Your health matters
We know that it is inevitable that with more movement around the country, there is the potential for COVID-19 to sneak through the clinic. This has been a known risk since Alert Level 3 and will continue to be under the traffic light system.
Our response has been to implement the gold standard of personal protection that our team and you experience whilst undergoing any osteopathy or massage treatment with us.
Our massage therapy and osteopathy services are deemed close contact because we operate very differently from physiotherapy or chiropractic practice. This is mainly due to us being in such close contact for more than 15mins vs in a well-ventilated space, whereas other professions such as physiotherapy can afford to be 1-2 metres apart, or where your chiropractic session can have you out within a 10-minute timeframe.
Our risk assessment deems that both our team and clients are together in an enclosed space (for more than 15mins) and under our health and safety policy governed by the Ministry of Health risk assessment guide, this is deemed high risk.
In order to work in accordance with the legislated requirements under the COVID-19 protection framework, our massage therapy is different from a single practitioner business that has a stand-alone clinic.
Please note that Top Notch Bodyworks is located within designated premises that share the same space as other Health Practitioners such as physiotherapy in Parnell and osteopathy in Massey – therefore, massage therapy must fall under the same requirements (see the left box below).
We do realise that others in the same situation as us may still ask for vaccination passes, however, there will still be crossovers with shared reception and communal areas, and the most important concern is what are the protective measures in the rooms with close contact (Table 3).
The above table informs that we are not able to ask for vaccination status (just as it is for physiotherapy, osteopathy, chiropractic etc) and under the protection framework and we are to follow this guidance as put out by the Ministry of Health:
It is prohibited (illegal) for those who offer health care services – osteopathy, physiotherapy, chiropractic care – to refuse someone who does not hold a My Vaccine Pass. Please visit this link here.
To which the COVID-19 Website states (link here)
This ruling and requirement will have no bearing on our existing health and safety policy, which upholds the highest COVID-19 protection procedures we have always had in place under Level 3. We will continue to uphold the same level of protection throughout the COVID-19 Protection framework, for our clients.
Our health and safety policy is responsive to widespread cases and transmission. With more movement of the population, transmission risks increase, and we cannot guarantee that someone has not picked it up in the community. Top Notch Bodyworks adopts PPE to the following protections: widespread cases and high risk, whereas most others you may find will follow the Lower Risk category.
