Clinic changes post lockdown to ensure your individual safety.
Following the government’s announcement regarding phase 3 relaxation of lockdown we have been working hard behind the scenes to get ready for reopening. Having carefully worked our way through the current government guidance and had assurance from our insurance and industry bodies our current plan to open as soon as possible after the 4th July. This will however only be for treatments that are “medical†and can be delivered quickly and with you wearing a surgical facemask.
We can’t wait to see you all again but please remember that the treatments we do require very close contact with areas which are known to harbour the virus.
Clinic is going to look very different when we open back up.
We need to share with you the changes that we have made to keep both you and staff safe and also explain what this will mean for you when you attend clinic for treatment.
The current advice is that we continue to socially distance (2m) or if less 1m+ with special precautions, spend limited time exposed to others and frequently wash our hands. We are also being asked to wear masks on public transport and think about wearing them in other areas (shops etc), this is because the virus is predominantly carried in our airways so our mouth and nose and can be carried by people before they realise they have it and by those who never get symptoms, so we have to assume that everyone could potentially carrying the virus.
As it is impossible for us to socially distance when administering treatments this will remain the case even if and when the distance is reduced further, we will be wearing full PPE for the foreseeable future and we will require you to wear face masks which we will provide as you enter the clinic. The wearing of masks, time limitations and potential of a second peak with subsequent lockdown will make some treatments difficult. Beauty is not at this point allowed to open, we are mindful that even though we are providing Medical Aesthetics we can only administer treatments that we believe conform to Medical standards, we are monitoring the situation constantly and will add treatments in as and when it is considered safe to do so we will do this in phases:
Hand washing remains the cornerstone of prevention so everyone entering the building will be required to sanitise their hands and then wash on entering the clinic.
The clinic space dictates how many people we can have in the clinic at any one time, the available ventilation dictates which rooms we are able to use, basically this means that 2 of our rooms and the reception area cannot be used and only 1 clinician plus 1 patient can be in the clinic at any one time. The current plan is Helen will be in clinic at the beginning of the week and Cheryl, at the back end of the week. When Tara Green is able to restart her laser treatments this will reduce the number of days that we can open. Please be patient with us. For those of you who haven’t met Cheryl I have attached some information at the bottom.
Our gaps between appointment will have to be longer so that we can clean the clinic between patients to the standards set out by our regulatory and accreditation bodies as well as government advice and also to insure you don’t have any cross over with other patients. This means that we will have to run to strict appointment times.
You will only be able to attend the clinic on your own and only if you have an appointment.
You will not be able to wait in the clinic, we ask you to wait outside in your car, message or call you when we are ready for you to come in then we will come down and open the door for you please do not ring the intercom. Once in the building we will give you the opportunity to sanitise your hands, don a mask, once we are past the communal area we will give you shoe covers to come up to clinic. There will be a basket for you to put any personal belongings (bags, umbrella, coat etc) so that they don’t have to go on chairs, tables or floor.
As you well know we enjoy your company and love seeing you all, many of you we would consider dear friends but during this time we will not be able to have any of our lengthy chats, provide you with refreshments or have prolonged consultations which we do believe are an important part of our patients’ journey. With this in mind we are going to be offering many appointments to discuss treatments in more depth, queries or concerns that you may have either over the phone or via video link, this way we can keep the actual physical contact time to a minimum and when you come into clinic for your treatment it will be straight in, treatment, straight out. This is going to be very alien for all of us.
The initial plan because of the restricted space is to not have any admin staff in clinic, Eve and Brontë will be working from home and will be available over the phone to take payments make appointments answer queries etc. We will be asking for all treatments to be paid for up front by either bank transfer of by online invoice.
We will continue to be able to offer all skincare which can either be picked up when you attend your appointment for treatment, delivered or posted out to you.
We only have 1 toilet in the building which the staff will be using this means that it will not be available for you to use.
You will know that we have always taken infection control very seriously but COVID19 presents us with many additional risks not least the infection itself. We will be contacting everyone prior to their treatment appointment to ensure that there is no reason why you could not come in and that you or anyone you have been in contact with has not had any symptoms within the proceeding 14 days. We also need to make it clear that on our return we will be declining to treat anyone who falls into a high-risk category. We aim to be sending you consent forms electronically and asking you to complete these and return them prior to your treatment, this will include a form specifically relating to COVID19. We will also be checking your temperature on arrival at clinic although we recognise that the benefit of this is limited.
I fully realise that compared to the supermarket shop this may seem grossly over the top but please remember this is because of the close proximity of treatments and is essential for everyone’s safety. Whilst most people only have mild symptoms for others it has truly devastating consequences. Our priority is your safety at all time.
Keep safe and see you soon
Helen Blanchard
Independent Prescribing Aesthetic Nurse.
1st July 2020
Cheryl Cureton RGN Independent prescribing nurse.
For those of you that haven’t had the opportunity to meet our other injecting nurse yet I would like to introduce you to Cheryl Cureton.
Cheryl is an extremely experienced Prescribing Aesthetic nurse qualifying as a general nurse in 2001 she has valuable experience in A&E as well as Cardiac medicine. She trained in aesthetics in 2006 so has 2 years more experience than me. Cheryl’s aesthetic experience is with the large corporate clinics initially working for The Harley Medical group, moving to Tracey Bell clinic when they still had a large presence in Liverpool. From here Cheryl moved to Transform Clinic and latterly SK:N where she has worked for 8 years across the Liverpool, Manchester and Altrincham clinic before Joining Fresh Faces last September. Working for the large corporate clinics has given her access to training and support that I could only dream of. As well as vast experience injecting Cheryl also has considerable experience working with the full range of aesthetic treatments, prescription skin care, peels, Skin tightening, laser rejuvenation, hair removal, thread vein removal, dermal needling and many more. This means she has in depth knowledge of skin, skin health and the ageing face which makes her an ideal fit for our holistic approach to the ageing process. Whilst at SK:N Cheryl was also involved with ensuring new staff to the organisation were competent to inject safely and to SK:N’s standards this was nurses and doctors alike from up and down the country.
I feel privileged to have Cheryl working alongside me and I am sure you will realise I wouldn’t employ anyone who may compromise Fresh Faces standards. For those of you who have only ever been treated by me I want to reassure you that in no way will your treatment be compromised, Cheryl does my treatments so I know first-hand just what safe hands you are in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Recommended Treatments
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- AT HOME SKIN TIGHTENING - NEWA
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- Treatment for Excessive Sweating
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