COVID-19 Control

As the current situation with COVID-19 allows, we are able to offer sight testing appointments at our practices. We take our clients’ and staff health and safety very seriously, so naturally we have taken steps to ensure that we can conduct our appointments in as safe a way as possible for all concerned.

Please note that we are working behind locked doors, so it is important to call beforehand to arrange an appointment (including for repairs and collections) or for any query.

IMPORTANT

If you experience any symptoms such as a fever or cough, please cancel or postpone your visit.

We will be carrying out COVID-19 checks before patients attend the practice. Patient temperatures may be taken on the day.

Caring for You is Protecting You

Discover our hygiene and safety protocol

You may have been wondering how your visit and eye examination will now differ. We have adapted the practices to the new social distancing guidelines.

What will it be like now?

We have developed a comprehensive protocol, following the Government guidelines to guarantee you the same level of service and care as before, while adding additional protection so we can assist you in the safest way!

What we will do…

Wash and sanitise our hands, wear personal protective equipment and respect physical distance where possible to ensure we all remain safe.

What our team will do…

  • Provide you with hand sanitiser at the entrance of the practice.
  • Every contact surface will be sanitised several times per day or more: doorknobs, tables, desks, optometry equipment, payment terminals.
  • We will provide you with a selection of sanitised frames that you can try on and all frames will again be sanitised between patients.
  • We will wear protective gloves and change them after every patient.
  • We may install protective screens between you and us when social distancing is not possible.

What we will kindly ask you to do…

  • Always make an advance appointment and avoid walk-in visits. This is essential so that we can manage the number of people in the practice at any one time. Please visit alone if you are able to or let us know in advance if you need to bring someone.
  • When you arrive at the practice you will be guided by a member of our team. Please do not wander around or touch our frame collection unless you are with a member of our team. We are no longer able to provide magazines in the waiting area but please feel free to bring your own.
  • We would prefer contactless card or chip and pin payments rather than cash if possible.

Our Assurance To You

Our practice team has been trained to respect the Government guidelines. We need to ensure safety in our practice but we are still here to help you and will welcome you with our usual friendly greeting.

We care for your eyes,
we care for you!

Important Coronavirus information

The NHS in England and Public Health England (PHE) are extremely well prepared for outbreaks of new infectious diseases. The NHS has put in place measures to ensure the safety of all patients and NHS staff while also ensuring services are available to the public as normal.

The risk to the general public is moderate. If you have arrived back to the UK from mainland China, Thailand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia or Macau within 14 days, follow the specific advice for returning travellers.

Call 111 now if you’ve been:

  • to Wuhan or Hubei Province in China in the last 14 days (even if you do not have symptoms)
  • to other parts of China, including Macau and Hong Kong, in the last 14 days and have a cough, high temperature or shortness of breath (even if it’s mild)
  • to Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Republic of Korea or Malaysia in the last 14 days and have a cough, high temperature or shortness of breath (even if it’s mild)
  • in close contact with someone with confirmed coronavirus

Do not go to a GP surgery, community pharmacy or hospital. Call 111, stay indoors and avoid close contact with other people.

Further information is available on nhs.uk.

Like the common cold, coronavirus infection usually occurs through close contact with a person with novel coronavirus via cough and sneezes or hand contact. A person can also be infected by touching contaminated surfaces if they do not wash their hands.

The risk of being in close contact with a person with coronavirus or contaminated surfaces is very low at the current time, as members of the public who have visited Wuhan or Hubei province, China are currently in isolation.

Testing of suspected coronavirus cases is carried out in line with strict regulations. This means that suspected cases are kept in isolation, away from public areas of the hospital and returned home also in isolation. Any equipment that come into contact with suspected cases are thoroughly cleaned as appropriate. Specific guidance has also been shared with NHS staff to help safeguard them and others. Patients can be reassured that their safety is a top priority, and are encouraged to attend all appointments as usual.
Everyone is being reminded to follow Public Health England advice to:

  • Always carry tissues with you and use them to catch your cough or sneeze. Then bin the tissue, and wash your hands, or use a sanitiser gel.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after using public transport. Use a sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are unwell.

You can find the latest information and advice from Public Health England at Further information is available on nhs.uk.

Retirement of Mrs Bagshaw, optometrist

It is with great sadness that we announce the retirement of Mrs Bagshaw from Norman Prince Opticians. She had been an optometrist with us for over 40 years and during that time made a huge impact in every aspect of her work.

The same commitment and dedication shown by Mrs Bagshaw continues with our remaining optometrists: Mr S Abery, Mrs E Entwistle, Mrs Mola-Moheddien and Mrs K Jowhal, all of whom have been with us for a number of years and would be more than happy to take on your eye care.

Miss H Bhatt is the newest addition to our optometry team. She has been working at our Ashford practice for over a year and is as committed in her role as Mrs Bagshaw was.

We all wish Mrs Bagshaw a very happy retirement!