Our Covid-19 Protocols

What we are doing:

Social Distancing

  1. Pre-book all Optometrist appointments.
  2. Pre-book all spectacle dispensing, spectacle collections, repairs and adjustments appointments.
  3. Make appointments over the phone where possible. Send appointment times to patient electronically where possible and only issue appointment cards if absolutely necessary.
  4. Patients physically attending the practice to make an enquiry are allowed up to a certain point in the practice. If the practice has the maximum number of occupants , enquirers will be asked to wait outside or phone with their enquiry.
  5. Reduce number of appointments to ensure there are no more than 8 people on the premises at any one time.
  6. Ask patients to attend appointments on their own to reduce number of people in the practice. If necessary, allow one parent/guardian/carer/translator into the testing room to allow for social distancing from other people waiting.
  7. Be aware that in the case of an emergency it is understood that social distancing may not be achievable.

Hygiene for Staff and Patients

  1. Advise all staff and locums that if they feel unwell at all to not attend work to create safe environment in the practice. Provide access to Covid-19 testing if necessary. Remind staff of the current public health guidance on self-isolating if they or someone they live with has symptoms of Covid-19.
  2. Provide advice to staff and locums in the form of posters on hand washing at each hand washing facility. Provide soap/hand sanitiser for staff/patients.
  3. Advise staff and locums to wash/use hand sanitiser between each patient.
  4. Advise staff and locums to disinfect all communal areas and consulting rooms between each patient. All areas should be cleaned with household disinfectant or anti-bacterial wipes regularly. This should include but is not limited to door handles, table tops, light switches, computers, surfaces touched or handled regularly by anyone and phones.
  5. Practice equipment and frames should be cleaned as per the manufactures guidance/UVC Sanitised for a minimum of 90 seconds.
  6. Staff uniform policy to be changed to help with comfort of staff while wearing PPE. Staff to be advised to change and wash clothing daily to reflect more stringent hygiene requirements. Communicate updated uniform policy with staff.
  7. All patients to be asked to use hand sanitiser on entering the practice.
  8. Patients will be asked not to speak when using certain equipment.
  9. Remove all newspapers and magazines from waiting areas to reduce the spread of infection.
  10. Patients to be asked to ring and cancel their appointment if they feel at all unwell on the day of their appointment.
  11. Provide verbal guidance for patients entering the practice on the use of hand sanitiser.
  12. Toilets restricted to staff use only and ensure wipes are available so cubicle can be cleaned and wiped down after use. Hand washing posters in each toilet.

Practice Layout, Furniture and Equipment

  1. Ensure furniture within the practice respects the social distancing rule.
  2. Ensure furniture is able to be wiped down and disinfected easily between patients(no soft furnishing).
  3. Add safety guards to optical equipment where needed.
  4. Remove unnecessary items from all areas within the practice. e.g. pen holders, magazines, newspapers, leaflets and toys.

Practice Cleaning

  1. Ensure all communal areas are cleaned at the beginning of the day, at lunchtime and at the end of the day with household disinfectant.
  2. Ensure consulting rooms, waiting chairs and dispensing areas are cleaned between patients.
  3. Ensure surfaces that will be touched regularly by different individual like door handles, table tops and light switches are cleaned regularly with household disinfectant or antibacterial wipes.
  4. Ensure supplies of household disinfectant and antibacterial wipes are available and monitored regularly and new supplies are ordered when necessary.

Frames

  1. Ensure that all frames that have being touched or tried on by patients are set aside and cleaned and sanitised before being returned to display stands.

Patient Safety

  1. Re-arrange appointment schedules to allow extra time between patients for cleaning and to limit contact with other patients.
  2. Set up specific time slots for shielded patients to attend the practice.

If you have any concerns or questions then please talk to us directly in store, or contact us.