What to Expect

What to expect at your 1st appointment

If you’ve never been to see us before, here’s some information to help you look forward to your appointment. The first section is to help all our patients, explaining what you can expect from us and how we would like you to help.

You will also find here some further detail on the first appointment for:

Babies and young children
Young people aged 16-17
Acupuncture

If you’re unsure about anything just ring Reception and Catherine or Joanne will be happy help you.

All osteopathic and physiotherapy appointments

We will…

Ask you about your general health and medical history as well as why you’ve come to see us. We like to understand the full picture of you, your health and your lifestyle. As Registered Osteopaths and Physiotherapists we’re also trained to screen you for medical conditions, and if necessary we can suggest you see your GP or another appropriate health professional and ask for their input.

Assess you based on our conversation. We like to see how you move and if you’re comfortable. Sometimes we want to check the movement of particular joints. We might check your blood pressure or test your reflexes. On occasion it helps us if you remove some outer clothing to make an area more accessible but we will never ask you to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable and we’ll always check that you feel ok.

Explain what we’ve found and what your options may be. We’ll make an agreement with you about how to move forward. Treatment could include stretching muscles, loosening joints, or asking you to make specific movements. We might suggest using an extremely gentle cranial approach. We’ll tailor the treatment to you as an individual and ask for your consent before we begin.

Refer you to another health professional if we believe that it’s not appropriate for us to treat you. We’ll explain why we’ve made this decision and ask your permission for the referral.

Keep a record of what we’ve done and store all information in accordance with legal requirements for medical data.

Keep confidential your visit and everything that’s been said and done. We won’t divulge anything you tell us in the treatment room unless we’re legally required to do so. You can find more detail about our privacy policy here.

We’d like you to…

Wear loose, comfortable and flexible clothing. Jogging pants are ideal. Reasonably thin leggings are fine as well. Heavy denim jeans make our job much harder! As we might ask you to remove some outer layers, you may want to wear a tee shirt and shorts underneath.

Bring a friend or relative with you if it would make you feel more comfortable.

Bring a list of any prescription medicines you’re currently taking.

Ask us if you’re unsure about anything or would like more information.

Tell us if there’s anything you feel uncomfortable about. If you’re thinking ‘I’m not sure about this’, then please stop us immediately and let us know so we can make sure what we’re doing is suitable for you.

Remember to bring a means of payment with you if you haven’t booked online. We accept cash and most credit/debit cards. We don’t take American Express or Diners Club.

Babies and small children

We will…

Make sure that you and your baby feel comfortable in the treatment room. We have an accessible bathroom on the ground floor with a nappy-changing station and if you need to feed or change your baby, we’ll make sure you have the time and space to do this.

Ask you about your baby’s or child’s symptoms and their history. We may ask you about your pregnancy and birth process too. We’ll involve your child in the conversation in an age-appropriate way.

Assess your child, explaining what we wish to do and why. We’ll ask for consent from you and your child before we begin.

Explain what we’ve found and what your options may be. We’ll make an agreement with you about how to move forward and make sure you understand the benefits or potential side effects of the different choices. Treatment is always gentle and appropriate for the physiology and age of your child.

Refer you to your GP, midwife or lactation consultant with your agreement if we feel that would be helpful.

We’d like you to…

Bring anything you think you or your child may need while you’re here.

Make sure the person with legal parental responsibility is present in the treatment room. We cannot examine or treat your child without this.

Feel calm if the baby cries. Most babies who come to us have loud voices and we don’t mind!

Young people aged 16-17

We prefer that the person with legal parental responsibility is present in the treatment room for the 1st
appointment. If the young person would like to speak to us on their own we’re happy to discuss this with you both. All our osteopaths are DBS-checked at an enhanced level.

Acupuncture

We may take your pulse and inspect your tongue. This will help guide our decision on where to place needles. Please don’t scrape your tongue prior to the consultation.

On occasion it helps us if you remove some outer clothing down to your underwear to make an area more
accessible for needles. We’ll never ask you to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable and we’ll always check that you feel ok.