Terms of service
Terms of Service
Summary
We’ll always do our best to fulfil your needs and meet your expectations, but it’s important to have things written down so that we both know what’s what, who should do what and when, and what will happen if something goes wrong.
Before starting any work, we will provide you with information about the service we are offering, including relevant costs, payment arrangements and any other important information relating to the service.
These Terms of Service apply to services provided by North West Speech & Language Therapy Ltd unless separate or additional terms have been agreed, for example as part of a Service Level Agreement with an organisation.
Nothing within these Terms of Service affects your statutory rights.
What do we expect from you?
We expect that you have the authority to enter into an agreement with us on behalf of yourself, the child or young person and/or your organisation, as appropriate.
You’ll provide us with the information we reasonably need to offer an appropriate service. We would normally expect a parent/carer referral and consent form to be completed before an initial assessment.
Please provide information that is accurate and relevant to the child or young person’s communication and wider development, including details of other professionals involved where appropriate. If important information changes during our involvement, please let us know.
What should you expect from us?
We will aim to provide realistic expectations about what may be achieved through our involvement and will provide clear information about the services and associated costs.
Our Speech and Language Therapists are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and work in accordance with the relevant professional standards.
You can expect us to:
- Keep appropriate records of our work.
- Communicate appropriately and effectively.
- Respect confidentiality and handle information appropriately.
- Obtain appropriate consent.
- Work within the limits of our knowledge, skills and professional role.
- Use professional judgement when assessing and supporting children and young people.
- Manage risk appropriately.
- Delegate appropriately.
- Be open and honest if something goes wrong.
- Raise concerns relating to safety or safeguarding where necessary.
- Promote and protect the interests of the children, young people and families we work with.
Consent
We cannot provide assessment or intervention without appropriate consent. We understand the importance of informed consent and will seek this before commencing our involvement.
Consent can be withdrawn at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not remove responsibility for payment for professional services already provided or charges which apply under our cancellation terms.
Confidentiality
Speech and Language Therapists working as part of North West Speech & Language Therapy Ltd are registered with the HCPC.
Our team members understand their responsibilities in relation to confidentiality, information governance and safeguarding. This includes understanding circumstances in which information may need to be shared to safeguard a service user or another person.
We respect the confidentiality of the children, young people, families and organisations we work with and handle information in accordance with relevant data protection requirements.
Please see our separate Confidentiality/Privacy information for further details.
Assessments
Speech and language therapy assessment is a clinical process and will be tailored to the individual child or young person, their needs and the concerns raised at referral.
An assessment may include a combination of:
- Parent/carer discussion and case history.
- Discussion with the child or young person where appropriate.
- Observation.
- Interaction and play-based assessment.
- Speech and/or language sampling.
- Informal assessment activities.
- Review of existing information, reports or previous assessments.
- Liaison with other relevant people or professionals where appropriate and consented to.
- Formal or standardised assessment where clinically appropriate.
The Speech and Language Therapist will use their professional judgement to determine the most appropriate assessment methods. Not every child will require, or be suitable for, formal or standardised testing.
A child or young person’s engagement, attention, communication, emotional regulation, developmental level, interests and tolerance of assessment activities can affect what can reasonably be completed during an appointment.
Where a child or young person is unable or unwilling to participate in a particular assessment activity, the therapist may adapt their approach, use alternative or more informal assessment methods, gather information through observation and interaction, or discontinue an activity where they consider it inappropriate to continue.
An assessment appointment therefore does not guarantee that a particular assessment tool will be used or completed, that every area of communication will be fully assessed within one appointment, or that a diagnosis or definitive conclusion will be reached.
Where it has not been possible to establish sufficient information about a particular area, this will be reflected within the therapist’s clinical findings where relevant and further assessment may be recommended.
Assessment fees cover the professional service provided. This includes the therapist’s allocated clinical time and, depending upon the service booked, may also include preparation, consideration and analysis of information gathered and agreed written documentation.
Assessment fees are not dependent upon a child completing a particular formal or standardised assessment or achieving a particular assessment outcome.
Therapy and Intervention
Recommendations for therapy or other intervention will be based upon the information available and the Speech and Language Therapist’s professional judgement.
We cannot guarantee a particular outcome or rate of progress from speech and language therapy. Progress can be affected by many factors and will vary between individuals.
Where activities or strategies are recommended for use between appointments, their effectiveness may depend upon how consistently they can reasonably be implemented within the child or young person’s everyday environment.
Recommendations and therapy approaches may change over time in response to progress, new information or changing needs.
Reports and Written Documentation
Where written documentation is included within the assessment or service booked, this will be made clear to you in advance.
Additional or more detailed reports can be requested and may incur a separate charge. Where an additional report is requested, we will provide information about the cost before commencing the work.
Reports reflect the information reasonably available to the Speech and Language Therapist at the time, together with their clinical observations, assessment findings and professional opinion.
The extent of the conclusions that can be provided will depend upon the information reasonably available and obtainable during the assessment process. Where an area could not be fully assessed, this may be identified within the written documentation and recommendations may be made for further assessment where appropriate.
We are happy to correct factual or typographical errors within our reports. However, reports are based upon professional clinical opinion and we cannot amend a professional opinion or conclusion simply because another person would prefer a different outcome.
Reports are most valid when completed following recent involvement. Following a significant break in provision, further assessment or review may be required before we can provide an up-to-date or comprehensive report.
Quotations and Costings
Where appropriate, we will provide a quotation or clear costing for the service requested.
A quotation may itemise the services to be provided and associated costs. Work will not normally commence until the quotation or proposed service has been accepted and any required payment has been received.
If the requested service changes, we may provide an updated or additional quotation.
Prices
We aim to be as transparent as possible with our pricing.
Our services are generally priced according to the professional time and/or service required. This may be calculated on an hourly, sessional or daily basis or offered as a defined package of work.
The price and what is included within a service will be communicated before booking.
Travel charges are calculated individually and will be included in quotations where applicable.
Pricing for Service Level Agreements and other commissioned services will be agreed individually with the organisation.
Payment
For individuals and families requesting our services, payment for services such as initial assessments may be required at the time of booking. An invoice will be provided containing payment details.
Ongoing services may be invoiced individually, monthly or as a block of sessions depending upon the arrangement agreed.
For organisations requesting our services, we may request a purchase order or written confirmation accepting a quotation before work begins. Payment arrangements will be detailed within the quotation, invoice or Service Level Agreement.
We accept payment using the methods specified on our invoices.
Invoices
Invoices are issued electronically unless otherwise agreed.
Payment terms will be shown on the invoice. We ask that invoices are paid promptly and within the stated payment terms.
Where an invoice remains unpaid, we reserve the right to pause or decline further non-urgent services until the outstanding balance has been settled.
Cancellation by You
Appointments are reserved specifically for the child, young person, family or organisation booking them.
If you cancel an appointment with less than 48 hours’ notice, 100% of the appointment fee will normally remain payable.
Where sufficient notice is provided, we will endeavour to rearrange the appointment where appropriate.
Exceptional circumstances can arise and may be considered at our discretion.
Cancellation by Us
If we need to cancel an appointment before it takes place, we will endeavour to offer an alternative appointment.
Where an appointment that has been paid for in advance is cancelled by us and a suitable alternative cannot be agreed, the amount paid for that appointment will be refunded.
Refunds
Fees are charged for the professional service and clinical time provided rather than for a guaranteed assessment result, diagnosis, therapy outcome or completion of a particular assessment tool.
Where an appointment or other professional service has taken place, a full or partial refund will not ordinarily be due solely because:
- A child or young person was unable or unwilling to complete a particular formal, standardised or informal assessment activity.
- It was not possible to assess every area of communication within one appointment.
- A diagnosis or definitive conclusion could not be reached.
- Further assessment was recommended.
- The outcome or professional opinion was different from that anticipated or hoped for.
- A child or young person did not make the level or rate of progress anticipated from therapy.
This does not remove our responsibility to provide services with appropriate professional care and skill and does not affect your statutory consumer rights.
If you believe that a service has not been provided appropriately, please contact us. Concerns will be considered on their individual circumstances and in accordance with our complaints procedure.
Where we consider that something has gone wrong with the service provided, an appropriate resolution will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Depending upon the circumstances, this could include further clinical input, repeating part of a service, another appropriate remedy and/or a full or partial refund.
Changes to Services
We understand that circumstances and needs can change.
You may change your mind about future services at any point, subject to the cancellation terms above and payment for work which has already been completed or committed to.
If the nature or extent of the requested work changes, we may provide an updated quotation or costing before undertaking additional work.
Sharing of Information
Our consent process includes information regarding sharing relevant information with other people and professionals involved with the child or young person.
This may include education staff, GPs, Speech and Language Therapists and other health, education or social care professionals.
Appropriate information sharing can support a coordinated approach to a child or young person’s needs.
Information may also be shared without consent where there is a lawful or professional requirement to do so, for example where necessary for safeguarding.
Please see our separate Confidentiality/Privacy information for further details.
Complaints
We aim to provide a positive and professional service at all times. However, we recognise that there may be occasions when somebody is dissatisfied with the service they have received.
We encourage you to raise concerns with us as soon as possible so that we have an opportunity to understand and, where possible, resolve them.
Where a concern cannot be resolved informally, a formal complaint can be submitted in writing or by email. The complaint will be reviewed by a Director and we aim to provide a response within 7 days. If further investigation is required and a full response cannot reasonably be provided within this timeframe, we will let you know.
Making a complaint will not adversely affect the way in which you or your child are treated by our service.
Service Level Agreements
We provide schools, education settings, charities and other organisations requiring regular speech and language therapy input with Service Level Agreements where appropriate.
A Service Level Agreement may contain additional or bespoke terms and conditions relating to the commissioned service. Where there is any conflict between these general Terms of Service and an agreed Service Level Agreement, the terms specifically agreed within the Service Level Agreement will apply to that commissioned work.
Professional Standards
Our Speech and Language Therapists are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and work within the standards applicable to their profession.
Speech and Language Therapy Assistants and other support staff are not practising as registered Speech and Language Therapists. They work within their defined roles and receive appropriate delegation, support and supervision from an HCPC-registered Speech and Language Therapist.
Insurance
North West Speech & Language Therapy Ltd and/or the professionals providing services on its behalf maintain appropriate professional insurance arrangements for the work undertaken.
