Dr Vicky Eames, Clinical Psychologist
Terms and Conditions
Payment
You will be receive an invoice by email before the appointment. Payments should be made at the time of booking to confirm your appointment. Invoices are sent by email and payment can be made by BACS or card via Stripe, unless you hold Private Medical Insurance (see below).
Policy for cancellations and missed appointments
Cancellations made with less than 48 hours notice will be charged at the full rate. Appointments not attended without any prior notice, will also be charged at the full rate. We will provide you with as much notice as possible if we need to cancel/reschedule one of your appointments. Refunds can only be given if payment is made and the appointment is then cancelled more than 48 hours in advance. Please be advised that refunds may take between 5-10 working days to process and there may be a small administration fee if paying via the Stripe payment system.
Email/SMS reminders We use automated email reminders to help you keep on track of your appointments and keep missed appointments to a minimum. You have an opportunity to opt out of this service when you complete our referral form. If at any later date you wish to opt out please contact
Insurance policies
If you hold private medical insurance, please check the reimbursement level that will be available to you from your relevant provider for the therapy. If your reimbursement level does not cover the fee in full, you may be liable to pay the difference depending upon the terms of your insurance policy. If excess charges apply, your insurance company will usually inform you of this and we will invoice you for the excess amount. Please check if your insurer covers payment of fees incurred under the cancellation policy (see above). If your policy does not cover this you will be responsible for this payment. You must inform the clinician of any changes to your insurance policy which will affect funding as soon as possible. You will be responsible for any fees outstanding following a change to your policy.
Professional Duties
All clinical psychologists are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council or appropriate regulatory body for their profession and must adhere to the rules and ethical codes of conduct of their professional organisation including regular use of mandatory clinical supervision. All clinical psychologists must also have a valid enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check. Your clinician is professionally responsible for the clinical work they undertake with you.
Privacy & Confidentiality Policy
Your clinician acts as a Data Controller and is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). We take the collection and storage of your information very seriously and comply with both the Data Protection Act 1998, and also the European General Data Protection Regulations 2018. If you have any further questions or concerns please contact us or visit the ICO website https://ico.org.uk/.
What information do we collect?
As part of the assessment and therapy process we will collect information from you. This will include details such as names, address, contact details, school, ethnicity, and GP. We will also collect information relating to you or your child’s physical and mental health. Notes will be taken during your sessions to help plan our work. Some of the information collected is classified as sensitive personal data. Clinical assessment tools may be utilised to aid the assessment. The reasons for collecting this information are ‘legitimate interest’ and ‘provision of health treatment’. Please see the ICO website for further explanation. This information will allow us to provide an assessment and therapy service to you, and to help me ensure the quality of the service. We will not use your information for marketing purposes.
Confidentiality and its limits
All information discussed within assessment and therapy will be treated as confidential. There may be times when information needs to be shared with third parties to ensure you and your child receive the best possible care. Firstly, we may share information with your GP or your child’s GP via letters or copies of reports that we write to you. We may also discuss with you the sharing of information with other bodies e.g. referrers, school, or other professionals where appropriate. Your consent to share information in this way will be sought. If your psychologist feels that you or your child is putting themselves or others at risk, then she may have to break confidentiality and inform the relevant parties. This may include statutory bodies e.g. Social Services or maybe parents if the child is under 18 years of age. If possible, your psychologist will discuss this with you and your child before sharing the information. In accordance with British Psychological Society Guidelines your psychologist receives clinical supervision from another registered clinical psychologist. This clinical psychologist is also bound by regulatory body rules of confidentiality. Details of our work may be discussed but personal data (e.g. names) will not be disclosed as part of supervision.
Your rights
You have the right to request access to the data that your psychologist holds in relation to you free of charge. You also have the right to request the correction or deletion of information that you believe to be inaccurate. Incorrect factual information will be changed as soon as we are made aware of the mistake. The mistake will be corrected on all stored and processed (where reasonably possible) data types for that client and document recipients will receive a copy of the updated document. If a client challenges the clinical opinion stated in the report this would be discussed on a case-by-case basis but any changes in this instance would be at the discretion of your psychologist.
How is information stored?
Information is kept securely in accordance with ICO guidelines. Storage may be electronically or hard copy. Hard copies will be stored in a locked filing cabinet. The files may be transferred to clinics by car. Electronic information will be stored on a password protected computer. Emails will be stored in a password protected account in a GDPR compliant email account. We will not store your number as a contact on mobile phones, although we will keep text messages whilst you are receiving a service. Text messages will be used primarily to confirm appointments. Please do not send any sensitive information via text message. We may communicate with you by post, mobile phone or email. If clinical letters or reports are sent electronically they will be password protected.
Breach Procedure
In line with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) data breach are reviewed in terms of their risk. In the event of any breach, ICO recommendations will be followed and policy / procedures will be updated to prevent any repetition. Any reasonable steps will be taken to reduce impact of the data breach.
How long will information be kept for?
By law clinician's are required to keep records securely for a period of 7 years (or for 7 years after a child’s 18th birthday). Records will then be destroyed.
