COVID MEASURES

Last updated 30^th October 2020

We have put several measures in place in response to the pandemic for the protection of our patients, staff and clinicians. However in spite of any measures a risk exists, and we ask that you consider every possible way of reducing this risk to you and your family, for example by wearing a mask, respecting social distancing and avoiding crowded places and public transport whenever possible.

You will notice some changes within the centre:

Masks are at your disposal upon arrival at reception, we ask that you wear them at all times in the clinic.

Please sanitise your hands upon arrival. Regular handwashing is encouraged for all (alcohol hand sanitizer is available throughout the centre for patients and staff, and soap is available in all bathrooms and consultation rooms/dispensers in workstations/communal areas/offices).

Temperature is monitored in all patients via a contactless forehead thermometer upon arrival at Medicare Francais, for your safety and that of our staff.

We practice social distancing within the centre, and we ask that you keep at least 2m between yourself and any other patient or member of staff whenever possible. The following measures have also been introduced to aid social distancing:

• Appointments are staggered to avoid crowding
• We ask that you come alone or, in the case of minors, accompanied by one adult only
• Any accompanying adults are requested to kindly wait outside the centre until the end of their child’s session
• For any family groups, you may be shown to an empty room and asked to wait separately
• Floor markings have been installed to indicate where patients should stand when queuing for the reception, pharmacy or for payment
• If the centre is particularly busy, we may need to use secondary waiting areas to ensure social distancing is maintained at all times
• A one-way system is in operation within the centre to facilitate patient flow

All patients are triaged prior to attending a physical appointment to ensure they are not currently exhibiting signs and symptoms of COVID-19 – if you or a member of your household have fever and/or a cough, or are experiencing loss of taste or smell, you will be offered a video consultation. Please let us know if you are currently isolating or completing a compulsory period of quarantine and you will also be offered a virtual appointment.

All practitioners wear a mask within the centre and appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment) during consultations.

All hygiene protocols have been enhanced within Medicare Francais and communal areas are disinfected throughout the day. Every clinic room is cleaned between each patient.

Patients are encouraged to avoid cash payments and the card terminal is disinfected after each use with appropriate agent. Online payment facilities are available, please let us know, should you prefer to pay safely online.

As you will appreciate, we are all doing our best to lower the risks and evolve with the situation, changing government guidelines etc. Please feel free to contact us if you have any queries or suggestions, we are available by email (info@medicarefrancais.com) at any time and will get back to you as soon as possible.

DATA PROTECTION & COVID-19

In order to look after your healthcare needs and in accordance with legal requirements in place due to COVID-19, we may urgently need to share your personal information including medical records, with clinical and non-clinical staff who belong to organisations that are legally permitted to use your information and need to use it to help deal with the pandemic. This enables public health organisations to monitor the disease, assess risk and manage its spread. Please be assured that we will only share information and health data that is absolutely necessary to meet yours and public healthcare needs.

 

We take the security of your personal information extremely seriously at Medicare Francais. Our Privacy Policy is available here.

 

Click here for clarification about confidential information and public health and here for the ICO summary.

WHAT TESTS ARE AVAILABLE?

Three types of tests are currently available: the PCR COVID-19 test, the RAPID ANTIGEN test and the ANTIBODY tests.

The PCR COVID-19 and the rapid ANTIGEN tests detect the presence of the virus (SARS-CoV-2) in the nasopharyngeal secretions of a given individual and therefore allow to diagnose the presence of an acute COVID infection. The ANTIBODY tests check for evidence of past infection in a sample of blood.

DO I HAVE COVID-19?

The PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and the Rapid ANTIGEN tests look for the presence of the virus and can therefore confirm or deny a current infection in the patient and indicate whether the individual is currently potentially infective.

WHAT IS THE PCR COVID-19 TEST?

The PCR COVID-19 test is a swab taken from the nose and back of the throat by the health professional during your consultation. Once collected, it is processed by the laboratory and results are available the next day. This test is approved by Public Health England who leads the COVID response in the UK.

WHAT IS THE RAPID ANTIGEN TEST?

The RAPID ANTIGEN test is a swab taken from the nose or from the back of the throat by the health professional during your consultation. It is processed in the clinic during your appointment and results are available within 15 minutes. This test is not currently approved by Public Health England, it is however used widely throughout Europe as a key diagnostic tool.

HAVE I HAD COVID? WHAT IS THE ANTIBODY TEST?

An antibody or “serological” test can detect if a person has mounted an immune response as a result of a past Covid-19 infection by detecting the presence of IgM/IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in a blood sample. This test is done by a medical professional and is most reliable from 21 days following the first symptoms.

There are two types of antibody tests; the RAPID test, results of which are available within 10 mins during the consultation, and the ABBOTT or AUTOMATED test which, once a blood sample is taken during your appointment, is then sent to the lab for processing. The results of the automated tests are available within 24 hrs.

There are many different brands of antibody tests which have different efficacies depending on their sensitivity (true positive rate) and specificity (true negative rate). It is important to look at those values before being tested.

A positive test has value because the individual then knows that they have had the COVID-19 infection in the past and that they have developed an immune response. However, it is currently unclear whether having antibodies to COVID-19 protects you against a second infection.

A negative antibody test result should be treated with caution as it may indicate either that the antibody titre levels are not high enough to be detected, or that the patient has not been infected by the virus ; a negative antibody result cannot rule out a current infection.

 

WHICH TESTS ARE AVAILABLE AT MEDICARE FRANCAIS?

All the tests are available at Medicare Francais. Which test you decide to use will depend on what information you require and on your individual circumstances. Do not hesitate to book into the COVID clinic or contact us on info@medicarefrancais.com if you have any questions.

**Please note that if you, or a member of your household, currently have any symptoms of COVID (a new persistent cough, fever or loss of smell and taste) it is essential that you remain in isolation. If you wish to see one of our doctors, please book a video-consultation or contact us if you require a home visit for a test**

Pricing

If you have any further questions or if you would like more information on our testing services or prices, please email us on linda@medicarefrancais.com

You can also book an appointment online.

Our pharmacy is an internal pharmacy. This means that we are only able to dispense medicines that have been prescribed by one of Medicare Francais’ prescribing doctors on our premises.

We apologise that external prescriptions will not be able to be processed.

The level of cover you have will depend on your insurer and your policy.

Medicare Francais has an agreement with certain providers such as Welcare/Humanis, GMC and Allianz for third-party billing. For other insurance companies please refer to your provider.

Do not hesitate to contact us on info@medicarefrancais if you have any questions or if we can be of any further assistance.

If you need to change or cancel your appointment, please give us at least 24 hours’ notice. You may be charged for any appointment that you fail to attend without notice.

It is your right to have a chaperone present during any consultation or treatment. Please let our reception team or your practitioner know, and we will provide a trained chaperone. You are always welcome to bring a friend or family member along.

We aim to ensure that your experience at Medicare Francais is helpful and professional. However, if you are unhappy about any aspect of your care, please contact us on 0207 370 4999 or by email on info@medicarefrancais.com as soon as possible so that we can try to rectify the problem.

We aim to deal with all concerns as quickly and efficiently as possible. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may wish to consult our Complaints Policy.

We welcome feedback at Medicare Francais. Your views are important to us and help us to provide you with the best possible healthcare service.

Please feel free to email us on info@medicarefrancais.com, alternatively you can leave feedback on Findoc, Google or our Contact page

A comprehensive list of fees is available on our Price List page.

This website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical guidance. Always consult a medical professional if you have any concerns about your health.

In order to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enforced in May 2018, we have reviewed our Privacy Procedure. If you wish to see why we collect your personal data and what we do with it, please read our Privacy Notice.

DATA PROTECTION & COVID-19

In order to look after your healthcare needs and in accordance with legal requirements in place due to COVID-19, we may urgently need to share your personal information, including medical records, with clinical and non-clinical staff who belong to organisations that are legally permitted to use your information and need to use it to help deal with the pandemic. This enables public health organisations to monitor the disease, assess risk and manage its spread. Please be assured that we will only share information and health data that is absolutely necessary to meet yours and public healthcare needs.

We take the security of your personal information extremely seriously at Medicare Francais. Our Privacy Policy is available here.

Click here for clarification about confidential information and public health and here for the ICO summary.

Please note that we are not responsible for the content of external websites/links. They are used as a reference or recommendation only.