NMC Covid-19 Safety
NMC will remain open throughout the latest lockdown
We will be seeing a small number of high priority patients for hands on treatment. But we are extremely mindful of the backdrop in terms of high numbers of cases of the virus and that it spreads more easily. Our approach is therefore very cautious, hence why we are reducing numbers in the Centre again.
Keeping the virus out! Keeping our community safe! Keeping staff safe! Keeping patients safe!
We want to bring you up to date with how we are keeping the Centre, and our wider community, safe.
We have had no cases of Covid-19 at NMC or in our staff group. There have been a couple of cases in our community but those were contracted in their local community and they never came to NMC whilst having the virus. Both are now recovered and well.
There are no new changes to what we’re doing at NMC to stay safe.
We’ve been screening everyone who has been arriving at NMC since the beginning of August. Everyone must wear masks at all times in the building.
AND for staff we continue to be temperature checked, wear masks away from desks, and maintain 2m distancing at all times.
For Physios treating patients there are high levels of PPE including gloves, aprons and visors. The Physios are tested for Covid-19 weekly and have tested clear throughout. We have high levels of cleaning between patients.
In our private lives staff have all committed to living extremely cautious and careful lives, keeping exposure to viral risk as low as is possible.
We were already at a high level of covid-safe alert and continue to be so.
HANDS, FACE AND SPACE, and extreme caution, have been at the heart of our way of working since March.
Working from Home
We have carefully managed this to ensure that we keep our numbers in the building at the safest possible level.
We have now reduced the number of staff in the Centre to 9.
Two thirds of our staff team are working completely from home, OR they have a scheduled day(s) per week working in the Centre and substantial home working.
Safely distanced work stations have been created.
We have no plans to change this level of working from home. It feels safe, enables essential opportunities to meet and work with colleagues. This level of Centre based working is essential to enable the economy of NMC to be kept strong and effective.
Screening all patients and visitors
All visitors and patients are met in the car park by Gordon or one of the physios who screen everyone to ensure they are safe to enter the building or grounds. This screening has been working very well and our resolve is to continue this carefully and comprehensively for the foreseeable future.
We expect individuals to stay away if they feel they pose a risk either through symptoms, positive test or close contact with someone who has.
A huge thank you to all of those who, over these last few weeks particularly, have recognised that they may pose a specific Covid-19 risk, and who have taken the decision to stay away from NMC and keep us safe.
We are so lucky and appreciative that our community are so careful and mindful of the risk that transmission of the virus poses.
What about people coming to NMC from places with high levels of cases of Covid-19?
We continue to welcome people to the Centre from ALL areas.
We know that people in our community will be taking extreme care to avoid contact and stay safe.
All we ask is that if you are coming from a hotspot area, you re-double those efforts to avoid risky contact in the 2-3 weeks prior to an NMC appointment or scheduled visit, AND that you don’t come if you think you may have symptoms, or had contact with, or exposure to Covid-19.