As the restrictions are slowly lifted and jabs are being handed out you may be starting to feel more confident about getting involved with something new or creative in your local community. Maybe you are realising that you would like some more support or take some steps to reconnect with people outside of your home whether its socially or for work.
We have been working hard over the last few weeks to come up with systems and measures to keep people safe if they are looking to come and see us face to face in our community delivery and wanted to list a few ways you can be reassured below so you know what to expect if you are coming to The Angel Centre.
Art Materials - These are all boxed up and ready for individual use. Anything that you touch or use will be placed in our 'Used' box and left for a minimum of 72 hours before being returned to our kit. This means that you still have a wealth or supplies available to use and that no-one else will use the things that you have touched, reducing the risk of cross contamination.
Track and Trace - The Angel Centre has a track and Trace barcode on the kitchen door which
we would ask that you use to check in on your NHS app (via your smart phone if you can) when you visit on your way up to our room.
We understand that not everyone can and wants to do this and your barcode won't say which service in the building you have been visiting so that aspect will stay confidential. If you would rather leave us your name and a contact number then you can do this as an alternative so we can get in touch should we need to.
Our staff team who you meet face to face will be doing regular lateral flow testing and will inform you if there is any need to cancel appointments as soon as they know.
Symptoms - We ask that you don't attend your appointment if you are experiencing any symptoms and have felt unwell in the last 48 hours and/or have had a positive Covid test.
The symptoms to look our for are: New Continuous Cough, High Temperature (above 37.8), A loss or change to your sense of taste or smell. We would also advise against attending with any cold based symptoms.
Alcohol Gel and Cleaning facilities - Alcohol gel is available to use throughout the building and its communal spaces, as well as restriction on the number of people allowed in some spaces. There is regular cleaning and maintenance within the building but we also ask if you do use any communal facilities (such as toilets) that you wipe down door handles and taps after use (all staff in the building are also doing the same) - cleaning materials are provided for you to do this. There is alcohol gel in Creating Spaces room as well as the meeting room (which we may use to offer more ability to socially distance) and there will be more time allowed between appointments to allow for disinfecting surfaces between sessions. For this reason we ask that you don't arrive in the building until your allocated appointment time.
Masks - For the time being Claire will be working with a mask on in our counselling space as the space is limited. We would ask you to wear a mask into the building if you are able to and you can remove your mask if you wish when you are seated. If you are exempt from mask wearing for whatever reason (and we don't need to know why) then please let us know before your appointment and we may decide to use a bigger space if necessary. It's important that you feel safe and comfortable to attend.
Our Room - due to the size of the therapy space we will be conducting appointments with the widows open to improve air flow so please dress appropriately for a breeze if its an early appointment or a cooler day. This is to keep air moving and also keeps the space fresh. We will be regularly disinfecting our tables, chairs and door handles within the room between appointments and personal protective equipment such as disinfecting wipes, overalls, gloves and masks are available should you want them. Please just ask.
Blended service - We will be continuing to offer a range of appointment options for your 1:1 sessions.
Telephone sessions
Video sessions
Face to Face sessions
This is to make sure that the type of appointment is right for you and can be changed in advance of your appointment day and time. This also means we are able to offer earlier and later appointments on certain days.
We will be releasing new appointment availability in the coming weeks - but in the meantime... Do you have any questions about any of the above? If so then please get in touch and we will be more than happy to talk you through it. Don't forget our social media channels and you can keep an eye on what we have been up to on our Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages.
Our Wellbeing Sessions are still taking place via Zoom so you can sign up here (until 3rd May). So hope to see you then.
As always we hope you are well and managing to be kind to yourself whilst we go through all these challenges and changes.
There is help available if you need it.
Claire