1. About this document

Welcome to Sussex Speech Studio

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These Terms of Service explain how Sussex Speech Studio operates and form part of the agreement between Sussex Speech Studio Ltd and the parent or legal guardian of a child receiving services.

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Please read these Terms of Service alongside the Consent for Therapy, Privacy Policy and Fees before your child’s assessment or therapy begins.

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If you have any questions about any part of these documents, please ask before signing the Consent for Therapy form. I’m always happy to explain anything that isn't clear.

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2. Services

Assessment

The initial assessment helps identify your child’s communication strengths, areas requiring support and whether speech and language therapy is recommended.

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Following the assessment, I will discuss the findings with you, explain my clinical opinion and recommendations, and provide a written summary with recommendations.

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A comprehensive assessment report can also be provided where requested and agreed in advance. Details of additional professional services, including reports, are included in Fees.

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Assessment appointments usually include time spent working directly with your child, together with discussion and feedback for parents or carers.

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Further assessment may occasionally be recommended if additional information is needed to guide clinical decision making.

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Therapy

Speech and language therapy is tailored to your child's individual needs and is based on the findings of the assessment and ongoing clinical judgement.

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Therapy appointments include time working directly with your child, together with the professional preparation and follow up needed to deliver effective therapy. This may include session planning, preparation, record keeping and, where appropriate, brief feedback for parents or carers.

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The frequency and type of therapy recommended will be discussed with you and reviewed regularly to ensure it continues to meet your child’s needs. 

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Therapy may be delivered in a range of settings, including schools, your child’s home or online, depending on what has been agreed and what is most appropriate for your child.

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Additional professional services

Some professional services are provided separately from your child’s assessment or ongoing therapy.

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These services may include detailed written reports, meetings, consultations, observations, training and other professional work that is agreed in addition to your child’s assessment or therapy.

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The purpose, scope and cost of any additional professional service will always be discussed and agreed with you in advance.

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Current fees for additional professional services are set out in the Fees.

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3. Travel

There is no additional travel charge for appointments within Brighton & Hove.

Face to face appointments outside Brighton & Hove may be available by prior agreement.

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Where additional travel costs are incurred, these will be discussed and agreed with you in advance.

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4. Fees and payment

Current fees for assessment, therapy and additional professional services are set out in the Fees.

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Invoices are normally issued once each month for services provided during that month, unless an alternative payment arrangement has been agreed in advance.

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Payment is due within 7 days of the invoice date. Please use the invoice number as your payment reference when making payment.

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Payment should normally be made by bank transfer using the bank details provided on the invoice.

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If you anticipate any difficulty making payment, please contact Sussex Speech Studio as soon as possible so that we can discuss the situation.

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Where services are funded by a Local Authority, school or another organisation, payment arrangements will be agreed before services begin.

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If you intend to claim through private medical insurance, you remain responsible for payment of invoices issued by Sussex Speech Studio unless an alternative arrangement has been agreed in advance.

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If invoices are repeatedly not paid by the due date, Sussex Speech Studio reserves the right to change the payment arrangements, including payment in advance or pausing services until the account has been brought up to date.

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5. Cancellation policy

Appointment times are reserved exclusively for your child. If you need to cancel or rearrange an appointment, please let Sussex Speech Studio know as soon as possible.

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Appointment dates are provided in advance wherever possible to help families identify any known clashes. As your agreement is with Sussex Speech Studio, parents or carers are responsible for informing me of any planned or unplanned absence that will affect an appointment. Appointments cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice will normally be charged in full.

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If your child is unable to attend because of illness, please let Sussex Speech Studio know as soon as possible. Where notification is received before the therapist has started travelling to the appointment, the cancellation fee will not normally apply.

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If the therapist has already started travelling to the appointment, or an absence is not communicated before the appointment time, the full appointment fee will normally be charged.

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If Sussex Speech Studio needs to cancel an appointment, as much notice as possible will be given and an alternative appointment will be offered where appropriate.

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6. Communication

Email is the main method of communication for routine correspondence and sharing documents.

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Telephone calls, video calls and meetings may be arranged where discussion is needed about your child’s assessment or therapy.

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Text messages or other messaging services may be used for appointment administration, for example to let Sussex Speech Studio know about illness, lateness or changes to an appointment. Please avoid using messaging services to discuss confidential clinical information about your child.

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Messages are monitored during normal working hours. If you contact Sussex Speech Studio outside of these hours, your message will be responded to as soon as reasonably possible the next working period.

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Photographs, video or audio recordings may only be made with the agreement of everyone involved.

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7. Teletherapy

Where appropriate, assessment, therapy, consultations and meetings may be delivered using an agreed secure video platform.

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Where a child is participating in an online appointment, parents or carers are responsible for ensuring that the child has access to a suitable device, a reliable internet connection and a quiet environment that supports effective participation in the session.

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Where clinically appropriate a parent or carer may be asked to support an online session.

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The cancellation policy applies equally to online appointments. If technical difficulties arise before an appointment, please let Sussex Speech Studio know as soon as possible. Requests to rearrange an online appointment at short notice cannot be guaranteed and will be accommodated only where scheduling allows.

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8. Working with others

With your consent, Sussex Speech Studio may work with other professionals involved in your child's care or education where this supports your child’s assessment or therapy. This may include education, health or other professionals involved in supporting your child.

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This may include sharing relevant information, attending meetings, providing advice, or contributing to reports. Information will only be shared with your consent unless there is a legal or safeguarding reason that requires information to be shared without consent. Further information about how personal information is used and shared is provided in the Privacy Policy.

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9. Professional standards

Speech and language therapy services at Sussex Speech Studio are provided by Margaret Shaw, a Speech and Language Therapist who is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and is a Certified Member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT).

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 I maintain appropriate professional indemnity and public liability insurance throughout the provision of services.

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I maintain my professional knowledge and skills through Continuing Professional Development (CPD), regular clinical supervision and ongoing professional learning to maintain safe, effective and evidence based clinical practice.

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10. Confidentiality and data protection

Confidentiality is an important part of the service provided by Sussex Speech Studio. Personal information and clinical records are managed in accordance with UK data protection legislation and professional standards.

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Information about how personal information is collected, used, stored, shared and retained, together with your rights in relation to your personal information, is set out in the Privacy Policy.

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11. Complaints

Sussex Speech Studio aims to provide a high quality service. If you have any concerns, I encourage you to discuss them with me in the first instance so that we can try to resolve them promptly and fairly.

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If your concern cannot be resolved, you may seek independent advice or, where appropriate, raise your concerns with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

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Further information about raising a concern with the HCPC is available at www.hcpc-uk.org/concerns. The HCPC investigates concerns about a registered professional’s fitness to practise rather than customer service or contractual disputes.

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12. Ending services

Either you or Sussex Speech Studio may decide to end assessment or therapy at any time.

Where possible, I ask that you let me know if you wish to end services so that we can discuss any remaining recommendations, provide advice about next steps and ensure appropriate records are completed.

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I may recommend ending assessment or therapy where agreed goals have been achieved, further therapy is no longer clinically indicated, or if I believe another service or professional would be better placed to support your child’s needs.

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Nothing in these Terms of Service affects your statutory rights.

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Document Review

Version: 2026-27
Effective from: 01 September 2026
Next review: August 2027

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If you have any questions about fees, invoicing or cancellations, you’re welcome to get in touch.

 

You can also read more about the therapy process on our Getting Started page.

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You’ll also find more answers about cancellations and billing in our FAQ.