Virtual ClinicIn the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we launched our virtual clinic in order to keep supporting our community at this difficult time.
We expect that the pandemic will forever change the way we work, communicate and do things so whilst COVID-19 is the reason we've launched this service, we fully expect it will be here to stay. |
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Does it work?
We are strong believers in remedial exercises and in empower recovery through information and self-help strategies.
Information is power and after looking at the research evidence supporting remote appointments, we were sold!
Yes, virtual appointments will be different then face to face ones and they will not suit everyone, but we are confident that they won't be any less useful.
Research clearly shows that understanding what is causing your pain and feeling empowered about how you can improve those symptoms yourself has a significant and positive impact on pain levels.
Information is power and after looking at the research evidence supporting remote appointments, we were sold!
Yes, virtual appointments will be different then face to face ones and they will not suit everyone, but we are confident that they won't be any less useful.
Research clearly shows that understanding what is causing your pain and feeling empowered about how you can improve those symptoms yourself has a significant and positive impact on pain levels.
What to Expect
Virtual Appointments will take place online at a place of your choosing.
You will need access to a camera phone or a laptop with a webcam.
We recommend that you carry out the appointment in a well-lit, quiet and private room in a locations where you will be able to talk with your practitioner uninterrupted and have enough space to perform a few basic movement for examination purposes.
The format of the consultation will reflect one that would take place face-to-face:
Your practitioner will ask you in-debt questions about your current symptoms, general health, general medical history, family medical history, sports and activity history, etc.
We will then perform a remote examination. Depending on the situation, we may ask you to perform some movement in front of the camera so we can see how you are moving, we may ask you to press on certain structures around the painful area and report back to us on pain or tenderness. On occasion, we may need to see the area in questions but this will be discussed with you.
In most cases, we will be able to suggest a working diagnosis for your symptoms and propose a remedial plan during this initial appointment.
We will teach you simple treatment techniques that you can perform on yourself or with the help of a partner, suggest management tips and remedial exercises to help your symptoms.
If we feel you need an onward referral to someone else, for instance to your GP or to an A&E department, we will do our best to facilitate this for you.
Limitations:
Please understand that virtual appointments are reliant on technology. In order to complete a successful consultation we need a good internet connection, good visual & audio on the camera, and there may be times when we won't be able to arrive at a diagnosis without doing a hands on examination. Online consultations will not be suited to everyone in every circumstances.
We promise to always do our best but please understand that there are limitations to virtual assessments & treatments which are outside of our control.
You will need access to a camera phone or a laptop with a webcam.
We recommend that you carry out the appointment in a well-lit, quiet and private room in a locations where you will be able to talk with your practitioner uninterrupted and have enough space to perform a few basic movement for examination purposes.
The format of the consultation will reflect one that would take place face-to-face:
Your practitioner will ask you in-debt questions about your current symptoms, general health, general medical history, family medical history, sports and activity history, etc.
We will then perform a remote examination. Depending on the situation, we may ask you to perform some movement in front of the camera so we can see how you are moving, we may ask you to press on certain structures around the painful area and report back to us on pain or tenderness. On occasion, we may need to see the area in questions but this will be discussed with you.
In most cases, we will be able to suggest a working diagnosis for your symptoms and propose a remedial plan during this initial appointment.
We will teach you simple treatment techniques that you can perform on yourself or with the help of a partner, suggest management tips and remedial exercises to help your symptoms.
If we feel you need an onward referral to someone else, for instance to your GP or to an A&E department, we will do our best to facilitate this for you.
Limitations:
Please understand that virtual appointments are reliant on technology. In order to complete a successful consultation we need a good internet connection, good visual & audio on the camera, and there may be times when we won't be able to arrive at a diagnosis without doing a hands on examination. Online consultations will not be suited to everyone in every circumstances.
We promise to always do our best but please understand that there are limitations to virtual assessments & treatments which are outside of our control.
Payment
You will get the option to pay at the time of booking if you book online, alternatively we can email you an invoice for you to arrange a BACS payment.
Are Virtual Appointments Covered by Insurance?
It depends on your insurer.
Some will cover it but some will not.
HOWEVER, the reason most companies don't cover it at present, is because there has never been sufficient demand for this service to be included in policies. The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to very quickly change the landscape of how musculo-skeletal services are delivered so please do ask your insurer to include this service.
The more people lobby for virtual consultations, the quicker it is likely to be covered.
Some will cover it but some will not.
HOWEVER, the reason most companies don't cover it at present, is because there has never been sufficient demand for this service to be included in policies. The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to very quickly change the landscape of how musculo-skeletal services are delivered so please do ask your insurer to include this service.
The more people lobby for virtual consultations, the quicker it is likely to be covered.
