COVID SAFE PLAN – NAPA
Business Name: NAPA Centre Pty Ltd, trading as NAPA Sydney and NAPA Melbourne
Plan completed by: Paul Pozzobon, Managing Director
At NAPA, we work with a variety of medically complex patients every day, and we always take their personal health and safety very seriously. Like all paediatric and health care settings, we already take extra precautions to keep our patients and staff well, but we have taken additional steps to manage the current COVID-19 situation.
Concerning COVID-19 we want to reassure you that our current procedures in place are following the daily advice and information provided by the State Government authorities, and announcements made by the NSW, Victorian and Federal governments.
This may mean that the information below will be updated and may change, so we kindly request that all clients refer our COVID-19 webpage found on www.napacentre.co.uk/covid-19, and all relevant announcements by your state government authority before attending the clinic or confirming travel arrangements.
TIPS FOR CLIENTS TO STAY PROTECTED
- Handwashing with soap is your best self-defence against the spread of germs. Use the “20-second” rule for you and your children. As a backup, we have additional antibacterial hand sanitiser stations readily available to you and your child around our clinic and pop up locations.
- Wipe down your personal toys or any belongings you or your child uses during therapy before and after their therapy session. If you need additional sanitising wipes please ask your therapist or any NAPA team member. If you would prefer your child only uses your own personal toys during their sessions, please let your therapist know.
- Please stay home if you, your child, or anyone in your household is not feeling well, especially if anyone displays a fever, are coughing or sneezing, are experiencing shortness of breath, display a rash, or any other illness symptoms. If you arrive to therapy or display any of these symptoms in a session, you will be asked to leave until you are symptom-free for 48 hours. NAPA will require a medical certificate prior to returning. Your doctor may recommend a COVID-19 test. We will request a negative COVID-19 test notification before you will be allowed to return to the clinic.
- All families are encouraged to practice safe social distancing. We have lots of room in our parent’s room, but at times it can get busy so if you are wanting to spread out further, we invite you to take an empty treatment room or perhaps spend your break outside, in the seating area in the building foyer, at the cafe or on our balcony area (in Sydney). We encourage your family to leave the clinic as soon as possible once your child’s therapy session is completed.
- Please be mindful of media reports on recent hotspot venues, local government areas or outbreaks. Please do not come into the clinic if you currently live in, work in, have visited or been exposed to any of these venues in the lead up to your appointments.
- Help us keep our NAPA family safe by following all international and interstate travel guidelines. If current or future travel restrictions apply to you and will affect your intensive dates, please contact us immediately. If you live in or a travelling from an area or region that has been designated as a hotspot area, you and your family may not attend NAPA Centre until your local public health unit informs you and that it is safe to do so, and we will require a negative COVID-19 test dated within 3 days of the start of your intensive before you will be allowed into the clinic. For further information on your states border restrictions, please visit the relevant COVID-19 page on their website.
- If at anytime, you would prefer your regular or intensive appointments to be converted to telehealth, please contact us to make these arrangements.
HOW NAPA IS RESPONDING
- Until further notice, our sickness policy now requires any child or parent experiencing any cold or flu-like symptoms to be free of symptoms for 48 hours prior to returning to therapy. Depending on your symptoms, you may also have to produce a negative COVID-19 test prior to returning to the clinic.
- All members of staff have undertaken training in Infection control provided by The Department of Health.
- We are temperature checking every individual that enters NAPA, every day. Our temperature checks are contactless but are a necessary additional precaution we need to take. Anyone with a temperature over 37.5 degrees will be asked not to enter NAPA.
- Your therapists are being extra vigilant to ensure every mat, bench, toy, and piece of equipment used during your child’s session is clean and safe to use. We appreciate your assistance too during the session if you can, so your child minimises missing therapy time.
- Where we have smaller treatment rooms in our clinics, we will spread out accordingly. Please note that smaller rooms may have limits on the amount of people that can be in them at the one–time so we ask for your assistance in abiding by these rules. Staff will carefully plan and manage where they will run your child’s session in the NAPA clinic. We ask you to kindly respect their decision on this.
- All of our NAPA employees are fully vaccinated and undergo regular testing to attend work, although this is not currently mandated by the state governments. We exclude staff who are unwell from the premises and communicate regularly with staff to remind everyone that you should not attend work if unwell with respiratory symptoms or fever. Any staff member who is ill or shows symptoms of being ill will be sent home and will need to be free of symptoms for 48 hours prior to returning to the clinic. This may affect some schedules and we ask for your understanding at this time.
- Despite recent changes in health authority advice, 7-day Covid isolation rules are being followed by our team for anyone that has been deemed a close household contact. As our clinic operates in the disability sector, recent changes in regards to this do NOT apply to NAPA. As we have many vulnerable children in the clinic, we ask that all visiting families also abide by these enhanced protocols – meaning that if someone within your household tests positive for Covid, please suspend coming to the clinic for a period of 7 days. We appreciate your assistance in keeping our NAPA community safe at this time.
- We are disinfecting all clinic areas with hospital-grade cleaner regularly through the day and have scheduled additional cleaning sessions by our professional cleaning company.
- Facemasks are compulsory for all people over the age of 12 years entering the clinic for the duration of their stay. We have face masks available for purchase in clinic and in times where masks are NOT mandated by state authorities, you may still request your therapist to wear a mask during your child’s session. Children undergoing therapy will not be required to wear masks.
IF FURTHER RESTRICTIONS ARE ENFORCED
Please be advised that as NAPA is classified as an essential service (both health and disability service), we will remain open during the lockdown periods as long as we are permitted to by the relevant State government. We will continue to take all of the above precautions to ensure a safe environment for you and your children and ask that all families also abide by all requests. If you are concerned about attending NAPA for scheduled appointments during this time, please contact your clinic to discuss options for rescheduling or changing your appointment to telehealth.
If the COVID-19 situation changes and allied health services are advised to close for face-to-face appointments, we will be in touch with any family directly affected. NAPA may have the ability to run telehealth sessions for some children.
IF NAPA HAS A CONFIRMED, CLOSE OR CASUAL CONTACT
If NAPA is notified of a confirmed Covid case, or that the anyone who has visited NAPA is a close or casual contact, then NAPA will follow all instructions of the health authorities and adhere to all relevant protocols. If a therapists tests positive that has been treating your child, you will also be immediately notified directly.
CANCELLATION POLICY DURING COVID-19
Please note that we will be flexible where possible and waive cancellation fees for intensives if they are cancelled beyond your control or if travel restrictions prohibit you from coming to NAPA. Please note that whilst NAPA is open and travel is unrestricted into Sydney and Melbourne, we will charge normal cancellation fees if you cancel within 30 days of the start of your intensive, when you have made the optional decision to cancel. We understand these are very challenging times, however we ask for your understanding and co-operation with these conditions so we can continue operating our clinic during these times and continue to keep all of our therapists employed. Please consider all aspects of how travel is being affected during COVID 19, including the potential need for you to isolate ahead of your intensive or afterwards.
If you pay a deposit or further amounts for an intensive that is affected by a clinic COVID closure or by state/international travel restrictions or quarantines, we will work with you to reschedule your intensive for a later date when things have settled down (subject to availability). Please note that there are no guarantees, as this will be reliant on a suitable space being available for your child at a later date. Any payments you have made will be held in credit until a time at which you can utilise them, minus any cancellation fees that may still be applicable.
If we are unable to find a suitable place for your child at a later date, you may request a refund for any payments made. As noted above, a cancellation fee may apply if you have not given us adequate notice. A fee of 3% of the amount being refunded will also be applicable should you request a refund.
CHAT TO US
We will continue to keep you updated as any new information around travel and health restrictions for COVID-19 becomes available and will update this plan as current circumstances and advice changes. For up-to-date information or changes, please always refer to our website www.napacentre.co.uk/covid-19.
If you are concerned about whether you can still attend your upcoming intensive, please contact us directly on the numbers or emails below to discuss your options.
Thank you for your support to keep all our NAPA family happy and healthy!
NAPA CENTRE CONTACT DETAILS
NAPA Sydney
Clinic Manager: Paul Pozzobon
info@napacentre.co.uk
02 9420 5080
NAPA Melbourne
Clinic Manager: Kylie Claxton
melbourne@napacentre.co.uk
03 8393 0950
