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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