Standard Terms & Conditions

Our Obligations

Our practice administration team is available for telephone and email contact between the hours of 9am and 9pm Monday to Thursday and 9am to 5pm Friday to Sunday (we are closed on selected Sundays – please check with our administration team). Our team are happy to assist you with any queries you have about our services, our operating procedures, making bookings or any other general enquiries.

The Edinburgh Practice has an operational model where all clinicians are self-employed clinical associates of the practice. Most clinicians at The Edinburgh Practice work part-time in other professional bodies also, including the NHS, local councils, and universities.

We have a clear triage process in place at The Edinburgh Practice. Both self-referrals and GP referrals are accepted. All referrals are reviewed by our Clinical Lead for Adult services, Dr Julia Hannon, or our Clinical Lead for Child & Adolescent services, Dr Lisa Ahern. Once reviewed, the Clinical Lead will match you with the clinician best suited to you/your loved one’s clinical needs and your availability for regular therapeutic input. When determining the appropriate clinician, our decision is based solely on the information you provide to us on your referral form. We may contact you for more information or clarification on the information that you have provided to ensure that we can support your needs. If you are aware of any information that might be relevant to your treatment or therapy needs, then you are responsible for making us aware of this.

We are not obliged to accept you as a patient if we judge that we are not the right service to support you. We do not have to give any reason why we may not accept you as a patient although we will do our best to outline our reasons to you via email/over the phone. If we have already triaged and referred you for treatment to a member of our clinical team or assessment team, then we may at any time cease to arrange subsequent treatment or appointments for you, if we judge that it is no longer appropriate for us to do so. We are not obliged to give any reason for so doing. If we do decide to withdraw our services for any reason then we will endeavour to either signpost you to an appropriate alternative provider where one is available, or we may direct you to your GP for onward referral elsewhere.

Your Obligations

In seeking to engage with our services, you agree that:

You will supply full and accurate information to us and any clinician(s) that we refer you to within our clinical team.
You will notify us of any changes to your condition that might affect your safety or suitability for the kind of care we have referred you for.
You will speak to our staff in an appropriate manner. We do not tolerate abuse of our staff. If our staff experience your communication as abusive then we may withdraw our services to you, or the patient on whose behalf you have been contacting us. Abuse in this context is not limited solely to inappropriate language but may include any form of communication which we judge to be unduly aggressive or critical of our services or staff. You will not be eligible for any refund relating to services already delivered. If we judge your communication or behaviour as abusive and we decide to withdraw our services then where possible we will signpost you to an appropriate alternative provider where this is available, but we are under no obligation to do so. This in no way conflicts with your right to complain appropriately, and our complaints process is available to you. Our complaints procedure can be found as a separate document in The Welcome Pack.
You will notify us promptly in the event you need to cancel or reschedule any appointments that you have made, or we have made on your behalf.

Dealing with Emergencies

The Edinburgh Practice is not an emergency service and does not provide out of hours cover. In the event that you need help in an emergency or crisis situation during our office hours then depending upon the urgency of the situation you should first contact either us, or if the situation is more serious and / or urgent, then your local Accident & Emergency Service, or your GP or Community Mental Health Team. Please refer to the list of Emergency services within the Welcome Pack.

In the event that you need help in an emergency or crisis situation outside our office hours and the clinician you have been seeing is not available, then you should immediately contact your local Accident & Emergency Service or Community Mental Health Team or GP.

In certain situations, for example where there has been a significant escalation in risk to your safety, we or your clinician may decide that you need a higher level or type of care, including more specialist services, than we are able to provide in our private mental health service. In that case we will refer and/or signpost you to an appropriate organisation accordingly.

Cancellation Charges

We understand that sometimes it is necessary to cancel appointments. If you need to cancel your appointment for any reason, then we ask that you give us 48 hour’s notice. If you need to cancel with less than 48 hour’s notice, then we reserve the right to charge up to 50% of the fee as a cancellation charge.

Fees and Payment Terms

Our standard fees are communicated to you at the time of booking an appointment and which may be amended by us from time to time. Fees for all appointments are payable prior to the appointment time and preferably at the time of booking. Payment is required 7 days prior to the appointment online, over the telephone or in the practice. Appointments will be cancelled if payment is not received within 7 days of the appointment. We do not accept cash payments for our services. All Assessment fees are required to be paid in full at the time of booking. Unfortunately, we are not in a position to offer payment plans.

In the event that payment of our fees is made by a third party on your behalf (e.g parent/guardian/employer), you shall procure that such third party complies with these standard terms, and you shall specifically bring paragraph six below to their attention.

Non-Patient Payers

If you are not a patient but have engaged us on behalf of a patient or have otherwise paid any sum on behalf of a patient, you agree that you will be bound by all of the provisions of these terms including without limitation the payment of cancellation fees.

GP Involvement

Therapeutic Services

We strongly recommend that you consult your private or NHS General Practitioner and keep them informed of any treatment that you have arranged with us. It is important that all medical professionals involved in your care are kept aware of what each other is doing. It is best practice that your GP is notified when you are engaging in medical treatment. This is for your safety and wellbeing and will allow your GP to be completely up-to-date.

Psychiatry Services

We do not routinely insist upon a GP referral letter although in certain circumstances we may require one. Please note, for clients accessing our psychiatry services, including ADHD assessments, that we are required to write to your GP to update them on your assessment and treatment. If there is a requirement to prescribe medication all clinicians reserve the right to refuse to provide such prescriptions unless you give your consent. This is purely for your own safety so that we can be sure that the medicines prescribed do not conflict with anything you may already be receiving.

If you are seeking an assessment privately and are hoping to return to your NHS GP for subsequent tests, monitoring, prescribing or any other procedure or service, then you are strongly advised to consult with your GP before being assessed by us to confirm to what extent they are willing to support you with this. GPs may refuse to cooperate in any way, and we cannot accept any liability for this. In the event that your GP is not willing to support you with this, we recommend that you arrange whatever services you require privately. We will endeavour to help you with arranging this where possible.

Confidentiality and Consent

We shall manage your personal data in accordance with all relevant legislation including GDPR. We will not use your data for any reason other than arranging your treatment for which you have not specifically consented. By using our services, you consent to us storing and processing your data in accordance with our Privacy Policy which can be found on our website and in our Welcome Pack.

There are some circumstances where we may be legally required to disclose your personal information, for example if you disclose information to us or a clinician that you may pose either a serious risk to yourself or another person, or information regarding acts of terrorism or serious crime, or where we are legally required in accordance with child protection legislation to report safeguarding/child protection concerns. By accepting these terms, you acknowledge that we are legally obliged to do this.

Young People and Consent

16 and 17 year olds

The legal age of capacity in Scotland is 16. In Scotland, 16 and 17-year-olds can consent to medical treatment or intervention without needing parental consent. Doctors have a duty of confidentiality to 16 and 17-year-olds and should not usually disclose information to parents without the patient’s consent. You acknowledge that we will be subject to such obligations of confidentiality in this respect and that we shall have no liability in the event we are required to comply with such obligations at the direction of the patient.

Younger than 16

Children under 16 can consent to medical treatment if they understand what is being proposed. It is up to the doctor to decide whether the child has reached sufficient maturity to understand the nature and possible consequences of the procedure or treatment. Very young children, and those who are not considered to be capable of making their own decisions, cannot either give or withhold consent. Those with parental responsibility need to make the decision on their behalf.

Complaints

A copy of our complaints policy is provided on our website. In the event you are unhappy with any aspect of our service please to contact us as soon as possible in writing to [email protected] and we will do our utmost to rectify the position.

Miscellaneous

These terms constitute the entire agreement between us in relation to our private mental health service.

We shall not be liable to you as a result of any delay or failure to perform our obligations as a result of an event beyond our reasonable control, including without limitation an act of God.

Any variation of these terms shall only be binding when agreed by us and sent to you by email You cannot vary these terms.
You shall pay all amounts due without any deduction or withholding exception as required by law.

These terms and conditions are governed by, and shall be construed in accordance with, Scottish law.