Category Archives: osteopathy

osteopathy

Under-18s – accompanying adults and legal consent


Under-16s – In order to comply with legal and safeguarding guidelines and the standards of our governing body, Under-16s attending for any treatment at this practice MUST be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, who will have to give their written and ongoing consent for their young person to receive treatment.


Please note that this definition does not include grandparents, siblings or any other relative or person, even with a parent’s or legal guardian’s express permission.


Young adults of 16 and 17 are legally entitled to consent to their own treatment. However, for safeguarding purposes, we ask that young people of this age group are accompanied by a parent or legal guardian for their initial treatments, and until all parties are happy for them to attend alone. The final decision at this point will rest with the individual practitioner.

We do understand that this may not always be convenient for you, but we are bound to comply with these regulations.


Thank you for your co-operation

osteopathy

ANNUAL INCREASE IN FEES

In accordance with our efforts to ensure clarity and fairness in our pricing structure, May 1st  each year sees our planned annual price rise for our treatments, in line with cost-of-living increases. This way, everybody knows what to expect and can plan accordingly.

As for all businesses and households, this year has seen an unprecedented rise in our costs and we regret that we have no choice but to reflect this in our new fees.

Thank you for your understanding.

Cranial osteopathy, craniosacral therapy, osteopathy

CRANIO-SACRAL THERAPY AND CRANIAL OSTEOPATHY

As our cranial osteopath, Juliet, is taking a sabbatical, and her recent stand-in Elaine has just emigrated, we are currently unable to offer cranial osteopathy at Wadebridge Osteopaths.

However, we are lucky enough to have two experienced cranio-sacral therapists, Jo Bhatti and Grace Retallick, to provide continuing care for all patients and clients who prefer a similar gentle form of treatment.

Cranial Osteopathy and Cranio-Sacral Therapy (CST) are extremely similar in their gentle way of working with the body using light touch. In fact, CST developed as an offshoot from osteopathy and cranial osteopathy many decades ago. The main difference between them is that a CST therapist is not a Registered Osteopath. It still requires a considerable amount of time, effort and skill to become a qualified CST practitioner, and we are very lucky to have this excellent alternative on offer.

osteopathy

MASKS ARE NOW OPTIONAL

Recent changes in regulations mean that the wearing of masks in healthcare settings is no longer mandatory. However, we absolutely respect your right to choose what you are comfortable with, so you are welcome to wear a mask if you wish to do so. You can also ask your practitioner to wear a mask, if it makes you feel more comfortable. Your practitioner may have made the personal choice to continue to wear a mask anyway.

osteopathy

WELCOME TO OSTEOPATH EMILY KENYON

We are delighted to welcome local osteopath Emily Kenyon to the practice. We have known Emily for a good number of years, as she has been practising independently in North Cornwall and has built up a great reputation with both her patients and colleagues in the area. She has now decided that she would like to spend part of her week working alongside other therapists in a multi-disciplinary practice and we couldn’t be happier that she has chosen to join us from mid-September onwards.

Read more about Emily here.

osteopathy

Protecting your privacy

When you visit us for your first consultation or treatment, we have to ask you to fill in a consent form covering consultation, examination and treatment (where appropriate), and data protection (including record keeping and communication preferences). Copies of these forms can be found via the “Protecting Your Privacy” drop-down menu on our website or via the link in the next paragraph. Please arrive 10 minutes or so before your scheduled time to complete the paperwork without disrupting your appointment.

Since 25th May 2018, all businesses have become subject to data protection legislation known as the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). As such, we have a duty to tell you what personal data we collect and why, how we store it and who has access to it. Following is a summary of some of the key points. Our detailed Privacy Statement can be found via the main menu, or you can follow this link.

Information and Communication

When you supply your personal details to this clinic, they are stored and processed for 3 reasons:

  1. We have a legal obligation to maintain medical notes, in order to provide you with the most appropriate treatment.
  2. Provided we have your consent, we may need to contact you in order to confirm your appointments with us, or to update you or your doctor on matters related to your care. Under the GDPR, this is known as legitimate interest.
  3. Again, provided we have your consent, we may occasionally send you specific information relevant to your care, in the form of articles, advice or newsletters. This, too, constitutes legitimate interest under the GDPR.

Your Records

Your records are stored on paper, in a locked filing cabinet, and the office is always locked out of working hours.

We have a legal obligation to retain your records for 8 years after your most recent appointment (or age 25, if this is longer), and they will usually be destroyed after this period.

If we contact you via an email address that you have given us, that address will be stored on the email service provider’s system.

Access

We will never share your data with anyone who does not need access without your written consent, unless we are directed to do so by a legal authority.

Only the following people will have routine access to your data:

  • Our reception staff will have access to your contact details, because they organise our practitioners’ diaries, and coordinate appointments and reminders. They do not have access to your medical history or sensitive personal information.
  • Your practitioner(s), in order that they can provide you with appropriate treatment.

 

osteopathy

Ann Retallick is changing her status!

AnnFrom the 9th of May 2017, Ann has decided to withdraw from the Register of Osteopaths. She feels that the registration fees are prohibitively expensive when she is only working on a very part-time basis.

Do not despair, though – this does not mean that she is stopping work. It simply means that she will no longer be allowed to use the title of “Osteopath”. Ann is fully entitled to continue with her wonderful manipulative and cranial therapy work in exactly the same way, and intends to do so for as long as possible! Thank goodness – what would we do without her?