Practice Office Policy
Conscious Healthcare
Terms of Business
1. DEFINITIONS
In this document, the following terms will have these meanings:
‘We’, ‘Our’, ‘Us’: Refers to Conscious Healthcare of 97 Havant Road, Emsworth, Hampshire PO10 7LF, trading as Conscious Healthcare and Dr Vinesh Singh. We are registered with the General Medical Council (GMC), regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and checked by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Any other person employed by Conscious Healthcare will follow these Terms of Business. To contact us, please email info@conscioushealthcare.co.uk.
‘You’, ‘Your’: Refers to the person/s named in the Instructions, liable for the fees.
‘Instructions’: Your instructions, which authorise us to start healthcare services i.e. once you have clicked on [“book a discovery call"] (Chronic or complex illness) or ["book a gp home visit”] (GP home visiting services - out of hours appointment).
‘Agreement’: The contract between you and us, which includes your Instructions and these Terms of Business, subject to any written variations agreed upon and signed by both parties.
‘Fee’: The fee we charge, as outlined on our website.
2. AGREEMENT
a. This Agreement will commence on the date you confirm your Instructions. The Agreement will continue indefinitely unless terminated by either party with prior written notice, as outlined in clause 7.
b. By confirming your Instructions, you authorise us to act as your private GP for the healthcare services and agree to pay the Fee as outlined in the Instructions and in accordance with clause 4.8 below.
3. THESE TERMS MAY HAVE CHANGED SINCE YOU LAST REVIEWED THEM
Please review these terms to ensure you are reviewing the most current version of our terms of business.
4. INFORMATION ABOUT US AND OUR SERVICES
4.1 Our Services
a. You can find everything you need to know about us, Conscious Healthcare, on our website or from a member of our staff before you accept these terms. You also confirm the key information in writing by completing our online form and Instructions before you enter into a contract with us for healthcare services.
b. We will provide private general practice healthcare services (“Services”) in accordance with these Terms of Business. The two main Services offered are: (i) general practice (GP) home visiting services (out of hours), typically regarding a new onset acute problem to offer advice, treatment and/or onward referral; and (ii) chronic/complex healthcare investigations, typically involving an initial discovery call, uploaded information for the doctor review, appointment (face to face, telephone, video or remote consultation, or home visit), and a summary document from your doctor including advice and list of recommendations. Following the initial chronic/complex healthcare investigation you may decide to proceed with our testing services, but this is not obligatory. In the event that you opt for testing with our Services, we then order the testing and have a further appointment to discuss the results with you and make further recommendations.
c. The Services may include face to face clinic, telephone, remote consultation, home visit or visit to your place of work. We will supply urgent courses of medicines and prescriptions where required, liaise closely with other health care workers and services, such as laboratories or imaging centres, and provide referrals as necessary. We may provide a summary of recommendations including laboratory testing, imaging and referrals to other practitioners. Occasionally, supplementary tests may be recommended to guide the advice supplied in addition to the standard tests. Recommended practitioners may be in the complimentary space.
d. Please note that under no circumstances, will we be able to directly issue or write prescriptions for controlled drugs.
e. We provide our Services during the hours outlined on our website.
4.2 Accessing our Services:
a. Access: You can access our Services via our website. Once you click on the appropriate booking button ([“book a GP home visit ”] for out of hours GP home visiting services; or [“book a discovery call”] for chronic illness), you will then be directed to our clinical system on the Function 365 portal to enter your details, create an account and complete the booking. You will also need to accept these terms of business, our privacy and cookies policy, website terms of use, our Practice Office Policy and Function 365’s privacy policy and End User License Agreement (EULA), as well as and any other terms which may be relevant from time to time. We will confirm our acceptance of your appointment request by email and text message. It is your responsibility to ensure that the patient details provided for the appointment are accurate and up-to-date.
b. Medical information: Once you have created an account, completed the booking and accepted these terms of business and the policy documents outlined above, you will be asked to provide further information via smart intake forms online to help your doctor deal with your complaints. These forms may include key demographic information which allows us to provide healthcare services for you. They may also include questions about your current health, past medical history, current medication and history of medication allergy or intolerance. Collecting this information at registration helps to optimise time and safety by allowing your Doctor to review your current health for your first appointment. You therefore warrant and undertake to complete these forms openly and honestly, revealing and disclosing all relevant information truthfully and to the best of your knowledge. You further warrant that you will not complete these forms on behalf of another person unless you are the parent or guardian of a child patient or that other person has authorised and given their full consent for you to do so and given you full information to enable you to complete the questionnaire.
c. Identification: Before we provide any Services you will need to provide a photographic form of identification (passport or driving licence) and proof of your residential address (bank statement or utility bill). When registering a child under 16, you will need to provide evidence of parental responsibility in the form of the child’s birth certificate or adoption or guardianship order. You can either upload these documents to the online portal or show them to your Doctor in person before the consultation.
4.3 Appointments:
We do not guarantee the availability of any particular Doctor at any particular time. We will do what we can to arrange a consultation with a Doctor as soon as reasonably practicable but do not guarantee to offer consultations within a particular time frame. Clinic appointments are limited to the time slot selected at the time of booking the appointment.
For home visit Services, we are unable to provide a chaperone service for any examinations, and as such we reserve the right to decline assessments that may be perceived to place our medical staff at risk. We do not therefore offer intimate examinations as part of our home visit Services, although we may be able to advise on further appropriate management.
If you are under the age of 18, then we may require you to be accompanied by a parent or guardian at the time of the appointment.
We reserve the right to adjust the consultation fee to adequately reflect the time taken with a Doctor.
Please note that we use an automated booking system. Once the appointment slots are full for any given day, there is no further availability. If the slots are full, you will be signposted to other medical services. If you have any of the red flag symptoms listed on our website, you will need to go to A&E.
4.4 Out of hours services
a. Availability and fees: The provision of out of hours Services (i.e. outside of our normal business hours – which are listed on the homepage of our website) places additional administrative and regulatory obligations on a Doctor and therefore additional fees may apply (calculated at point of booking), to which you agree by accepting these terms.
Availability for out-of-hours appointments is subject to availability and a Doctor’s other personal obligations. Appointments are therefore not guaranteed. If an appointment cannot be provided, you are advised to immediately contact an alternative provider or use the NHS. Further information is available here: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/urgent-and-emergency-care-services/nhs-out-of-hours-services
b. Medications dispensed (GP out of hours service only): We may dispense medications directly to you during our GP out of hours service consultations. Prices charged by us for medications dispensed may not necessarily be the cheapest and you are therefore encouraged to research alternative dispensers prior to us dispensing.
Specific categories of medicine may pose particular risks of harm or may be associated with overuse, misuse or addiction. A Doctor requires relevant current and historical information from a patient’s medical records before prescribing these medications and is within his/her rights to refuse to prescribe these medications if they cannot satisfy themselves that these conditions are met.
Our Service is not a prescription fulfilment service. Only after a consultation booked in accordance with these terms will a medication be prescribed by mutual agreement being reached between you and the Doctor under circumstances that are appropriate, legal and responsible. The final issuing of a prescription is at the sole discretion of the Doctor.
You understand, accept and agree that any medication given to you is solely for personal use. You must keep any medicines securely and must not allow others (especially children) to use them.
c. Home visits (GP out of hours service only): Home visits are provided in all PO postcode areas excluding the Isle of Wight. Requests for home visits out of this area will be considered if there is availability, however, additional charges for out of area visits may be applied at the time of booking.
Home visits are not always the most appropriate setting in which to assess and treat medical issues and therefore may be subject to prior triage.
4.5 Chronic/complex healthcare investigation service - Remote consultations
Remote consultation appointments can be booked online via our website. Not all issues can be managed safely using remote consultations. Treatment is therefore not guaranteed. When booking a remote consultation, you accept that a further face to face consultation may be recommended by a Doctor.
4.6 Both Services – Referral letters
You understand that you may require further treatment following your appointment with a Doctor.
A Doctor may refer you to a specialist directly on a private fee-paying basis and if you have private healthcare insurance this may be covered under your policy. You are responsible for checking with your private insurance provider whether the cost of further referral and investigation is covered under your policy. If you do not have private insurance you can still be referred to a specialist on a private self-pay basis only. You will be solely responsible for arranging your private appointment with any specialist for further treatment.
You are not obliged to pay or use health insurance, but you understand and accept that in the event that a specialist referral is advised and you do not want to seek private further care, you agree to hold us and the Doctor completely free of any liability under every circumstance relating to your initial consultation.
In the circumstance that onward referral is advised by a Doctor but you are unable to or do not wish to pay, you are advised to see your NHS GP for consultation. You are aware that your NHS GP is under no obligation whatsoever to fulfil any referral or any element of a treatment advised by a Doctor you have seen using our Services.
In some circumstances, a Doctor will advise the follow-up with themselves to monitor response to treatment or convey the results of investigation. You understand that you are not obliged to have this follow-up. However, by not doing so, you hold us and the Doctor completely free of liability for any circumstance arising from the initial consultation.
4.7 Cancellations and lateness
You understand and accept that if you are more than 10 minutes late to an appointment you will lose your appointment time and forfeit the cost of the consultation. Furthermore, you understand and accept that if you are late for an appointment by a period of less than 10 minutes, the Doctor is not obliged to see you and you may still lose your consultation deposit. If the Doctor can still accommodate your appointment, it will be at a time determined by the Doctor at his or her discretion and should this not be acceptable, you will lose the consultation deposit.
You hold us and the Doctor completely free of liability under every circumstance relating to your reason for initial consultation in the event that you are late and your appointment is cancelled.
You may cancel an appointment at no charge, up to 24 hours before the agreed appointment time. Appointments that are cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice, will be charged at 100% of the appointment fee. Cancellations made with less than 24 hours’ notice may not occur a cancellation fee if the appointment is rescheduled to a date/time within 14 calendar days of the original appointment.
You will not be liable for any charges or fees for an appointment if we decline or cancel your appointment in advance for any reason.
You accept that due to the nature of general practice, we do not guarantee that an appointment will be kept at the exact time stipulated as the booked appointment. You understand that there can potentially be a prolonged wait time for your appointment.
4.8 Fees and Payment
Full details of our fees structure are available via our website and on the clinical system at the time of booking.
Payments for all appointments need to be made up front in their entirety. You will need to complete the payment of a refundable deposit invoice for your appointment to secure your booking.
You will be prompted in your appointment confirmation reminders to ensure that your contact details or address details are correct. If you are not present at your address (for a home or work visit) either because: (a) you did enter the right address and simply didn't show up; or (b) you entered the wrong address; then you forfeit the deposit.
We are not covered by any private health insurance plans and therefore you will be responsible for all fees incurred through your use of our Services and any laboratory investigations or tests organised through us.
4.9 Your obligations
We can only provide the Services if you provide us with the information we need in order to help you. Any information you give to us or to a Doctor, must be accurate and in English.
You agree that you shall:
(i) follow any instructions you are given by a Doctor;
(ii) follow any instructions regarding the use of any medicines or healthcare products we recommend or prescribe (including in respect of use-by dates);
(iii) report any adverse or unexpected effects of treatments we recommend to us;
(iv) tell us if any of our information about you is or becomes inaccurate or incomplete; and
(v) notify us promptly in writing or by email of any change of your contact details.
4.10 Providing a safe service
We aim to offer a healthcare service that is safe for patients to use and staff to provide. We are committed to providing high quality care and treatment for patients and safeguarding the welfare of patients and staff. In order to protect both staff and patients, we respectfully point out that the following inappropriate behaviour will not be tolerated:
(i) swearing;
(ii) threatening or abusive behaviour;
(iii) intoxication;
(iv) verbal or physical abuse; or
(v) inappropriate advances to our staff.
We have a policy of zero tolerance towards such behaviour, particularly threatening or violent behaviour towards anyone associated with the healthcare service we provide.
We reserve the right to terminate an appointment and call for police assistance if deemed necessary if we have any concerns about the welfare of our staff or patients.
We also reserve the right to prohibit a patient from using our Services if they are involved in any of the behaviours outlined above, or any other concerning or abusive behaviour.
Our Doctors may refuse to provide appointments if they believe that there is the potential for misuse of Services, if they feel that their life may in any way be threatened or jeopardised, or as otherwise required by law or reasonable medical ethics concerns.
4.11 Compliance:
All of the Doctors that provide our services are responsible for compliance with all relevant regulatory and local requirements relating to medical liability and professional indemnity insurance and have medical indemnity insurance arrangements in place with approved UK medical defence organisations.
We are CQC registered and as such are committed to abiding by the fundamental standards as set out by the CQC. In particular, we are committed to safe and ethical prescribing and medicines management as outlined in the ‘Good Medical Practice’ professional standards (GMC, 2024), including the following:
(i) a doctor should only prescribe medicine or treatment, including repeat prescriptions, when they have adequate knowledge of the patient’s health and are satisfied that the medicine or treatment serves the patient's needs.
(ii) a doctor should only prescribe medicine or treatment that is considered effective based on the best available evidence.
(iii) a doctor should check that the care or treatment they provide to the patient is compatible with any other treatments the patient is receiving, including where possible self-prescribed or over-the-counter medications.
(iv) there is no guarantee that a doctor will prescribe any medication at all, and specific treatments or therapy are not guaranteed. A doctor will operate in a professional manner and in accordance with relevant regulations, laws, codes of practice and established medical ethics requirements. A doctor is within his/her rights to refuse to prescribe if he/she cannot satisfy him/herself that these conditions are met.
(v) The healthcare services we provide are not intended to replace your usual NHS GP service but should be considered as an accessible and convenient service in addition to existing care and treatment. The services we provide are provided subject to these terms and conditions.
4.12 Off-label prescriptions
Where it is concluded that for medical reasons it is necessary to meet your individual demands and it is felt appropriate to do so by your Doctor and in your best interests, we may occasionally prescribe medications for off-label (off-licence) use. Please note that this does not refer to the use of any unlicensed medication but rather to the use of medications licensed in the UK but used for a medical reason that is not the licensed use. This would only be the case if you provide full informed consent and mainly in situations where all other licensed alternatives had been tried and had either not been effective or were not tolerated. In these cases all attempts would be made to make available any relevant information/evidence for the medication use and effectiveness for this particular indication.
5. WE DON’T GIVE BUSINESS CUSTOMERS ALL THE SAME RIGHTS AS CONSUMERS
For example, we don’t compensate business customers in the same way for losses caused by us or our services. You are a business customer if you are using our services wholly or mainly for use in connection with your trade, business, craft or profession, even if you are an individual.
If you are a business customer these terms constitute the entire agreement between us in relation to our services. You acknowledge that you have not relied on any statement, promise, representation, assurance or warranty made or given by us or on our behalf which is not set out in these terms and that you have no claim for innocent or negligent misrepresentation or negligent misstatement based on any statement in this agreement.
If you are a business customer you must pay all amounts due to us under these terms in full without any set-off, counterclaim, deduction or withholding (other than any deduction or withholding of tax as required by law).
6. WE’RE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR DELAYS OUTSIDE OUR CONTROL
If our supply of services is delayed by an event outside our control, for example, laboratory, blood or image test results, we will contact you as soon as possible to let you know and do what we can to reduce the delay. As long as we do this, we won’t compensate you for the delay, but if the delay is likely to be substantial you can contact us at info@conscioushealthcare.co.uk to end the contract and receive a refund for any services you have paid for in advance, but not received.
7. YOU CAN END AN ON-GOING CONTRACT
a. Either party may terminate this Agreement by providing more than 24 hours’ written notice.
b. Termination does not affect any rights or liabilities accrued up to the termination date.