Terms and conditions

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 our terms and conditions. The information we provide you with will include costings, services we will provide you with, how you can pay, when you should pay, and what happens if either of us cancel any work.

What do we expect from you

We expect that you have the authority to enter into any agreements with us on behalf of yourself, your child, or your organisation. You’ll give us the information we need to provide you with the most appropriate service from the best suited of our team members. We would normally expect for you to complete a referral form prior to an initial assessment. For circumstances where an initial assessment is not necessary we would expect you to provide us with enough information for us to give you an accurate quotation.

What should you expect from us

We agree to provide you with realistic expectations of what can be achieved with our input. Usually following an initial discussion we will provide you with clear costings for any services we recommend. As a service we work in line with the HCPC standards of conduct, performance and ethics. You can expect us to:

• Keep records of our work
• Be open when things go wrong
• Manage risk
• Delegate appropriately
• Communicate appropriately and effectively
• Be honest and trustworthy
• Report concerns about safety
• Respect confidentiality
• Work within the limits of our knowledge and skills
• Promote and protect the interests of service users, parents and carers

Key points

We can’t work without your consent. We understand the importance of and make sure to obtain informed consent.

The speech and language therapists that are part of the SLT for Kids are members of the HCPC, all team members:

• Are able to recognise and respond appropriately to situations where it is necessary to share information to safeguard service users or the wider public
• Are aware of the limits of the concept of confidentiality
• Respect the confidentiality of those we work with
• Understand the principles of information governance and are aware of the safe and effective use of health, social care and other relevant information
• Understand the importance of and are able to maintain confidentiality

For more information please read our confidentiality page.

Following a request for our service, if appropriate, we will send you a quotation via email. The quotation will itemise the costings for the services we will provide. Work will not be started until this quote has been accepted.

For individuals requesting our services, payment is made at the time of booking for; initial discussions, assessments and reports. Payment is usually made over the phone by credit or debit card, however alternative payment methods can be arranged if required (for example BACS, *cash or cheque). Ongoing services, such as interventions, will be charged monthly via invoice.

*If you would like to pay by cash then you can pay at reception at one of our clinics. SLT for Kids will not be able to accept a cash payment.

For organisations requesting our services we will request a purchase order or email to confirm acceptance of quote. Payment is then requested by invoice at the end of the calendar month. We accept payment by electronic transfer or cheque.

We reserve the right to charge interest on all overdue debts. The interest we will charge is 8% plus the Bank of England base rate.

We issue invoices electronically. Our payment terms are upon receipt of invoice. We’re sure you understand how important it is as a small social enterprise that you pay the invoices that we send you promptly. As we’re also sure you’ll want to stay friends, you agree to pay our invoices on receipt of invoice.

If a session is cancelled by you less than 48 hours prior to the appointment, then 100% of the total cost will be payable.

If a session is cancelled by us at any time prior to the appointment we would refund 100% of the amount paid.

Prior to any assessment we provide an initial discussion to ensure that we provide the most appropriate service and member of SLT for Kids to meet the needs of the child or young person. The initial discussion lasts for an hour to an hour and a half and provides an opportunity for concerns, information and expectations to be shared with us. The initial discussion also includes the time for reviewing previous reports, creating an action plan and email correspondence.

We charge for reports. The price you pay will be dependent on the length of time the report takes, this will be agreed with you in advance. Costs for reports may be included in a quotation. If a report is subsequently requested following an assessment, or period of intervention, we will provide you with a quotation for the cost.

Reports are most valid when completed immediately following our input. We may be unable to provide comprehensive reports following any break in provision.

We don’t want to limit your ability to change your mind about what input you would like us to provide. You can change your mind at any point with regards to the services you would like to receive. If you were to cancel services please see above with regards to how we treat cancellations.

Prior to working with you we will have sent you a quotation or costing. If you change your mind about what input you would like us we may provide you with an updated, or separate, quotation or costings.

Reports are based on our professional opinions. We are unable to change our professional opinions within a piece of work.

Our consent form includes permission to share information with relevant professionals. Professionals usually include; education staff, GPs, therapists and other health professionals. Being able to share information supports a joined-up approach to support and knowledge.

For more information please read our confidentiality page.

We aim to be transparent as possible with our pricing. Prior to any assessment you will receive a quotation for our services. Our services are priced per unit of time. This can be hourly or daily.

Pricing for service level agreements will be agreed individually with each setting.

We are happy to discuss how we can match or better any existing provision you may be currently receiving.

We aim to provide a positive service at all times. We acknowledge that there may be times when someone is unhappy with the service that they have received. We are happy to deal with any complaints in person or on the phone at the first instance. If the complaint cannot be resolved satisfactorily then it can be raised in writing / email and will be reviewed and responded to by a Director within 7 days.

We provide schools and education settings looking for regular speech and language therapy input with service level agreements. Invoices for any services will be sent at the start of each school term.

A service level agreement will have it own bespoke terms and conditions.

We’ll carry out our services in accordance within the standards expected of a HCPC speech and language therapist. Our assistants also work towards the HCPC standards and receive appropriate supervision from our team.

We want you to be safe, but if anything goes wrong we want you to be covered. All our services are covered by insurance policies including:

• Public liability insurance £2,000,000
• Employee liability insurance £10,000,000
• Professional indemnity insurance £10,000,000

Hopefully you won’t need to access any of the above but it is good to know it is in place.