Terms and Conditions
These terms and conditions (“Conditions”) explain how The Pelvic Pain Network Limited (“Us/We/Our”) provide remote physiotherapy services (as described below) to Our clients (“You/Your”). Before You agree that We will provide these services to You, please read these Conditions. If You have any questions, please ask before booking an appointment with Us.
1. Appointments /What to expect at Your Appointment
1.1 You will be seen by one of Our specialist physiotherapists throughout Your treatment, via an online consultation, unless otherwise agreed. We will aim to keep the same specialist physiotherapist throughout your treatment.
1.1.1 You will be examined and treated in line with the Rules of Professional Conduct and Core Standards of Physiotherapy Practice as set out by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and Health and Care Professions Council.
1.2 Your first appointment will take up to 60 minutes long.
1.3 During Your appointment, Your specialist physiotherapist will provide a full examination of Your needs, which may include asking You questions about Your symptoms, any treatment You have received, tests You have undergone so far, and more specific questions about Your bladder, bowel, and sexual function.
1.3.1 These questions help Us to understand where problems may be coming from and help Us to decide how to target Our treatment effectively.
1.3.2 Some topics are intimate and can be difficult to discuss. If You would prefer not to talk about something let Your specialist physiotherapist know. We will do Our best to support You and to keep You safe should You be experiencing a challenging situation.
1.3.3 This may involve Us referring You to charities, other health professionals, the police or other supportive professionals should the need arise.
1.3.4 There may be a requirement to undress to be assessed in certain situations, in order to best carry out the treatment.
1.3.5 You may decline any treatment at any time without prejudice. See the “Consent” section below for further information.
1.4 At the end of Your first appointment You will have developed a programme of recommended action with Us to address Your needs and requirements.
1.4.1 This may involve having more tests or further assessment or being referred to a further specialist medical professional for more help and will include how to begin Your physiotherapy.
1.5 After Your appointment, Your specialist physiotherapist will organise a follow-up appointment with You. This is likely to be a 30 or a 60-minute-long appointment, depending on how much there is to discuss. Between appointments You will have Your personalised programme to implement, and We will ask You to feed back on how You are getting along. You are not obliged to complete this programme but, if You do not, Your progress in achieving the desired outcomes may be slowed down.
2. Remote Physiotherapy
2.1 All appointments will take place online using appropriate video conferencing platforms.
2.2 The appointment is provided in compliance with all applicable law as well as the provisions of these Conditions.
2.3 Appointments include all standard components of physiotherapy in-person which do not require physical contact.
2.4 We will endeavour to call You within 10 minutes of the scheduled start time for the appointment if We are likely to be delayed beyond this time period.
3. Chaperone Policy
If You feel You would like a chaperone present at Your consultation, please email hello@pelvicpainnetwork.co.uk and We will be more than happy to arrange this for You.
4. Outcomes/Quality of Physiotherapy
4.1 We shall seek to enable You to achieve Your desired outcomes. We cannot guarantee specific results, however We will always advise You in Your best interests, with the information You have provided and using Our clinical expertise to make suitable treatment recommendations. Recommendations will be made using Our evidence-informed practice.
4.2 You have sole responsibility for acting on any recommendations or advice that We may give You. We have no liability for any loss incurred by You, whether financial or otherwise, following Our provision of the Servies, nor for any perceived failure by You, whether justified or otherwise, to achieve Your desired outcomes or goals.
4.3 We will provide the services using reasonable care and skill. Some conditions may take longer than others to treat and We will regularly reassess Your treatment plan.
4.4 We make every effort to help You to fully understand Your diagnosis, the recommended procedures, and any treatment that may be involved.
4.5 We welcome any queries on anything that You may be uncertain of, or if You simply require more information.
5. Early Termination
5.1 We may stop a session at any time and not continue it if We consider that You are not following Our reasonable instructions. If this happens, You will still be liable (at Our discretion) to pay the fee for that session.
5.2 Aggressive, abusive, or inappropriate behaviour will not be tolerated and will be reported to the Police.
6. Consent
6.1 We require that You make Us aware of any factors that could affect Your treatment or diagnosis. You are also required to provide informed consent to Your appointment and further treatment. You are also expected to respect the physiotherapist during the treatment sessions.
6.2 Intimate examination is a normal part of specialist pelvic health physiotherapy practise but assessing online can feel more exposing. During Your physiotherapy sessions, You will not necessarily be expected to undress nor display any of Your intimate areas to Your physiotherapist. If the situation occurs where You and Your physiotherapist agree that they will have a look at an area that is troubling You, for example if You have some redness or are concerned about infection, then Your physiotherapist will seek Your consent before this occurs. Your physiotherapist will only proceed if You both agree to do so.
6.3 If any audio or video recording is required as part of Your treatment Your physiotherapist will ask for additional permission. They will also ask for permission to send any appropriate reports or referrals to other relevant health professionals. This includes Your GP.
6.4 As part of Our commitment to maintaining high standards, We undertake a schedule of regular training and mentoring sessions with Our team. This includes “watched assessments” where senior members of the physiotherapy team observe the physiotherapist taking Your session to provide professional feedback. You will be notified if Your assessment falls within this scheduled time and can opt out of having a senior member of the team observing Your session.
6.5 Choosing to take part in a watched assessment or decline one will not affect the physiotherapy services You receive.
7. Confidentiality
7.1 We shall treat all personal information supplied by You as confidential. We shall not disclose such information to any third party without Your prior permission, except where required by law or where it might be necessary to protect You or someone else.
7.2 If Your GP or consultant requires information from Us to make clinical decisions about Your care, only information related to conditions discussed in your appointments will be released.
8. Costs and Payment
8.1 As We have a significant waiting list, appointments must be paid for at the time of booking, to ensure no appointment slots are lost.
8.2 Costs are as follows:
8.2.1 £110 for a 60-minute new appointment
8.2.2 £60 for a 30 minute follow up or £110 for a 60-minute follow up appointment.
8.3 Telephone conversations over 15 minutes will be charged and are based on the above standard therapy costs. Administration charges are billed at £25.00 per hour for letters and reports. Payment will be requested via online link once the letter or report has been written.
8.4 Prices for Our services may change at any time. Such changes will not affect existing orders.
8.5 We do not accept payment via healthcare insurance.
8.6 Outstanding payments over 30 days from the invoice date will attract interest charged at 5% above the Bank of England Base Rate. Further treatment may not be undertaken with an overdue account.
9. Late appointments/Termination/Cancellation/Withdrawal
9.1 A legally binding contract will be in place between You and Us when We have accepted, and You have paid for Your appointment.
9.1.1 You are free to withdraw from Your appointment at any time without stating a reason, provided that 24 hours-notice is given for any booked appointments.
9.1.2 Appointments cancelled more than 24 hours ahead of the appointment will be fully refunded.
9.1.3 Failure to provide 24 hours-notice of a cancellation for any reason will incur a cancellation charge, which is the full cost of consultation at Our clinic. This is because, with less than 24-hours-notice We are unlikely to fill that appointment slot again. Reminder emails and messages are also sent as a courtesy to prevent this.
9.2 If You are more than 15 minutes late for Your appointment, You will be fully charged, and it will be at the discretion of Your physiotherapist if they can still see you.
9.3 On specific occasions, We may have to cancel a scheduled appointment. This may occur, for example, if a staff member is off sick or unable to work. If Your therapist is unable to carry out Your appointment, You will be notified and asked whether You would prefer to keep the appointment and see another one of Our physiotherapists, or to wait for Your specialist to return. If We have to cancel a scheduled appointment, We will book You another appointment as soon as reasonably possible. No charge will be made to You for the session cancelled by Us.
9.4 We reserve the right to terminate Our services at any time.
9.5 We reserve the right to amend these Conditions from time to time, however the terms which apply to You are those in force at the time You book and pay for Your appointment.
10. Referrals
When further treatment or tests are required, We may refer You onto another health professional or third party via a referral letter. It is then Your responsibility to arrange an appointment with these third parties. Once under their care You will be bound by their terms and conditions, and We undertake no liability with respect to that third party.
11.1 We hold the appropriate professional indemnity insurance, and Our physiotherapists are regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council and are members of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.
11.2 All Treating physiotherapists will have the appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Checks.
12. Limitation on Our Liability to You
12.1 If We breach these terms or are negligent, We are liable to You for foreseeable loss or damage that You suffer as a result. By ‘foreseeable’ We mean that, at the time the contract was made, it was either clear that such loss or damage would occur, or You and We both knew that it might reasonably occur, as a result of something We did (or failed to do).
12.2 We are not liable to You for any loss or damage that was not foreseeable, any loss or damage not caused by Our breach or negligence, or any business loss or damage.
12.3 Nothing in these terms excludes or limits Our liability for any death or personal injury caused by Our negligence, liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that the law does not allow Us to exclude or limit.
12.4 If You breach these terms and We take no action, We will still be entitled to use Our rights and remedies in any other situation where You breach these terms.
13. Indemnity
You agree that You will indemnify Us against any and all loss or damage suffered, including any legal fees or costs, as a result of any breach of this agreement by You.
14. Variation
We may change any of these Conditions, including Our costs, from time to time and in Our sole discretion.
15. Severance
If a Court or any other competent authority finds that any provision of this contract (or any part of any provision) is invalid, illegal or unenforceable, that provision or part-provision shall, to the extent required, be deemed deleted and the validity and enforceability of the other provisions of the contract will not be affected.
16. Events outside Our control
We will not be liable to You as a result of any delay or failure to perform Our obligations under this contract as a result of any event beyond Our reasonable control.
17. No Third-Party Rights
No one other than Us or You has any right to enforce any of these terms.
18. Data Protection
18.1 Our Privacy Policy is available at www.PelvicPainNetwork.co.uk.
18.2 Your privacy and personal information are important to Us. Any personal information that You provide to Us will be dealt with in line with Our Privacy Policy, which explains what personal information We collect from You, how and why We collect, store, use and share such information, Your rights in relation to Your personal information and how to contact Us and supervisory authorities if You have a query or complaint about the use of Your personal information.
19. Disputes and Governing Law
If You are unhappy with the services We have provided, We hope that You will discuss any problems or issues with the physiotherapist who treated You first. If that does not resolve matters to Your satisfaction, the matter will be referred to one of Our company directors who will handle the complaint. This agreement is governed and construed by English law and the parties submit to the jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales.
20. How to Contact Us
You can contact Us by emailing hello@pelvicpainnetwork.co.uk. If You are an existing patient, please put Your specialist physiotherapist’s name in the Title.
The Pelvic Pain Network, Ty Scarab Cardiff Road, Taffs Well, Cardiff, CF15 7QD
17 October 2023.