COVID-19

At South Coast Vision, the safety of patients and staff is paramount. With COVID-19 presenting new challenges, the way healthcare is provided has had to adapt. At the start of the pandemic, I was re-deployed to the Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital as part of our preparations for a more widespread outbreak. This was fortunately short-lived, as numbers locally did not increase as much as we had feared. But it did give me first-hand experience of managing the disease and it is something I take very seriously.

Virtual consultations now available

These can be either via video or phone call. They are useful for us to get to know each other, establish what problems you are having and develop a provisional plan. This means that the time spent during a subsequent face-to-face consultation can be reduced.

If your problem is outside the scope of my practice, a virtual consultation can identify this and redirect you appropriately, avoiding an unnecessary face-to-face consultation.

COVID-19 free “green” zone

No patients or staff with symptoms of COVID-19 will be present in the clinic, which is a designated “Green Zone”

Any patients or staff exhibiting symptoms will be immediately sent home and advised to follow current government advice

Personal protective equipment during face-to-face consultations

All staff involved in your care will be wearing face-masks

You will also be required to wear a face-mask for the duration of your appointment, unless you have a valid medical exemption

Rigorous cleaning processes

All clinic equipment is fully cleaned between each patient

Strict hand hygiene protocols are in place to reduce the risk of all infections, not just COVID-19.