Clinic where clients are ‘disinfected’

A SPORTS injury clinic in Henley has installed a mobile decontamination chamber to protect patients from catching the coronavirus.

Visitors to Physiolistic, which is based at Dry Leas off Marlow Road, must now step inside the inflatable unit to be sprayed with a disinfectant mist before they are allowed on the premises.

It consists of a tent with clear plastic sides and curtains which accommodate one person at a time, and inside is a pipe which pumps out a vapour of hypochlorous acid. This is a non-toxic substance which kills bacteria and viruses and can be used to sterilise fruit and vegetables.

The device is among many hygiene measures which the clinic has introduced since it reopened in the first week of June.

Customers are first screened by telephone to ensure they don’t have symptoms of the disease and haven’t recently been in contact with a sufferer. Even then, there must be a good medical reason for inviting them to attend and not advising remotely.

On arrival, they must wait in their cars and phone the front desk so a member of staff can escort them to the entrance at the far end of the building, where a one-way system is in place.

They must first pick up a mask and sanitise their hands before standing in front of an infra-red camera which automatically detects whether they have a high temperature, one possible symptom of covid-19.

The camera has facial recognition software so will also flash up an alert on the screen if the subject’s face isn’t covered.

Visitors then stand inside the tent with their back to the pipe for at least 20 seconds before turning around and coating their front. The substance forms a fine, dry mist so their clothes don’t get wet and it doesn’t have a strong taste or smell.

The acid has been used as a disinfectant for many years but the chamber, made by French firm Winback, is a relatively new invention which is now being used by NHS trusts, universities and other institutions.

Inside the clinic staff wear protective masks, gloves and disposable plastic aprons and every treatment room has been stripped back to only include wipeable surfaces, which are cleaned between appointments.

Consultation slots have been lengthened by up to 10 minutes to allow this to take place and there are also plastic screens at the reception desk, which is now at the building’s exit.

The token system to raise the car park barrier has also been scrapped as every token would have to be sterilised each time it was used.

Physiolistic shut when lockdown was announced on March 23 and furloughed some of its 11 staff although it continued to offer video consultations and treated a limited number of NHS patients in person to relieve pressure on hospitals and GP surgeries.

They were referred by the town’s Hart and Bell surgeries with urgent conditions like prolapsed discs.

During this time, owners Clint and Angela Botha also applied to South Oxfordshire District Council for a coronavirus relief grant based on business rates.

They began preparing to reopen more widely when the Government and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy advised it was safe to do so.

Measures like masks, gloves and aprons are compulsory but the decontamination chamber, which was recommended by one of the Bothas’ suppliers, was an optional way of providing extra reassurance.

Mr Botha said: “We thought it would be a good idea because people were going to be scared to come and this was a way to keep them clean, safe and happy. They feel reassured and appreciate us going that extra mile.

“We were invited to try it for a week and patients loved it so much that we’ve kept it. I think a lot of other businesses could benefit as it would attract more customers when they’re trying to get back on their feet.

“We take our own temperatures every time we go in and out to make sure we’re always healthy.”

He added the clinic had been particularly busy in the early days, which was due to a backlog, that staff were having to work extra hours.

“We had a big initial influx of people who’d been waiting to access services for a couple of months and were often in quite a lot of pain,” said Mr Botha. “Some had back problems due to working from home, but equally a lot were injured doing the Joe Wicks workouts [on YouTube].

“Some people jumped into exercise too enthustically when lockdown started – we saw people pushing themselves off on six-mile runs when they hadn’t worked out for ages so they had bits dropping off.

“There were lots of knee and ankle strains and quite a few were new patients. For a time, it felt like a miniature accident and emergency ward in here as we were their only option.”

Mrs Botha said the new procedures had become part of daily life at the business.

She said: “It took a while to feel used to it but, like anything, you adapt pretty quickly because you have to. We just consider this our ‘new normal’ now, but I do find myself thinking about how much more time we had before the pandemic and how easy everything was.”