General Chat

I went for my first physio treatment today, since the end of February.

It was very different from usual, and quite the experience!

I've been going to this physio since about 1996/7, and know him very well ..... he's the owner of the clinic which is on the second floor (?first floor in the UK?). I've seen it double in size, taking over the office space next door, which left him with 2 doors to the corridor. He was not allowed to block up the second door, so the place could be turned back into 2 separate units if and when he ever gave it up., but it was always kept locked and never used. It is now in use, and very useful!

He has reduced the staff and clients in there at any time down to about 50% of "normal" so everyone can be kept separated. Clients arrive at 10 minute intervals for timed appointments of 30, 45 or 60 minutes. In the original door between 5 and 10 minutes before appointment time, led straight to a treatment room which had been thoroughly cleaned since the last client was treated. Everyone has to wear masks ........... quite hard to hear and talk through the darned things!!

Physio kept strictly to the appointment length .... that's very unusual for him!!

One-way path marked through the clinic, so you can pay and make new appointments at the opposite side of the reception desk, then out through the previously unused door. The semi-circular desk had a plexi-glass screen all the way round to separate client from receptionists, and a cloth screen separating the "In" half from the "Out" half.

No-one else in the area when clients are arriving or leaving ........ if you need an escort, they have to leave you at the door, then meet you outside the other door when it's that time. OH did some shopping, and then was waiting in the outdoor plaza on the ground floor for me, in the rain! I usually meet him in the Japanese restaurant across the street ..... but that's closed, hopefully only temporary.

It all works, but so very strange!!

Physio and I always chat while he's working on me, but it's a bit more difficult with masks on!


Next "new" for me will be an appointment to have my hair done ...... hopefully next week! Then, I guess, a hearing test when they open up.

Dentist is also open and waiting for us to "look at our calendars and work out when we can go" ............... as if every day was filled with activity!!

The clinic sounds well-planned, Sylvia. You will have been pleased by that response to the situation.

Two weeks ago, OH had a clinic appointment at our local surgery. He was told to wait outside in the car and they'd ring him as only one person was allowed in at a time. Almost as soon as he switched off the engine he was called in. He went in through the front door, straight through an empty waiting area to the clinic at the rear of the building where the guy was suited and booted with PPE. When he was finished he had to exit through the back door.

He did not see any other patient at all and was well impressed by the set-up.

My dentist rang during the first week of lockdown, saying that the clinic was closed. Because of my age, he is leaving it up to me to contact him when I feel comfortable about a dental visit again but he is not removing me from his NHS list no matter how long I delay. I am lucky that I rarely need anything doing and quite often I am allowed a longer period between appointments. I had an X-Ray last time I was there - they have done so occasionally. I like to think that it's because they're wondering how the heck I am holding on to the last 24 of my gnashers, although, as I never had wisdom teeth I could be entirely wrong there!

My optician emailed me about the situation and is going to keep in touch.

It is more likely to be my eyes that need checking, I think, so I have been pleased with those two responses to the situation.

I haven’t heard from my chiropractor

Usually go once a month to have my sacrocial joint realigned as it slips to one side and causing back pain across the lower back

I had just started having a body massage with a clinic near me and they closed for the lockdown but have been kept up to date with what was happening,or not

Just had an email saying they have reopened and all the measures they have put in place for a safe appointment

Will be contacting me soon with an appointment date and what I need to do before visiting

Could do with the chiro appointment too though

We both had dental appointments in April, and the receptionist rang and told us nobody over 70 was being seen (a week later they were closed completely) and we were given new appointments in September.

Yesterday they rang and told us that our appointments in June (which we didn't know we had!!) were cancelled. OH answered the phone and was completely mystified, but confirmed that we still had our September appointments - if the dentist is back in business.

I haven't heard from the optician yet - my next eye-test is due at the end of the month.

Well I rang my chiropractor and they are working with restrictions

Have an appointment for next week

What is annoying is they hadn’t contacted me as a long time client which I think they should have

So next Thursday is d day with restrictions but at least it’s another step to normal !

Do your chiropractor know your phone number or email?

My physio started a system about 4 years ago of reminding people of appointments by email 2 days in advance of the appointment. It cut the number of missed appointments very dramatically. It's all automated now, the staff just have to be sure that all appointments have been entered into the system.

Theyused that same system to keep us advised of the closing of the clinic, contact numbers to use between certain hours, of the setting up of virtual appointments with a physio, and finally of the re-opening of the clinic with advise to phone the clinic to make appointments.

So in fact the onus was on ME to make the appointments that I wanted.

It was a very simple system once it had been set up, and the staff only had to change the message once, and then it was sent out to everyone on their email list.

It didn't take much time ................ it's even very probable that my physio, the owner, wrote out the message at home and probably even uploaded it from there during the evenings. It would have been too much to expect someone to sit there and phone every single client listed.

Yes they have my telephone number and email although they have never emailed me

I go every month and had an appointment just as lockdown happened so I didn't attend and they didn’t ring me

A bit annoying really but will ask why when I go next week

I had no appointment until March 31st because my physio was visiting family overseas for most of that month.

I got an email on March 19 to say they were closing the clinic until at least April 5th, and giving me numbers to phone and the hours of operation if I wished to know more.

Then I received the reminder on March 29th re my next appointment on Tuesday March 31st. I laughed and ignored it, assuming they had not cleared the calendar on that automated response.

I heard nothing more until May 22nd until I got an email via the automated system saying they would be open as of May 25th, and to phone and make an appointment.

We were kept well informed.

I have no idea what the plan was in the UK for opening up, or keeping clients informed.

It looks as though keeping clients informed in the UK varies to me.

Does it vary in different parts of Canada, Sylvia?

I have been contacted by dentist and optician. They are all I see regularly.

OH has been contacted by doctor and clinic and by his dentist - all whom he sees regularly.

Joy ............

It probably does vary as it is up to the independent operators to set up their systems. Nothing is mandated by government, it's just good customer relations.

Each Province operates independently of all the others, so we're all at different stages of in or relaxing covid restrictions. But all the provincial authorities announce officially that personal services such as physio, dentists etc or stores will able "allowed" to open as of such-and-such a date "providing they have satisfied {name Government Agency for worker safety] and professional association requirements". It is then up to the professional societies and operators to work out how to change their operations. Most, if not all, have been working since before shut-down happened on how to do everything safely.

They won't get customers/clients back unless they do.

Daughter has said that they have had some updates from their health professionals.

All I can say is that both our dentist and my physio notified us that they were open and ready ..... our dentist did it by phone, having cancelled our early May appointments by phone back in late April. We just have to decide when we want to go.

Physio had the set-up I detailed above.

I'm also on record with AirCanada, ViaRail, Fairmont Hotels and Westin (latter under the banner of Marriott hotels) and they have all been keeping me updated on what is happening with them since the beginning of February.