Neurodevelopmental Consultants Clinic Ltd, trading as NDCC, is an independent private clinic run by qualified clinicians in the field of neurodevelopment. The directors are Consultants in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology with extensive experience of assessing and treating neurodevelopmental conditions across the lifespan. Our services are provided on a self-funded basis. We do not provide emergency, crisis, statutory social care, court-directed, Mental Health Act, or NHS Right to Choose services unless this has been expressly agreed in writing.
B. Our terms of the contract
In these Terms, “we”, “our” and “us” mean Neurodevelopmental Consultants Clinic Ltd. “You” and “your” mean the person who has requested, booked, paid for or will receive the care and services. If you are arranging services on behalf of a child, young person, or adult patient who is unable to enter into these Terms or consent for themselves, you agree that you will be bound by these Terms. References to “you” or “your” include the patient and the person signing, booking, paying for or otherwise instructing the Clinic on the patient’s behalf. The signed Consent and Authority Form records the specific consent, authority, information-sharing, recording and communication arrangements for each patient.
C. Adult patients, consent, capacity, representatives and information sharing
Adult patients are generally presumed to have capacity to make their own decisions unless there is evidence to the contrary. Adult patients usually consent to their own assessment, treatment, prescribing, information sharing and correspondence arrangements. A relative, partner, friend, advocate, fee payer or administrative contact does not automatically have authority to consent to assessment or treatment, or to receive confidential clinical information about an adult patient. NDCC may require explicit consent from the adult patient or evidence of lawful authority, for example Lasting Power of Attorney for health and welfare, Court of Protection deputyship, or other documented authority. Where there are concerns about an adult patient’s capacity for a specific decision, NDCC may consider the relevant principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 where applicable. NDCC may pause, cancel, defer or decline to proceed if capacity, consent, safeguarding, coercion, vulnerability, information-sharing or governance concerns arise. Adult patients may nominate authorised recipients for correspondence, reports or appointment information. NDCC will only share clinical information where this is lawful, clinically appropriate, authorised by the patient, required by professional or safeguarding duties, or otherwise permitted or required by law. NDCC cannot act as a mediator, adjudicator or legal adviser in disputes between adult patients, relatives, representatives, employers, education providers, clinicians, insurers or other third parties. Where there is disagreement about information sharing, treatment, prescribing or support arrangements, NDCC may require clarification before proceeding.
D. Children, parental responsibility, consent, capacity and information sharing
Where services are requested for a child or young person under the age of 18 years, the person booking, paying for, signing the Consent and Authority Form, attending with the child or young person, or otherwise instructing the Clinic confirms that they have parental responsibility, lawful authority to arrange the services, or documented authority from a person or organisation with parental responsibility or lawful decision-making authority. A fee-paying or administrative contact does not automatically have authority to consent to assessment or treatment, or to receive confidential clinical information, unless that authority is lawful, documented, authorised by a person with parental responsibility, or otherwise considered by the Clinic to be lawful and in the child or young person’s best interests. By proceeding with any booking, assessment, consultation, treatment, prescription request, report, school observation, information-sharing request or payment, you confirm that you have provided accurate information about your relationship to the child or young person, disclosed all known persons or organisations with parental responsibility, disclosed relevant court orders and safeguarding restrictions, made reasonable efforts to inform and involve other persons with parental responsibility where appropriate, and disclosed any known disagreement, objection, restriction or communication difficulty before asking the Clinic to proceed. The Clinic may rely on information provided by you when arranging appointments, school observations, assessment, treatment, prescribing, correspondence, reports and invoicing. If information about parental responsibility, capacity, legal orders, safeguarding, social care involvement, parental disagreement or objections is incomplete, inaccurate, disputed or not disclosed, the Clinic may pause, cancel, defer or decline to proceed with the services. The Clinic is not able to act as an intermediary, mediator, adjudicator or legal adviser in disputes between parents, carers, guardians, family members, schools, local authorities or others with parental responsibility. Where there is disagreement about assessment, diagnosis, treatment, prescribing, information sharing, attendance at appointments or what is in the child or young person’s best interests, the Clinic may require written clarification or agreement from relevant parties before proceeding. For assessment appointments, the Clinic may proceed on the basis of consent from one person with parental responsibility where this is lawful, clinically appropriate and in the child or young person’s best interests. However, the Clinic reserves the right to request confirmation from, or seek the views of, other individuals or organisations with parental responsibility where this is considered clinically, legally, safeguarding, prescribing, data protection or governance appropriate. For medication initiation, titration, ongoing prescribing, shared-care requests or other treatment decisions
for children and young people, the Clinic may require additional confirmation that all relevant individuals with parental responsibility are aware of the proposed treatment plan and that there is no unresolved objection. The Clinic may decline to prescribe, or may pause prescribing, where there is unresolved parental disagreement, incomplete information, insufficient monitoring arrangements across households, safeguarding concern, uncertainty about consent or authority, or where prescribing is not considered clinically appropriate or in the child or young person’s best interests. Where the child or young person is able to participate in decision-making, the Clinic will take account of their wishes, feelings, understanding and capacity in accordance with relevant legal and professional guidance. Young people aged 16 and 17 years are generally presumed to have capacity to consent to their own treatment unless there is evidence to the contrary. Children under 16 years may be able to consent for themselves if they have sufficient understanding and intelligence to understand fully what is proposed, commonly referred to as Gillick competence.
E. Third-party information, workplace, education and professional liaison
Where school observations, teacher questionnaires, workplace information, occupational health information, GP information, educational information, social care information or other third-party information is requested, you confirm that you have authority to provide the relevant contact details and to ask the third party to engage with the Clinic. The Clinic cannot compel schools, colleges, universities, employers, occupational health teams, GPs, NHS providers, local authorities, social care teams or other third parties to provide information, permit observations, prescribe medication, accept shared care or implement recommendations.
F. Audio recording for clinical documentation
Some consultations may be audio recorded solely to assist the assessing clinician in preparing accurate clinical notes, letters and reports. Audio recording will only take place where consent has been obtained and the clinician is satisfied that recording is appropriate. Audio recordings are used only for clinical documentation and quality of clinical record keeping. They are not used for teaching, research or marketing. They are not shared with other parties unless this is required by law, safeguarding duty, complaint investigation, regulatory duty, legal requirement, or with explicit consent where appropriate. Recordings are stored securely, accessed only by the assessing clinician or authorised clinical staff where necessary, and deleted once the relevant clinical documentation has been completed and checked, unless there is an ongoing complaint, safeguarding process, regulatory requirement, legal requirement or other professional reason to retain them for longer. Refusing audio recording will not prevent access to clinical services. The Consent and Authority Form records whether consent to audio recording has been given or declined. The clinician may also reconfirm consent verbally at the start of the appointment.
G. Nature and limits of the service
NDCC’s services do not constitute an emergency service, crisis service, statutory Mental Health Act assessment, social care assessment, court-directed assessment or formal best-interests determination unless this has been expressly agreed in writing. If there is immediate risk, a safeguarding concern, a mental health emergency, or concern that a person is at risk of significant harm, you must contact the appropriate emergency services, NHS urgent mental health services, the GP, local authority safeguarding services, or 999 as appropriate.
H. As the provider, we shall
• offer clinical services in accordance with our schedule of fees; • make every reasonable effort to provide services on the date agreed. We may cancel or change an appointment for reasonable clinical, operational, technical or governance reasons, or where your consultant does not think it is appropriate to proceed. Where possible, we will rebook the appointment for a mutually suitable date. If rebooking is not possible within a mutually agreeable timeframe, we will refund advance payment for services not provided; • request information from you that is necessary for us to provide our services. If this information is not provided, is incomplete or is inaccurate, this may result in delay or inability to complete assessment or treatment; • aim to forward diagnostic reports within 30 working days of completion of the assessment. Where this is not possible, we will explain the reason where appropriate; • make reasonable efforts to respond to email enquiries and requests for updates or clarification. Our clinic email address is enquiries@ndcclinic.com; • preserve confidentiality except where disclosure is authorised, required by law, required for safeguarding, required for professional duties, or otherwise permitted by data protection and healthcare law; • use reasonable skill and care in the performance of clinical duties to the best of our ability. We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office: ICO registration C1390132. Information we
I. Fees
hold is subject to the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR. Further information about data protection is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk. Our fees are based on the degree of responsibility and skill involved, and the time necessarily occupied on the work. The fee schedule is set out in the appendices to this document and may be updated from time to time. NDCC provides services on a self-funded private basis. We do not accept payment via private medical insurance or Right to Choose. A deposit of 50% of the total cost of the assessment or treatment is required to book an appointment. The remainder of the balance must be paid at least 48 hours before the appointment. Payment may be made by bank transfer or cash. If an appointment is cancelled with more than 48 hours’ notice, a full refund will be given for services not provided. If a cancellation is made within 48 hours of the appointment, a charge of 25% of the total fee will be applied. If you do not attend your pre-arranged appointment, a charge of 50% of the total fee will be applied. Clients and accompanying individuals are advised to arrive 15 minutes before their scheduled appointment. Late attendance up to 15 minutes after the scheduled appointment time will not incur an additional charge, but the total consultation time will be reduced accordingly. Attendance later than 15 minutes after the scheduled appointment time will be considered non-attendance and the non-attendance charge will apply. A request to change an assessment date will only be considered if the request is made at least 48 hours
before the agreed assessment date. A new date will be offered subject to availability. This will incur a £100 administration charge. This charge can be refunded if an assessment is completed and paid for in full subsequently. NDCC reserves the right to cancel any appointment at any time without prior notice where clinically, operationally or professionally necessary.
J. Events outside our control
We will not be liable or responsible for failure to perform, or delay in performance of, any obligations under these Terms where this is caused by an event outside our reasonable control. This may include changes in law or regulation, operational or technical disruption, illness, safety concerns, safeguarding concerns, changes requested by you, or any other circumstance outside our reasonable control. We will contact you as soon as reasonably possible where this affects booked services.
K. Changes to these Terms
We may change these Terms where we reasonably consider this necessary, including to make them easier to understand, to reflect changes in law, codes of practice, regulation, clinical governance or the services we provide. Updated Terms will apply to new assessment or treatment episodes and will not retrospectively alter services already completed.
L. Complaints
If there is anything you do not understand about these Terms, or if you would prefer them in a different format, please let us know. If you are not happy with any aspect of your sessions or the standard of our work, please contact us in writing at enquiries@ndcclinic.com.
M. Other important Terms
This contract is between you and Neurodevelopmental Consultants Clinic Ltd. If a court finds part of this contract illegal, the rest will continue in force. Each paragraph operates separately. If any court or relevant authority decides that any part is unlawful, the remaining paragraphs will remain in full force and effect. Even if we delay in enforcing this contract, we can still enforce it later. These Terms are governed by English law. You can bring legal proceedings in respect of the services in the English courts. If you live in Scotland, you can bring legal proceedings in respect of the services in either the Scottish or English courts. If you live in Northern Ireland, you can bring legal proceedings in respect of the services in either the Northern Irish or English courts. Subject to any statutory duty, professional duty, safeguarding obligation, data protection obligation, duty of care, consumer right, or liability which cannot lawfully be excluded, you accept responsibility for any delay, cancellation, additional administrative work, additional cost, complaint, dispute or inability to complete the services arising from incomplete or inaccurate information provided to the Clinic, failure to disclose relevant authority or legal information, or failure to disclose a known objection or disagreement before the Clinic is asked to proceed. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits the Clinic’s statutory duties, professional duties, safeguarding responsibilities, data protection obligations, clinical duty of care, or any liability which cannot lawfully be excluded.
