Yes. We are an essential healthcare service provider and Qscan Group remains committed to servicing the needs of our patients and referrers during the coronavirus pandemic. Depending on your location, we may have some slight alterations to our business hours, but we are still providing all services to our patients.
Your safety is our priority. We are continuously revising how to keep our patients safe while they are in our clinics. We continue to maintain strict procedures advised by the Australian department of health, which include social distancing measures, wearing of masks, infection control and the use of personal protective equipment. To ensure everyone’s safety, you will be asked additional questions about your health and exposure details. If you are in a lockdown area, we request you to attend your appointment alone (unless you require support or assistance).
We are here to support you in your medical imaging needs, and our scope of services remains the same as before the lockdown – including your pregnancy scan. We continue to maintain a safe environment by following strict COVID-19 practices across all our clinics. Pregnancy is one of life’s precious moments and your partner is very welcome to attend your pregnancy scans. Unfortunately, at this time, for the safety of our staff and patients, no other friends or family are able to attend pregnancy scans due to lockdown restrictions.
This varies by clinic and by day. Generally, non-peak hours are in the early morning or late afternoon. However, clinics in lockdown areas are currently experiencing a little more variability.
You will be required to wear a mask at all times as directed by the Australian Health Department; masks are mandatory in lockdown areas (unless under special circumstances where you can remove your mask due to the requirement of the scan we are performing). This measure is to keep you and our staff safe.
Patient and staff safety is our utmost priority. Qscan Group are following strict COVID-19 cleaning protocols across all our clinics as recommended by the Australian Health Department. Any surfaces that are frequently touched are prioritised for disinfecting, such as tabletops and door handles, as well as regular full clinic cleaning.
Recent guidelines are as follow:
- For patients with, or being screened for cancer, scheduling a COVID-19 vaccination should not be delayed because of a medical imaging appointment. However, if possible, it is recommended to avoid contrast/Iodine injections and COVID-19 vaccinations on the same day.
- Vaccination information (dates, injection sites, type of vaccine) should be provided in a pre-imaging questionnaire.
- Patients with upcoming appointments who have swollen glands post a vaccination, should consider rescheduling their booking to a later date when the swelling has subsided.
- There is no evidence to suggest that patients receiving steroid therapy for management of pain are at increased risk of outcomes from a COVID-19 vaccination. Scheduling a vaccination should not be delayed because of a steroid therapy appointment, but it is recommended to book your medical imaging appointment no less than two weeks prior to having a COVID-19 vaccination.
- If imaging is required after a vaccination, it is recommended to postpone for at least one week following a COVID-19 vaccination.