Terms and Conditions

Your privacy is vital to us. At All Stars Speech and Language Therapy we abide by some fundamental principles:

• We only ask for personal information when it is necessary for providing our service to you.

• We only share your personal information to comply with the law or with other Multi-Disciplinary Professionals involved such as GPs, Educational Psychologists and/or school staff with your consent.

• Personal information is kept only in encrypted and password protected software applications and is deleted from hardware and email servers.

• We aim to make it easy for you to amend details that we hold about you.

• We will only contact you to discuss therapy related issues, resolve invoicing issues.

 

At Bright Stars Speech and Language Therapy we process data under the legal basis of legitimate interest of providing a speech and language therapy. Processing is carried out in the course of our legitimate activities with appropriate safeguards by our organisation and on condition that the processing relates solely to the clients/members or to former clients/members of our organisation who have regular contact with us in connection with our purposes and that the personal data are not disclosed outside of our body without the consent of the data subjects.

​

In order to make decisions about whether we can offer the service you are looking for, we can offer a short initial chat over the phone, online or by e-mail. The purpose is to discuss the support you would like for your child, explain what we can offer and signpost you to alternative support if necessary. 

 

Client Privacy-

 

All clients will read and sign our Terms and Conditions and Terms of Service. All of the information collected is deemed necessary to provide a competent Speech and Language Therapy service to you. Your details will not be shared without your consent and you will only be contacted with regards to assessment or Therapy. 

 

Your email will be kept safe and will not be used for spam. Gathering of Personally Identifying Information Information is gathered via our Case History Questionnaire form completed and signed before a client is taken into our Duty of Care. We do not store any financial information or card details.

​

Client Name Records-

 

To ensure accurate record-keeping for audit, safeguarding, and data traceability purposes, we are required to retain both the client’s legal name and preferred name on file. Unless a legal name change has been made via deed poll, the legal name must remain part of our internal documentation. We will avoid using any ‘dead name’ in correspondence or paperwork unless legally required or requested by the client. By using this service you agree that Bright Stars Speech and Language Therapy may communicate with you electronically regarding all matters relating to yours or your child’s care. Bright Stars Speech and Language Therapy may also communicate with you regarding security, privacy, and administrative issues relating to your use of the services or these terms. If we learn of a security system breach, we may attempt to notify you electronically by emailing you. If there is an issue with the email service, we will give you legal notice by mail to the postal address you have provided. We will also keep yours or your child’s notes on a personal computer. This computer is password protected and is locked when staff leave the computer throughout the day and shut down after each working day.

​

Therapy Sessions-

​

In most circumstances your child must have had an assessment with Sophie before we can provide therapy. This is to ensure that the assessment is carried out to our standards and targets can be carefully identified. We are not able to start therapy following assessment with another therapist – although it may reduce the assessment time needed.
We will talk to you about this in more detail at the first appointment. 
For every appointment we have with your child, we spend between half an hour to an hour (longer in the case of detailed assessments) planning, preparing, analysing and record keeping. The face to face session is just one part of the therapy process.
The more that you, and education setting staff, are involved in the therapy process, the better the outcomes are likely to be. We are less likely to see results without your support for newly learned skills at home. 
All discussions about your child will usually take place during therapy sessions as they are an integral part of the therapy process. You are welcome to book an additional half hour /phone appointment if you need a longer discussion, which will be invoiced for. 

 

Payment-

​

Invoice payments can be made via online banking who are responsible for safeguarding your financial details.

​

For initial assessment part payment is required in advance of the appointment to confirm the appointment: this is (an hour’s charge) which is then subtracted from the final invoice.

For therapy/intervention 
Invoices for blocks of therapy are normally issued at the end of each month. Alternatively, we accept pre-payment or payment at the end of each session if you prefer.

​

Every attempt will be made to resolve late payments amicably. However, these may incur an additional 10% charge.  In the case of failure to pay, outstanding debts will be collected through legal proceedings.
In the event of another family member paying for your child's services (such as grandparents), we are only able to share information around the child’s progress with written consent from parents/guardians. 

​

Invoices will be sent via email but can be sent via post if you prefer. Reports should be paid for on receipt of the report and invoice. Payment should be made within 7 working days of the date of invoice for individual clients and according to the payment terms of the school/local council for schools.

 

If your payment method fails or you have failed to make a payment on time, use of alternative payment may be considered. If payment is missed, therapy will be suspended immediately. ​​

​

Prices

The following is a guide only and subject to change so please contact me to discuss your queries and further details can be provided.
Initial Contact - £0

​

You can get in touch with me directly via my website, email or telephone. This initial discussion will usually take place on the telephone and is free of charge. This conversation will enable me to gather information about you or your child in order to inform the recommended course of action.

​

Assessment – You can select a shorter or more in-depth assessment and report depending on the age of the child, complexity of the case and your requirements, as follows:
Shorter assessment 
In-depth assessment 
Further pricing details can be found in our separate pricing document.
Fees are subject to review on a 6-monthly basis (Sept 1st and April 1st). You will receive at least 6 weeks’ notice of fee increases and these will not apply to invoices that have been already issued or sessions that have been booked. 
We do not provide services under health insurance policies although some insurers do accept a receipt to reclaim a set number of sessions. 

Ongoing Therapy-

 

If necessary we may suggest carrying out a number of therapy sessions in order to provide you with the tools to improve your/your child’s speech and language difficulties. The number of sessions required will be discussed and agreed upon prior to commencing therapy. A standard therapy session lasts around 45 minutes. This will include time spent with parents/carers, teachers or nursery staff. This also includes time taken to prepare and send relevant therapy resources either via email or post, session planning and record keeping. Regular therapy can take place at home or in nursery/school.

 

It is often difficult to indicate the exact number of therapy sessions that will be needed. It is my usual practice to offer a block of six of treatment sessions, with an opportunity to extend the agreed number at the end of the block.
I may also recommend additional services as we progress through our therapy programme. These will be charged at an additional fee and this fee will be discussed with you and agreed upon in advance.

​

Travel 

​

a/ All travel from the SLT’s home will be charged at 45p per mile. 
b/ Long distance (20 miles or more) – will be charged at 45p per mile plus a travel charge for time at £30 per visit.

​

Refunds-

​

If a pre-paid session is cancelled or postponed within the terms of our cancellation policy above, we will make a note in your payment record and the payment will cover the following session. In other words, we deduct the cost of cancelled sessions from the following month’s invoice. 
If pre-paid sessions are cancelled and not rescheduled, then we issue a credit note for future sessions. If future sessions are unlikely to be needed, then we refund all monies owing within 1 month.
If your child does not engage in a session, we are unable to reimburse any of the session.

Cancellation policy-

Bright Stars Speech and Language Therapy require a minimum of 24 hours notice in order to cancel an appointment. Please contact via telephone or email in order to cancel sessions. Same day cancellations due to unforeseen circumstances (such as illness) will be charged at 50% of the therapy fee. If you have already paid part or all of the fee we cannot offer a refund for such an appointment, except at our discretion in exceptional circumstances. Frequent missed appointments or late cancellations are likely to interfere with the effectiveness of therapy and quality of care. Should this occur, we may need to discuss alternative solutions to the programme of therapy recommended. 
If staff members need to cancel an appointment, the maximum possible notice will be given and the appointment will be rescheduled at the next possible convenient time. We will refund any fees you have paid in advance. We cannot be liable for any other expenses you have incurred in connection with the appointment.

Sharing of information-

It is important for your child’s care that we liaise with other professionals and share relevant information when necessary. All reports will be sent to the parents/carers who have initiated the assessment and we would ask that they distribute the reports to the relevant professionals involved (e.g. school, Doctor). We will ask permission before we involve other professionals in your child’s care. 
If another Speech and Language Therapist, whether NHS or private, is involved in yours or your child’s care, it is good practise that we liaise and work collaboratively. This will ensure the most effective therapy plan is carried out. It is your responsibility to inform me of involvement from another therapist or other relevant professional.
Most speech and language difficulties are eligible for support through the NHS. It is your responsibility to inform me if you are on a waiting list for NHS support and to inform the NHS that you are being seen by a private therapist. 

​

Safeguarding-

​

If a safeguarding concern arises, where we believe a child may be at risk of harm, we are legally obliged to share information with relevant professionals as outlined in the Children Act 2004. You can find out more information here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2

Disclaimer-

Bright Stars Speech and Language Therapy strive to deliver high quality care and all therapy techniques, to our knowledge, are evidence based and are delivered in order to improve the speech, language and communication skills of the individuals we treat.  Our services including therapy, programmes and advice are designed to inform and facilitate an improvement in yours or your child’s communication skills. However, communication difficulties do not fit in one box and some communication difficulties respond well to treatment whereas some can be slow or in some cases there may be no improvement at all. In some rare instances, communication can deteriorate further over time due to the nature of the difficulty. The service we provide may not lead to a "cure" and we cannot provide a guarantee that the communication difficulty will improve. We cannot be held responsible for therapy, advice and/or programmes being carried out incorrectly by other people.

Memberships and registrations

HCPC 
I am a member of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). The HCPC protect the public by regulating 15 health and care professions. To do this they:
set standards for professionals' education and training and practice;
keep a register of professionals, known as 'registrants', who meet their standards; and
take action if professionals on their Register do not meet their standards.
RCSLT
I am also a member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT). They are the professional body for speech and language therapists in the UK; providing leadership and setting professional standards.
ASLTIP
I am a member of the Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice (ASLTIP). ASLTIP provides support and information on working as an independent Speech and Language Therapist within the United Kingdom. Additionally, ASLTIP provides information and a contact point for members of the public searching for a private Speech and Language Therapist. All ASLTIP members are registered with both the RCSLT and HCPC. They are committed to good business standards and delivering best practise clinical services. 

 

Termination Of Therapy-

It is within the therapist’s  and client’s rights to terminate therapy or intervention with 24 hours notice. 

Complaints-

We aim to provide the best quality care. If you believe that you have not been provided a service delivered with an appropriate level of care and skill, please contact Bright Stars Speech and Language Therapy to discuss this at the earliest opportunity.

​

If we are unable to resolve the difficulty, then you can take your concern to the Association of Speech & Language Therapists in Independent Practice (ASLTIP) http://www.helpwithtalking.com/Complaint-Policy

For serious issues you may also contact the Health Professions Council:
https://www.hcpc-uk.org/concerns/raising-concerns/

 

Privacy Policy Changes-

 

Our Privacy Policy will be stored on our website. There may be minor changes from time to time at our discretion. You are encouraged to frequently check this page for any changes to our Privacy Policy.

​

Acceptance and Agreement- 

​

Before the speech and language therapy sessions begin, parents/carers will be asked to sign, and return to Bright Stars Speech and Language Therapy, a declaration indicating that they have read, understood and agreed to the terms and conditions stated.

Signature

Parental Signature___________________________________________________

Name in Full: _______________________________________________________

Child’s Name: _______________________________________________________

Date: ______________________________________________________________

Please print off two copies, sign them and return one to Bright Stars Speech and Language Therapy.