At 10 pm on Monday 23 August the phone call came through from local health contact tracers—a client we had seen the previous week had tested positive for COVID-19.

Although this was always going to be a possibility in private practice, you hope the phone call never comes.

As the business owner and the physiotherapist who had treated the client, not once but twice that week, it all centred on me.

We had a COVID-19 plan and I was hoping that it was going to be enough to keep myself, staff members, clients and close family safe.

We rang all staff immediately, despite the late time—this was not the sort of information that you convey by text or email.

Each member of staff was informed that they needed to isolate and be tested before they could come back to work.

Anyone they lived with also needed to isolate until they received a negative test result.

Our exposure period was defined as the two hours around the client’s appointment times on Monday and Tuesday 16–17 August, so we were already at day 6 by the time we were notified, due to the delay in symptom presentation and testing.

We were advised that it is normal to go back seven days from a positive test result to identify possible exposure sites.

The three of us who were direct contacts—myself (the treating physiotherapist) and two admin staff who looked after the client directly—were classified as tier 1 contacts.

This meant automatic isolation for 14 days after exposure and we were required to be tested on day 1 of isolation and on day 13 post-exposure.

We had to stay within the confines of our residences, which included our yards, and needed to stay away from other people.

Barwon Health contacted us every second day as part of their welfare checks and to assess if we presented with any symptoms.

Each of us also had the Department of Health and Human Services visit our homes to confirm we were there.

The other staff and clients who were in the clinic at the time were considered tier 2 contacts and only required a day 1 negative test result to be cleared to return to work.

On Tuesday morning, third parties such as the local aged care facility where some of our therapists attend (not me, a direct contact, thank goodness) were notified.

Barwon Health was given a spreadsheet of all people in the clinic during exposure times using our records and check-in information.

They advised us that they would contact these people directly in the next 24 hours.

I was concerned about a possible public backlash to this incident, so we put information on social media locally to keep the public informed about the exposure site and how the situation was progressing.

The Department of Health and Human Services advised us that the entire clinic needed a full COVID-19 clean and defined what needed to be done for this process.

Karen Madden had to close her physiotherapy clinic for cleaning and isolate after a patient returned a positive COVID-19 test. 

Fortunately, our normal cleaning contractor was able to complete this by Wednesday morning.

The clinic was closed while staff were tested and the cleaning was completed, so we had phones diverted to answer the numerous enquiries and address the concerns of clients and other Lara locals.

By Wednesday lunchtime, all staff results from the first round of tests had come back negative, and we were able to reopen after approval from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Tier 2 contact staff were able to return to work.

The constant changes to COVID-19 restrictions have been tough and hampered our ability to do our work.

I felt it was crucial to look after staff morale during this emotive and challenging time.

Both my practice manager and I were in isolation so to keep staff connected we set up a Messenger group: Lara Physio in Lockdown.

On Tuesday night, everyone was in home quarantine, so we held a team drinks and chat on Zoom, with a prize for the best silly hat.

The Messenger chat continued over the next nine days to share entertaining posts about cooking and other creative activities, to have a few laughs and to keep everyone informed with updates relating to the clinic.

Day 14 finally came, with no positive cases from our exposure.

All staff were cleared and set free.

To say we were relieved is an understatement.

The stress and uncertainty were difficult, but we received positive feedback from health authorities about our COVID-19 procedures and handling of the event.

Clients and members of the public have also complimented us on our communication and professionalism in handling the exposure.

The whole 18-month COVID-19 experience of lockdowns and the constantly changing health landscape have taught us business resilience and adaptability.

We have continued to build our business, despite the uncertainty, by employing a new physiotherapist and undertaking a major expansion of the clinic premises.

We operated with our team split over two sites when the risk seemed at its highest and have learned new skills such as telehealth and conducting online exercise classes.

Other challenges have been maintaining staff morale, constantly reviewing and updating procedures and communicating with the public to give them confidence in our COVID-19 protocols.

I am super proud of my team, from my practice manager and finance to all the therapists and admin staff.

I hope we are on the way out of this pandemic and are smarter for the experience.

>> APA Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist Karen Madden MACP is the owner and practice principal of Lara Physiotherapy Health Network in Lara, Victoria.