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Terms & Conditions

Terms and conditions ensure that the agreement between us is transparent and understood from the start and offers protection to both parties in the unlikely event of any difficulty. Please read the following carefully and contact us if anything is unclear. Please sign and return the agreement form ahead of your first appointment.

1) First Appointment (Assessment)

  1. Upon payment of the appointment deposit you will receive an email confirming the details of your/your child’s first appointment including date, time, location and fee.
  2. You will receive a pre-assessment case history document (if applicable) and these terms and conditions. All documents must be read, completed, signed (as required) and returned to us at least 48 hours prior to the first appointment 
  3. Assessment appointments last one hour; at the end of the first appointment, your therapist will explain whether your child requires further speech and language therapy support. This may be further assessment, or therapy.
  4. Your therapist will let you know whether they have the correct skills and experience to meet your needs.
  5. Your therapist will signpost you to other professionals if necessary.

2) Further Appointments

  1. You/Your child must have attended an assessment appointment with us before commencing therapy. This enables the therapist to plan appropriate therapy.
  2. Therapy sessions will be undertaken at the clinic in Giffnock. Supplementary visits outside of the clinic (in the home, in the educational setting, etc.) may be arranged, if required, and will be charged as described in our website fees section.
  3. Therapy appointments will be agreed and booked in advance. We will agree the number of sessions at the point of booking.
  4. We will review the need for further sessions at the end of each block of sessions.
  5. Therapy sessions last either 45 minutes or 60 minutes, to be determined by your therapist, unless agreed otherwise. This time may include direct work with you/your child, discussion of progress, demonstration/explanation of follow up activities with parents and/or education staff and writing up of notes.
  6. 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 Google Meets/phone appointment, if you need a longer discussion, which will be charged as described in our website fees section.

​3) Child Autism Assessments

  1. Following the Initial Consultation (no fee) if your referral is accepted and upon payment of the deposit you will receive an email confirming the details (date, time, dial-in details) of the first appointment: parental interview via Google Meets to establish the neurodevelopmental history (60-90 minutes). Following this appointment, the Autism specialists will commence information gathering from your child’s educational placement.
  2. The diagnostic assessment appointment will be scheduled, payment for the balance of the assessment will be payable at this appointment.
  3. Following the assessment, a multi-disciplinary team will determine whether your child meets the diagnostic criteria according to ICD-11. One of the autism specialists will contact you directly to discuss the outcome of the assessment and a detailed report will be provided.
  4. For more details please refer to our website fees section

​4) Groups

  1. Groups will consist of small groups of students and their parent/caregiver to work to either joint or individual goals. See our webiste fees section for more information
  2. If a new client is participating in a summer group: an assessment appointment must be completed prior to enrolment into the group. Assessment appointment procedures and payments are as outlined in our website fees section. On provision of the report, the Speech and Language Therapist will discuss which of the groups is most appropriate and payment will be requested.
  3. The dates of each group session will be detailed prior to the start of the program, missed sessions will not be reimbursed.

​5) Fees

  1. Please refer to our website for our current services and fees.
  2. Fees are subject to an annual increase from 1 April each year. Existing clients will be given 8 weeks’ notice of any changes and increases will only apply to assessments or therapy sessions booked after 1 April.
  3. If your child does not engage in a session, we are unable to reimburse any of the session.

​6) Payment Terms

  1. Payment is due at the time of the session; payment by card is preferred.

7) Non-Payment

The following process will apply in the event of non-payment:

  1. Payment is due at the time of the session; if payment is not received, we reserve the right to withhold the report and therapy will be suspended until full payment is made.
  2. A written notification of suspension of therapy will be issued.
  3. If payment is not received in full within 7 days of suspension of therapy, we reserve the right to refer the matter to the small claims court.​

8) Health Insurance

  1. It is possible for us, in some circumstances, to work with your health insurance provider, please contact us for details.

9) Travel

  1. Travel is charged at £0.50 per minute, pro-rata.
  2. Travel times are calculated using google maps (www.google.com/maps).
  3. All journeys are calculated from the clinic address (Burnfield House Business Centre, 4 Burnfield Avenue, Giffnock, G46 7TL).

10) Cancellation

  1. If your therapist is unable to attend a session, they will let you know as soon as possible and reschedule the booking.
  2. If you need to cancel an appointment, please give as much notice as possible.
  3. We require 48 hours’ notice to cancel an appointment or full payment will be due. In the case of an initial assessment appointment your deposit will be forfeit if less than 48 hours' notice of cancellation is provided.

11) Non-Attendance

  1. The full session fee applies to non-attendance at an arranged session. Please discuss with your therapist how to make payment. If payment is not made, the non-payment procedure (section 7) will apply.

12) Reports and Programmesa)

  1. Reports and programmes will be supplied to you on request.
  2. Unless expressly included in the session fee or otherwise agreed, an additional fee calculated by reference to hourly rates will be charged for writing reports and/or programmes.
  3. Reports and/or programmes can be shared by you with other professionals as you choose.
  4. Reports and/or programmes will be sent to you via email.​

13) Data Protection

  1. Lorna Muir Therapies Ltd is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) as a Data Controller. You can view the ICO registration by visiting: https://ico.org.uk/ESDWebPages/Entry/ZB219530.
  2. All client details, case notes and correspondence will be stored securely and treated confidentially according to General Data Protection Regulations and the Data Protection Act 2018.
  3. Information is stored on a secure electronic system called “WriteUpp”. Reports and programmes are password protected.
  4. In accordance with the law, all records will be kept securely for 8 years after the final contact if the student is over 18. If 17 when last seen, records will be kept unit the age of 26 and if the student is 16 or under they will be kept until the age of 25.
  5. You may apply in writing to access an electronic copy of you/your child’s notes or to request modifications of any inaccuracies. These requests will be dealt with within 30 days.
  6. For further information please refer to our Privacy Policy ​

14) Safeguarding

  1. All therapists at The Muir Practice hold a PVG Disclosure Record
  2. Safeguarding training is updated every three years. Additional training is completed in line with relevant requirements.
  3. In the event of a safeguarding concern, when your child or another person is at risk of harm, it is our duty to share this with the relevant professionals in line with current legislation and statutory guidance.​

15) Liaison and Information Sharing

  1. Effective liaison is required as a professional standard by HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council) and it is in you/your child’s best interests that we liaise with relevant professionals involved in their care.
  2. All reports and therapy targets are sent to parents or carers with the strong recommendation that they are shared with relevant professionals.
  3. It is particularly important that you let us know whether you/your child is being seen by another Speech and Language Therapist and vice versa so that assessments are not duplicated and therapy provides the best outcomes for you/your child.
  4. If you/your child is seen at school or college, parents are strongly encouraged to maintain links by attending scheduled sessions, contacting your therapist as needed and by following up recommended activities at home.​

16) Use of video

  1. Some assessment and therapy techniques involve the use of video to record you/your child playing with you.
  2. The videos are temporarily stored on an encrypted, password protected device.
  3. Once the video has been used as needed in therapy it will be deleted.
  4. Videos are shared with parents, upon request, via SeeSaw.​

17) Complaints Procedure

  1. In the unlikely event that you are not satisfied with our service please contact us. We will make every attempt to resolve this through discussion.
  2. If it is not possible for us to resolve matters, and you wish to complain formally, please contact the Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice at www.asltip.com