This month we welcomed Alex and Gracen to our team of clinic assistants. We are excited to expand our team and continue to better serve our community in these difficult times. With Alex’s background in aviation, she brings knowledge and skills in client safety and guest voyage. Gracen’s background in healthcare and communications will support our patient interactions both in the clinic and online. They join Ewelina to bring our clinic assistant team to three. We hope that the growth of our team improves your visits by making them more comfortable and streamlined.

The clinic returned to full service on 26th May 2020.  The way we work has changed to incorporate coronavirus safeguarding measures for both patients and the team.  The main measures are.

WE ARE RECRUITING SUPERHEROES

Are you bright, energetic, self-motivated and willing to go that extra mile? Do you have excellent customer service and communication skills? Are you caring and interested in health and wellness? Be able to multi-task, with fantastic computer, admin and organisational skills? Then we are looking for you!

PART TIME CLINIC ASSISTANT (CA)

The successful applicant will run a busy front of house with a wide range of duties, delivering a WOW service to our guests. You will learn about health care and how to support our clinical team. Exceptional training and support will be provided.

PART TIME CLINIC ASSISTANT WITH DIGITAL MEDIA SKILLS

The successful applicant will assist with the design and implementation of our communication plan. You must know how to effectively utilise social media and WordPress or have the aptitude to rapidly learn and be effective.

Please email your CV and covering letter to lola@healthinmotion.org.uk by 31st July 2020 telling us about your super power!

You can obtain osteopathy vouchers at special prices via our pay-it forward scheme

Closure of the clinic due to COVID-19 has taken its toll on our cash flow yet we need to make expensive purchases to become operational again. Furthermore, we will have to run at reduced capacity to ensure enhanced infection control and social distancing within the waiting area. Therefore, we have come up with this amazing win-win scheme to provide cash flow for our clinic to fund all necessary modifications.

Support our pay-it forward scheme and obtain osteopathy vouchers at special prices as detailed below:

£67 now £60 Face-to-face osteopathy voucher
£35 now £30 – Tele-osteopathy via video call voucher
£100 now £80 – Face-to-face and video tele-osteopathy combo voucher

These vouchers have no expiry date and can be gifted to family and friends. Those who participate in the scheme will have the vouchers credited to their clinic account (for convenience and infection control purposes). An account statement will be sent as confirmation.

I would like to repeat my thanks to those who have already supported this scheme. We have almost reached the first £1000 milestone of this funding project. Our target is £6000 by 28th May 2020 when the scheme ends.

Here are some ideas if you are interested in supporting our clinic in anyway.

1. Read our pay-it forward story and share it via facebook / social media. Also leave a review on our Facebook page. You could also share this email with contacts that may be interested.

2. Visit our pay-it forward crowd fund page to purchase reward vouchers as described above. You can leave a small donation if you want to support us but would rather not pay for treatment at this time.

3. Book online now to make an appointment for when we re-open. You can check each osteopath’s availability online.

4. Do you know of any reliable suppliers of infection control consumables or PPE to primary care / allied health professionals. Please let us know and introduce our clinic.

5. If you know of a local business who would like some help setting up a paying forward crowd fund page – put them in contact with me.

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Update on temporary clinic closure & planned re-opening date

We are pleased to announce that our osteopaths will be available during the second phase of COVID-19 lockdown.

The clinic will be open from the 26th May 2020.  You may book a future appointment now!  We will be working at reduced capacity to achieve social distancing for visitors.  Those of you who were in the middle of a treatment plan will be contacted by phone and offered appointments as priority. We plan to do these calls within the week commencing 18th May 2020.

Book appointment online now!

As many of you are aware, the clinic has been closed since 23rd March 2020. Osteopathy is an essential healthcare and the clinic would have been permitted to stay open. However, without the necessary modifications to equipment and processes, this was not appropriate.

The date for re-opening is constantly under review and we will keep you  updated if the above plan changes.

What has changed to enhance infection control?

1. We have purchased clinic equipment that can be easily sanitized after every appointment.
2. Clinic linen will no longer be used, patients will be asked to keep one comfortable layer of clothing on during treatment.
3. Osteopaths will be wearing face masks, gloves and aprons.
4. The clinic shop will not be open for passing trade until further notice.
5. We will stagger patient arrival and departure so that social distancing rule is observed in the shop.
6. Reception staff will be wearing face shields or face mask.
7. We will require you to pay in advance of your appointments by electronic invoice
8. Team members will not come to work if there is a suspicion of being infected with the virus or knowingly had contact with anyone within their social distancing bubble who has symptoms.
9. Patients will be asked not to attend appointments if there is any suspicion of viral infection.  They will be asked to cancel their appointment as soon as possible.  There will be no cancellation fees for short notice cancellations.
10. We are trying to reduce paper passed between the clinic and patients, we will use electronic communication for form filling, appointment notifications, receipts, etc.

Options for people who need our help but need to be shielded; do not want a face-to-face appointment; or do not live locally to the clinic.

We have introduced Tele-osteopathy appointments via video calls. This has been used during lockdown for some very painful acute cases and have proved to be very effective.  Tele-osteopathy appointments are 30-minutes duration for a fee of £45.

First of all, you will have a 10-minute phone triage to make sure your condition is within the scope of a tele-osteopathy appointment. If your condition is out of scope, we will signpost you to the appropriate services.

You will be given instructions to help you prepare for the video call.

Options to get osteopathy help before the clinic opens

If you are unsure about what to do next, you can contact us via WhatsApp chat by using this link Clinic WhatsApp

Tele-osteopathy appointments can be booked now. Click here to book a tele-osteopathy appointment online

Our virtual osteopathy clinic is open! Via video consultation, we have helped a few people with acute conditions during the first weeks of covid-19 outbreak.   At the moment we are doing video consultations for free to support our community.  We are particularly keen to provide this service to key workers in the NHS – please pass the message on.

We plan to re-open the clinic for face to face consultations on 4th May 2020 with new operating procedures to keep staff and patients as safe as is realistically possible.  Initally we will have to book fewer appointments per day to allow for people spacing and additional cleaning.  You can book appointments up to 4 weeks in advance by phone or online.  If you would like a brief chat about your condition, please connect via the clinic WatsApp account.

Watch the video.  My daughter directed, filmed and edited it #homeschooling.

Temporary Changes to Osteopathy Services due to Covid-19

We have made some changes to our booking system in response to the latest public health and government requirements to reduce the spread of COVID-19.  For a temporary period if you would like an appointment or advice, you will need to book a 10-minute phone consultation (triage) with an osteopath.  The triage conversation will determine if you should follow-up with a more in-depth video consultation or come to the clinic for treatment.  Triage phone consultations are free.  Please see our website for our updated COVID-19 policy.  We are limiting the numbers of people allowed in the clinic and leaving time gap between each appointment.  Frequently touched surfaces are being cleaned throughout the day.  

Cancellation Policy

During this uncertain time, fees are waived for late cancellations.  Our appointments are limited so please let us know as soon as you can if you cannot attend your phone/video or clinic appointment

Book online

If you can, please book this phone consultation online. This is the link for online booking https://www.healthinmotion.org.uk/book-a-treatment/).  There is no chanrge for this service.  You will receive valuable advice and sign-posting even if it does not result in a follow up appointment.

​Telephone contact

We are experiencing staff shortages so we prefer contact by email or by direct booking through this online service.  

You may try to call us on 020 8991 5280.  Voice messages will be emailed to a practitioner immediately. We will get back to you as soon as we can within 24 hours of your email.  Email osteopath@healthinmotion.org.uk

Good Faith

These are unprecedented times, and the above policy is a huge departure from our normal practices. We will constantly keep this policy under review and rely on your understanding and constructive feedback to get this right so it works for everyone that needs our help.

Keep calm and boost your immune system.

Coronavirus is novel and we don’t have the antibodies to fight it.  However, we would like to encourage calm and self care so that your immune system is prepared to fight the virus should you contract it. Based on the experience in China, where the disease is now past its peak, it is predicted that the majority of people who get this virus will suffer minor, transitory symptoms – 80% of infected people will recover without treatment.  So our best defense, is to do whatever we can to boost our immune system so that your body can defend itself should you become infected.

This post explains what osteopaths can do to help (while we are still able to see patients) and what you can do to help yourself.  We have also attached an exercise program, aimed to improve the mechanics of your immune system.

How can osteopathy help your immune system?

Osteopaths use of a number of techniques that can help to support your immune system. These techniques are targeted at improving the function of your respiratory system, lymphatic system and the thoracic region (neck, upper back, rib cage, diaphragm) of your body.

These systems are instrumental in motoring the immune system and reducing the impact on our health from viral or bacterial infection.

Another way osteopathy can help your immune system is through inducing relaxation.  Research has shown that manipulative treatments induce the production of relaxation molecules such as endocannabinoids.  Our patients always comment on how relaxed they feel as a result of treatment.  A 40 minute treatment can be a valuable oasis even for the severely stressed.

There is some research to suggest that osteopathy can reduce the mortality rate from complications associated with influenza, such a pneumonia.

We have also helped a great number of patients with chest and other pain following viral or bacterial chest infection.  There is more detail of this in our article below.

Osteopathy treatment for chest pain following flu or cold

Self-care to boost your immune system

Here are the most effective ways to strengthen our immune system:

• Follow a diet rich in fruits and vegetables
• Exercising regularly, which may be something simple as increasing the amount of walking you do.
• Sleep at least 7-8 hours per night:
• Manage stress – Stay calm and boost your immune system.
• Quit or reduce smoking – this virus targets the respiratory system so quit smoking over the next few months, as long as it won’t cause undue stress for you and your family.
• Reduce alcohol intake if it is currently moderate to high.
• Pay attention to personal hygiene, especially hand washing, handling food, interacting with other people.
• Manage weight and blood pressure over the immediate to longer term.
• Try these exercises.  We have designed an exercise program (click link below). It aims to gently mobilise your thoracic region. This will help prepare your body to fight infection, by reducing any physical restrictions. Perform these daily and enjoy the calm they will induce. Stay Calm and boost your immune system. #coronakindness

Bibliography:

Knott EM, Tune JD, Stoll ST, Downey HF. Increased Lymphatic Flow in the Thoracic Duct During Manipulative Intervention. J Am Osteopath Assoc2005;105(10):447–456.

Seffinger MA, Rich J. Lymphatic Pump OMT Releases Cytokines Into Central Circulation. J Am Osteopath Assoc 2014;114(7):587–588.

Smith RK. One hundred thousand cases of influenza with a death rate of one-fortieth of that officially reported under conventional medical treatment. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 1920;19:172-175.

Yao, S., Hassani, J., Gagne, M., George, G., Gilliar, W. Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment as a Useful Adjunctive Tool for Pneumonia. J. Vis. Exp. (87), e50687, doi:10.3791/50687 (2014).

In keeping with the latest Public Health England (PHE) advice regarding Coronavirus,  we are asking staff, visitors and patients not to visit the clinic or attend appointments if they have the following symptoms;

a high temperature and / or

a new, continuous cough

Since the clinic opened 5 years ago we have established procedures to prevent the spread of communicable infection. We have also introduced another tier of precautions since the coronavirus outbreak. We are following guidelines from Public Health England (PHE) regarding clinic and personal hygiene and our disinfecting procedures have been increased, as a further precaution.

As increasing numbers seek to limit their exposure to coronavirus by home working or reducing social contact, we are assessing daily how this will impact on demand for our services.  As a result, there may be a temporary change to clinic opening hours. Details of any changes will be posted on this website and our google business page here .