is usual practice)
- Hand-washing has to be thorough and rigorous before donning PPE and immediately after removing PPE
- DO NOT touch your face at any point whilst wearing PPE or once it is removed until you have thoroughly washed your hands
- FFP2 or FFP3 masks would be optimal BUT surgical face masks are appropriate where treating a patient where there is low suspicion of them having COVD-19. Surgical face masks are to be disposed of after every appointment. FFP2 or FFP3 masks may be reused up to 3 times if they have not become damaged or soiled AND/OR where you have not been in close contact with the face or upper-respiratory tract of a person with suspected (or confirmed) COVID-19.
- Patients should be offered and encouraged to wear a surgical face mask for the duration of their contact with you and they can dispose of them following their contact with you
- A face shield / visor is to be worn at all times during the consultation (these can be wiped clean thoroughly with a disinfectant between patients)
- Regular aprons will suffice but you may wish to wear full-length sleeved gowns
Whilst it is not possible to fully socially distance whilst providing treatment to patients, we are fortunate that we are working at the distal end of their body and are typically >1m away from their face, mouth and nose. Thus, risk of transmission is relatively low compared to in other health and care profession contexts. Outside of the moments of treatment, you should seek to place a distance of >2m between you and the patient and you and anyone else in their households.