NB Counselling Guidance On Returning To Face To Face Sessions

What will be different when I arrive?

I will meet you by the front door (wearing a facemask), there will be hand sanitiser for you to use, available at the door.  Your temperature will be taken and I will go through the recommended health questions, such as:

  • Have you returned from any high risk countries in the last 14 days?

  • Have you had close contact with, or cared for, someone diagnosed with COVID-19 within the last 14 days

  • Have you experienced any cold or flu-like symptoms in the last 14 days (to include fever, cough, sore throat, respiratory illness, difficulty breathing)?

We will then enter the counselling room, (if you have been here before, then you will notice that the chairs are changed, for easy cleaning between clients). They are placed to be 2m apart and the social distancing must be maintained throughout your visit.

You will notice a Perspex screen separating the space between our chairs.

The window will be slightly open to keep the room ventilated. (the radiator is right next to the clients chair, but if you feel that may get cold, please bring a coat).

The toilet will be out of use and the only handwashing can be done with hand sanitiser.

Sadly I can’t provide drinking water or tissues (as I did previously). Please feel free to bring your own.

I would ask that if you use your own tissues, that you would take them home with you to dispose of.

At the end of the session, I will ask you to please show yourself out, as the hallway is too narrow to adhere to the 2m distancing rule.

All payments are now paid electronically, I cannot take cash.

If you feel unwell before a session, I would ask you to not come in person, but continue the session online as an alternative for that week. Also, if you have a temperature at the door, I cannot proceed with the session. Please be aware that cancelling a session is still chargeable as per original agreement/contract - unless in exceptional circumstances.

I will be cleaning the room in between clients and giving 20 minutes between clients.

I realise that there are a lot of changes to get used to.  I felt it was worth it, in order to resume face to face sessions.

Below are some guidelines from the government. If you are in agreement for your details to be kept on file for 21 days, for track and trace purposes only, it will obviously not be possible to keep your name and contact details confidential.

You would need to sign a consent form, if you opt in to track and trace record keeping. But it will not affect you in any way if you choose not to.

Thank you for bearing with these changes, they are to keep us as safe as possible in these circumstances and hopefully won’t last forever.

I look forward to seeing you again soon.

Nina

Government advice: Information to collect

The following information should be collected by the venue, where possible:

  • Customers and visitors

    • the name of the customer or visitor;

    • a contact phone number for each customer or visitor;

    • date of visit, arrival time and, where possible, departure time;

    • if a customer will interact with only one member of staff, the name of the assigned staff member should be recorded alongside the name of the customer.

No additional data should be collected for this purpose. How records should be maintained

To support NHS Test and Trace, you should hold records for 21 days. This reflects the incubation period for COVID-19 (which can be up to 14 days) and an additional 7 days to allow time for testing and tracing. After 21 days, this information should be securely disposed of or deleted. When deleting or disposing of data, you must do so in a way that does not risk unintended access (e.g. shredding paper documents and ensuring permanent deletion of electronic files).

Records which are made and kept for other business purposes do not need to be disposed of after 21 days. The requirement to dispose of the data relates to a record that is created solely for the purpose of NHS Test and Trace. All collected data, however, must comply with the General Data Protection Regulation and should not be kept for longer than is necessary.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The data that we are asking you to collect is personal data and must be handled in accordance with GDPR to protect the privacy of your staff, customers and visitors. This section sets out the steps you can take to comply with GDPR.

GDPR allows you to request contact information from your staff, customers and visitors and share it with NHS Test and Trace to help minimise the transmission of COVID-19 and support public health and safety. It is not necessary to seek consent from each person, but you should make clear why the information is being collected and what you intend to do with it.

For example, if you already collect this information for ordinary business purposes, you should make staff, customers and visitors aware that their contact information may now also be shared with NHS Test and Trace.

You do not have to inform every customer individually. You might, for example, display a notice at your premises or on your website setting out what the data will be used for and the circumstances in which it might be accessed by NHS Test and Trace. You may need to offer some people additional support in accessing or understanding this information, for example, if they have a visual impairment or cannot read English.

While consent is not required, we recommend that consent is sought in sensitive settings such as places of worship and for any group meetings organised by political parties, trade unions, campaign or rights groups, other philosophical/religious groups or health support groups. This is because of the potentially sensitive nature of the data collected in these circumstances.

Personal data that is collected for NHS Test and Trace, which you would not collect in your usual course of business, must be used only to share with NHS Test and Trace. It must not be used for other purposes, including marketing, profiling, analysis or other purposes unrelated to contact tracing, or you will be in breach of GDPR. You must not misuse the data in a way that is misleading or could cause an unjustified negative impact on people e.g. to discriminate against groups of individuals.

Appropriate technical and security measures must be in place to protect customer contact information, and the ICO has produced guidance on this. These measures will vary depending on how you choose to hold this information, including whether it is collected in hard copy or electronically. We would prefer you to record and protect information electronically, but we understand this might not be possible.

You must ensure that individuals are able to exercise their data protection rights, such as the right of erasure or the right to rectification (where applicable).

When information should be shared with NHS Test and Trace

NHS Test and Trace will ask for these records only where it is necessary. For example, if your premises has been identified as the location of a potential COVID-19 outbreak.

NHS Test and Trace will work with you, if contacted, to ensure that information is shared in a safe and secure way. You should share the requested information as soon as possible to help us identify people who may have been in contact with the virus and help minimise the onward spread of COVID-19.

NHS Test and Trace will handle all data according to the highest ethical and security standards and ensure it is used only for the purposes of protecting public health, including minimising the transmission of COVID-19.

If you are contacted by NHS Test and Trace

Contact tracers will:

Contact tracers will never:

  • ask you to dial a premium rate number to speak to them (for example, those starting 09 or 087)

  • ask you to make any form of payment or purchase a product or any kind

  • ask for any details about your bank account;

  • ask for your social media identities or login details, or those of your contacts;

  • ask you for any passwords or PINs, or ask you to set up any passwords or PINs over the phone;

  • disclose any of your personal or medical information to your contacts;

  • ask about protected characteristics that are irrelevant to the needs of test and trace;

  • provide medical advice on the treatment of any potential coronavirus symptoms;

  • ask you to download any software to your PC or ask you to hand over control of your PC, smartphone or tablet to anyone else;

  • ask you to access any website that does not belong to the government or NHS.

How NHS Test and Trace will take steps to minimise transmission

If you receive a request for information from NHS Test and Trace this does not mean that you must close your establishment. NHS Test and Trace will, if necessary, undertake an assessment and work with you to understand what actions need to be taken.

Depending on the circumstances and the length of time that has elapsed, this could include arranging for people to be tested, asking them to take extra care with social distancing and/or – in some circumstances – asking them to self-isolate. NHS Test and Trace will give you the necessary public health support and guidance. Your staff will be included in any risk assessment and NHS Test and Trace will advise them what they should do.

If there is more than one case of COVID-19 on your premises, you should contact your local health protection team to report the suspected outbreak.

Published 2 July 2020