COVID-19 Resources

The following sections contain some practical guidelines, but these are by no means exhaustive. They are designed to complement (and not to replace) key Government/NHS/PSE guidelines and any stipulations from your insurance provider.

BEFORE THE SESSION

Once you have deemed that a client is suitable for a face-to-face session, you should ensure the following:

Consent & Communication:

• That you have explicit written consent from the client to start therapy (including the Initial Consultation) before the session commences.
• The client should also be aware of your T&Cs, including your cancellation measures and guidelines on what will happen if you become incapacitated by illness or asked to self-isolate due to COVID-19.
• You should also have received their explicit consent that their contact data may be passed on to public health authorities if you should test positive for COVID-19.
• You have provided your client with clear instructions and information about social distancing and hygiene measures that they will need to follow when they visit you, so that they understand what to expect before they arrive (including that they should only arrive at their specific appointment time etc.).

Payment arrangements:

If possible, arrange for online payment for the session in advance - this helps to minimise contact with card readers etc. in the room (if using a card reader at the end of the session is the only option, devices should be cleaned and sanitised after each use). If clients want to pay for the session in cash, ask that they bring the exact amount of money for the session, so that no additional interactions are needed for sorting change etc. If you accept payment by cheque, ask the client to complete the details on the cheque prior to the appointment to minimise the need for sharing pens etc.

24 HOURS BEFORE THE SESSION

• Check that you and your client are symptom free and that anyone in their/your household is symptom-free and has been for at least 10 days prior to the session. Also check that you or your client have not been asked to self-isolate as part of the Test & Trace system (or devolved nation equivalent). You should familiarise yourself with Government advice if you should come into contact with anyone who has symptoms.
• Ensure your client notifies you on the day if they or someone they live with has developed symptoms so that you can reschedule the session for at least 2 weeks' time.
• Only see clients if you or anyone you live with does not have symptoms. If you develop any symptoms on the day, you must cancel all face-to-face clients immediately and self-isolate at home. You should then request a COVID-19 test (see above).

WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT YOUR THERAPY PREMISES/IN BETWEEN CLIENTS

• If you and your client are symptom free and no one in your respective households have symptoms, you can conduct a face-to-face session. You should follow all guidelines about working safely issued by the Government. In particular, the following steps should be taken before a client arrives and in-between clients.
• On arrival at your premises (and in between sessions), you should wash your hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds (guidance on correct handwashing can be found on the NHS website:https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/best-way-to-wash-your-hands/) or use hand santiser if no washing facilities are available.
• You should ensure that all surfaces have been cleaned thoroughly/disinfected in accordance with your risk assessment - this will include things such as wiping down doors/handles/card reader or anything that your client is likely to come into contact with. Dispose of any cleaning wipes/cloths/gloves safely, ensuring that this waste is disposed of in a receptacle with a lid if possible.
• It is advisable that you only take your own refreshments into your working room and avoid any communal kitchen/refreshment areas and avoid using any communal materials such as cups or mugs etc. If you do decide to use on-site refreshment facilities, use your own cup/mug and once you finish, clean it thoroughly and store it with your own things so that no one else uses it. This can help reduce potential cross contamination.
• Ensure that all furniture placement/protective items required for social distancing are in place ready for when your client arrives.
• It is advisable that you place a separate bottle of hand sanitiser and a box of tissues next to where your client will be sitting, so that you can avoid the need of having to get close to them to pass such items. You should keep separate hand sanitisers and tissues for yourself, close to where you will be seated as the therapist.
• If possible, open any windows to ventilate your room before clients arrive and in-between clients.

WHEN YOUR CLIENT ARRIVES

• Ensure you are wearing any PPE if required and as dictated by your risk assessment (face covering/face shield, disposable gloves or any other items that you have identified as part of your risk assessment).
• If possible, try and ensure that a client doesn't need to touch a door to come to their appointment. Depending on your work environment, this could mean propping a door open (if safe to do so) until your client enters, or for you to open any doors and to stand well back to allow the client to walk in and then close the door behind them.
• Do not shake hands or get close to your client.
• Keep your distance when your client enters the building/room and sits down.
• Ask that your client washes their hands or uses sanitiser once they enter the building and/or your consultation room (you should already have made it clear that they will be asked to do this before the session). If handwashing facilities are not available, offer your client hand sanitiser. We suggest that you have one bottle of hand sanitiser for you to use throughout the day and that your clients use a separate bottle (that only they touch, and you clean with a disinfectant wipe after the session). This also ensures that a bottle can be placed near to where the client sits or enters, which means that you can maintain your distance from them by not needing to hand them a bottle. Alternatively, you could ask your client to bring their own hand sanitiser bottle with them if they have one, so they can avoid touching any in your place of work.

DURING THE SESSION

• Ensure that you keep adequate safe distance between you and your client at all times.
• Take particular care when your client moves - either to pay, or to get onto a couch or to leave. Depending on your therapy room, it may be that using a couch is not appropriate, due to space constraints. Consider what is appropriate in your risk assessment. If you have deemed it appropriate to use a couch, do not help your client on or off of the equipment to minimise contact (if a client needs this kind of assistance it is better that trance work be conducted whilst the client remains in their seat).
• It is recommended that GSR meters are NOT used at this time with clients. This is because placing the sensors on a client's hand would require close contact, and the equipment itself could also be a potential source of infection.
• Throughout the session, try to ensure that there is no unnecessary contact of other materials or surfaces by client e.g. that only the therapist handles equipment (such as for using CORP etc), and that a client doesn't come into contact with any other unnecessary items e.g. pens. This can be eliminated by asking the client to provide their consent online before the session.
• If working with children and using toys/props, these must be thoroughly cleaned and stored safely and not be touched by anyone else for at least 72hrs. Members should ensure they have sufficient numbers of toys/props to safely rotate usage in this way.
• If possible, try to ensure good ventilation in your room, keeping a window open where possible (do not use air-conditioning systems), but only if this would not cause any privacy concerns such as people overhearing your conversations, or if this would increase the risk such as if opening a window next to an area where people are likely to congregate e.g. a designated waiting/queuing area, or smoking area etc. If it is not feasible to keep a window open during the session, ensure that the room is ventilated in between client sessions.

END OF THE SESSION

• Ideally, payment for sessions should be organised online in advance of the session. Where this has not been possible and a card reader is used at the end of the session, it is recommended that the client picks up the reader themselves (if it is a handheld device) and inserts/removes their own card and/or receipt. Therapists should keep their distance throughout this process. Any card reading equipment should be sanitised after each use. Any cash from payments on the day should be handled as little as possible and securely stored for at least 72hrs before re-touching (you might like to ask the client to count cash themselves in front of you into an envelope, so that you do not need to touch it. A similar process can be used for handling cheques).
• Remind the client that they will be asked to confirm they have no COVID-19 symptoms prior to the next session.
• Keep your distance when a client leaves your room and building. You may ask the client to stay seated whilst you go and prop doors open for them so that they can exit the building without touching any handles. If this is not possible, ask them to show themselves out of the building and wipe all surfaces they have touched. It is not recommended that you stand and open doors for people, as this would require them to come into close contact with you. If a client has a disability or mobility issues and requires that you hold open a door for them, then turn your face away from them as they pass you, unless you are already wearing facial PPE.
• After your client has left you should thoroughly clean all surfaces before your next client arrives. You must ensure that there is sufficient time between your appointment bookings for you to thoroughly clean and ventilate your workspace. Once you clean all surfaces you should safely dispose of any cleaning materials (ideally in a lidded bin) and replace disposable materials ready for the next client, such as if you are using couch roll. Follow any other disposal guidelines that your place of work/clinic/commercial building may have.
• After cleaning surfaces and disposing of items, you should wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds, even if you had been wearing disposable gloves. Hand sanitiser can be used if no handwashing facilities are available.
• Discard/clean any PPE you used whilst seeing your client - if these are disposable items then dispose of them accordingly, or safely store non-disposables until they can be properly cleaned (such as laundering cloth face coverings or wiping face visors with an antibacterial wipe). If seeing multiple clients over the course of a day, you should consider having sufficient items to allow rotation/cleaning between clients.

LEAVING YOUR PLACE OF WORK

When leaving your premises, once you enter your own home you should wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. You might also consider changing out of your work clothes and laundering washable items at a temperature of 60 degrees or above.