Initially an accurate diagnosis is the
prerequisite of successful and safe treatment.
On your first visit, a detailed case-discussion and
history will be taken, together with a physical examination;
this may require the Osteopath to ask you to remove some of your
clothing.
Please come to your
appointments prepared. Effective
Osteopathic examination/treatment is generally assisted by the
patient removing some items of clothing. Because Osteopaths take
the whole body’s mechanisms into account, it is helpful to
examine or treat areas other than exactly where you may be
experiencing pain. For example, effective examination/treatment
of an ankle injury may require attention to the knee, hip or
lower back. Similarly, a shoulder issue may require
examination/treatment of the neck, as well as upper and lower
back areas. You are
welcome to bring loose clothing, sports tops, leggings or shorts
to wear if you wish, but please do tell the Osteopath if you are
not comfortable with any request to remove clothing, as your
free agreement is essential.
The Osteopath will then explain their
findings/working diagnosis to you and answer any questions you
may have. If
Osteopathic treatment is appropriate, then courses of action
will be discussed with you and your verbal agreement sought. An
agreed course of action is called your ‘treatment
plan’. No treatment may be given without such agreement
(consent), and
the Osteopath will regularly check that you are content with the
treatment techniques being applied. It is likely that treatment
plans will alter as you improve or your condition changes and
could sometimes involve referral for further tests (such as
x-ray or MRI) or to another practitioner if necessary.
Please remember that if you have any questions or
concerns regarding your treatment do not hesitate to ask at your
appointments or to contact your practitioner on the clinic
number/email. It is not uncommon for patients to forget
explanations they have been given regarding their condition, as
well as exercises or advice. If this is the case, we will
be happy to discuss things again before your next visit.
Occasionally, people do experience some increased stiffness or
pain in the first 24-48 hours after treatment, and you will have
been informed on how to deal with this if it occurs.
However, if you are still unclear, or if any discomfort is more
severe or continues longer than anticipated, please do contact
us and we will advise you.
Withdrawal of consent: as a patient, you have the right to stop
examination or treatment at any time, should you wish to.
Outcomes: your practitioner will do their very best to help you and will advise
you on likely outcomes, unfortunately as with any other medical
intervention, there can be no guarantee of improvement in your
condition.
Chaperones - you are welcome to bring a friend or family member with you to
appointments.
We ask for children under 16
to always be accompanied by an appropriate adult.
However, during the COVID-19
pandemic those who wish to be accompanied,
or who need to accompany a child, will need to advise us no
less than 24 hours prior to the appointment. Safety measures
will then be discussed with the patient and the chaperone. The
practitioner will then decide in each specific case whether it
is in the attendees’ best interests to visit the clinic.
PATIENTS WITH PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE
Health insurers generally give an authorisation code
for your course of treatment. However, this is not
a guarantee of full or even partial payment to your
practitioner. Please advise the Osteopath of any excess amount
on your policy as this, and any other outstanding fees not
covered by the insurance company, are then your responsibility
and must be paid directly to the clinic.
DATA PROTECTION
We take the security of your personal information
extremely seriously. All the information we hold about you is
confidential and will be stored securely. If your practitioner
needs to take any information about you away from the clinic
(for example, a CD of scan images), they will ask your
permission to do so. Similarly, if it is necessary to contact a
third party (most likely another health professional) regarding
your condition, this will only be done with your permission, and
the method of such contact cleared with you beforehand.
The only instances when a practitioner may break confidentiality
is when there are very good reasons to do so that would be in
your or the public’s interests – for example, in the case of
serious crime prevention.
Data Protection and
COVID-19: As is the case with all other clinical services at this difficult time,
in certain circumstances, in order to look after your healthcare
needs we may urgently be required to share your personal
information, including medical records, with clinical and
non-clinical staff who belong to organisations that are
permitted to use your information and need to use it to help
deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
This enables public health organisations to monitor the
disease, assess risk and manage the spread of the disease.
Please be assured that we will only share information and health
data that is absolutely necessary to meet yours and public
healthcare needs.
For clarification about confidential information and
public health:
https://www.nhsx.nhs.uk/covid-19-response/data-and-information-governance/information-governance/copi-notice-frequently-asked-questions/
CONCERNS OR COMPLAINTS
We aim to ensure your experience at our clinic is
helpful and professional. If you feel unhappy in any way
regarding your visit, please contact us as soon as possible so
that we can try and rectify the issue. If you prefer to speak
with a different practitioner to the one you have seen, then
please make this clear when you call, email or write and it can
be arranged.
Please contact us if you wish to be provided with
our full Complaints Policy.
If necessary, we have an allocated
Osteopathic mediator
from another practice whom you are welcome to contact if you
prefer. Her name is
Dr Mathilde Konczynski, and she can be contacted on 0333 800 8404.
We aim to deal with all concerns as quickly and
efficiently as possible.
However, if your concern is not dealt with to your
satisfaction by the clinic or any mediator it provides, the
final port of call would be to contact the General Osteopathic
Council, which is the statutory regulator of all Osteopaths in
the UK.
www.Osteopathy.org.uk, 0207 357 6655.
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