The terms on which we provide our clinical services.
These terms apply to clinical services provided by Cambridge Allergy Ltd (company number 9905065), trading as Cambridge Allergy Partners (“Cambridge Allergy Partners”, “we” or “us”).
The contract is with the patient or, where appropriate, the person booking the service or accepting financial responsibility for the patient (“you”).
Cambridge Allergy Partners provides the clinical service. Consultants and other healthcare professionals involved in the patient’s care act on behalf of Cambridge Allergy Partners.
Some treatments or programmes have additional terms. Where there is any conflict, the treatment-specific agreement will apply to that treatment.
These terms concern the provision and payment of services. They are separate from any clinical consent required for an examination, test, procedure or treatment.
Our services may include:
The services provided will depend on the patient’s clinical needs and the treating clinician’s professional judgement. Booking an assessment or consultation does not guarantee that a particular test, diagnosis, prescription or treatment will be appropriate.
We will explain the proposed care and seek appropriate clinical consent before undertaking a test, procedure or treatment.
Clinical outcomes cannot be guaranteed. Test results may be inconclusive, symptoms may have more than one cause, and further assessment or investigation may be required.
Consultations may take place in person, by video or by telephone, where clinically appropriate.
A remote consultation may not provide enough information to make a diagnosis or recommend treatment. The clinician may recommend an in-person examination, testing or assessment before providing further advice.
The patient is responsible for ensuring that they have a suitable private environment and adequate telephone or internet access for a remote consultation.
Cambridge Allergy Partners does not provide an emergency service. Patients requiring urgent medical attention should contact the emergency (call 999).
Where an appointment is booked for a child, the person making the booking must have parental responsibility or appropriate authority to arrange and pay for the service.
The patient’s own consent will be sought where required by law and professional standards, taking account of the patient’s age and capacity.
A person booking for another adult must have that person’s authority. We may need the patient’s consent before discussing clinical information with the person who made or paid for the booking.
The person accepting financial responsibility remains responsible for the applicable charges, even where the patient is another person.
Our current charges are shown on our Fees page. The applicable fee will be confirmed before a service is booked or provided.
Payment is normally required in advance to secure an appointment.
Where an appointment slot is selected or offered, we may hold it provisionally for the period stated in the booking communication. A provisional hold is not a confirmed appointment.
The appointment will be confirmed once:
If payment is not received within the stated period, the provisional hold will expire and we may release the appointment slot without further notice. The patient may then need to select another available appointment.
If the patient believes that payment has been made but has not received confirmation, they should contact us before attending the appointment.
Fees may change from time to time for future bookings. A fee already confirmed for a booked service will not be increased unless the scope of the service changes and you agree to the additional charge.
Where additional tests, external laboratory work, medicines or other third-party services may be required, we will explain the expected additional costs before they are arranged, wherever reasonably practicable.
Services outside the scope of the original appointment, including additional consultations, reports, forms or correspondence requiring substantive clinical work, may be charged separately. We will explain any proposed charge in advance.
If payment remains outstanding for a service that has already been provided, we may postpone non-urgent future services until payment arrangements have been agreed.
Patients should check their insurance cover and obtain any necessary authorisation before booking.
Authorisation by an insurer does not guarantee that the insurer will pay the whole charge.
Unless we have expressly agreed to accept payment directly from an insurer, you remain responsible for paying us and recovering any covered amount from your insurer.
You remain responsible for any excess, shortfall, excluded service or charge declined by the insurer.
Where an insurer requires a referral, authorisation number or other documentation, the patient is responsible for providing it before the appointment.
We will not charge twice for the same service. If both the patient and an insurer pay us for the same service, we will provide an appropriate credit or refund.
Appointments can be cancelled or rearranged by contacting [email protected].
The following normally applies where the patient cancels or rearranges:
Cancellation charges may be reduced or waived where:
We recognise that illness may make it clinically inappropriate to attend, particularly for a test, challenge or treatment. Patients should contact us as soon as possible so that we can consider the circumstances and the safest arrangements.
If the patient arrives late, the clinician may need to shorten the appointment or rearrange it. The full fee may remain payable where there is insufficient time to provide the service safely or properly.
If we cancel an appointment, we will offer a replacement appointment or refund any payment made for the service. We are not responsible for travel, accommodation, loss of earnings or other consequential expenses, except where the law requires otherwise.
An initial allergy assessment normally includes:
The assessment fee does not include blood tests, external laboratory fees or other separately priced investigations unless expressly stated.
Skin-prick testing may be unsuitable or unreliable where, for example, the patient has taken certain antihistamines, has a relevant skin condition or has not followed the preparation instructions provided.
If included skin-prick testing cannot be undertaken for clinical reasons identified by us, we will discuss suitable alternative arrangements. If it cannot be undertaken because the patient did not follow the preparation instructions, a later testing appointment may be charged separately.
Follow-up consultations may be used to:
A consultation fee covers the consultation and ordinary related clinical administration. It does not include separate tests, laboratory charges, medicines or extensive reports unless stated otherwise.
Tests will be arranged only where the clinician considers them clinically appropriate. A requested test may be declined or replaced with a different investigation where that is considered safer or more suitable.
Some tests are processed by an external laboratory. The total charge may consist of:
The expected charges will be explained before the test is arranged, wherever reasonably practicable.
Any estimated laboratory turnaround time is an estimate rather than a guarantee. Results may be delayed because of laboratory workload, transport, technical problems, the need for repeat analysis or circumstances outside our reasonable control.
If a sample is inadequate or unsuitable for processing:
If the laboratory loses a sample or is unable to process it for technical reasons, we will offer:
A repeat sample or test may be clinically necessary because:
Where a repeat is clinically required rather than resulting from an error by us or the laboratory, it will normally be treated as a new test and may be charged separately. We will explain the reason and expected charge before arranging it.
The test fee includes routine communication of the result and a brief explanation of its significance.
A test result may require a separate consultation where:
Where a separate consultation is recommended, we will explain this and the applicable fee before booking it.
We will not withhold urgent safety information pending a paid consultation. If a result indicates that prompt action may be required, we will contact the patient and provide appropriate immediate advice or signposting.
Tests must be interpreted alongside the patient’s history, symptoms and other clinical information. A positive, negative or normal result does not necessarily confirm or exclude an allergy or other condition.
Procedures such as oral food challenges require an individual clinical assessment and appropriate consent.
Patients must follow all preparation instructions, including instructions concerning medication, illness, eating and drinking.
We may postpone or cancel a procedure if the clinician considers that it cannot proceed safely or effectively. This may include circumstances where the patient:
Where a procedure cannot proceed because preparation instructions were not followed, the appointment fee may remain payable. Where we postpone it for a clinical reason that could not reasonably have been anticipated or avoided by the patient, we will normally transfer the payment to a replacement appointment.
The planned procedure may be changed or stopped where the clinician considers this necessary for safety.
A prescription will be issued only where the clinician considers it clinically appropriate.
A consultation or clinical review may be required before issuing or renewing a prescription.
A repeat prescription charge may apply where a prescription is issued without a full consultation. The current charge is shown on our Fees page.
Prescription charges do not include the amount charged by a pharmacy for dispensing or supplying the medicine unless expressly stated.
Availability, dispensing times and delivery arrangements may depend on the pharmacy or supplier. We cannot guarantee that a particular medicine will be immediately available.
Patients should check supplied medicines promptly and contact the dispensing pharmacy and our clinical team if the medicine, strength, instructions or patient details appear incorrect.
Patients must not change, stop or restart prescribed treatment without appropriate clinical advice, except where urgent safety instructions require them to do so.
The patient or person responsible for the patient agrees to:
We may communicate by email, telephone, text message, video consultation or another agreed electronic system.
Patients are responsible for providing accurate contact information and telling us if it changes.
Ordinary email and messaging services should not be used for emergencies or matters requiring an immediate response.
General information on our website, social media or other published materials is not a substitute for an individual clinical assessment.
Clinical advice is based on the information available at the time. Patients should contact us or another appropriate healthcare professional if circumstances change or symptoms worsen.
We process personal and health information in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable data-protection law.
We maintain clinical records relating to the patient’s care.
Information may be shared with members of the treating team, laboratories, pharmacies, the patient’s GP, insurers or other healthcare providers where necessary for care, safety, payment or another lawful purpose.
We may recommend that relevant information is shared with the patient’s GP or another healthcare provider. Where a patient asks us not to share information, we will consider that request subject to our legal, safeguarding and professional obligations.
We may postpone, decline or end a service where:
We will not end ongoing care arbitrarily. Where practicable, we will explain the concern and provide a reasonable opportunity to address it.
Where appropriate, we will advise the patient to seek care from their GP, the NHS or another suitable healthcare provider.
If we are unable to provide a prepaid service for reasons not attributable to the patient, we will offer a suitable alternative or refund the amount paid for the service not provided.
Nothing in these terms limits any cancellation right available by law.
Where a statutory cancellation period applies to a service booked online, by telephone or away from our clinic, it is separate from the appointment cancellation policy in section 7.
By selecting an appointment that will take place within 14 days of booking, the patient expressly requests that we begin providing the service during any applicable cancellation period.
If the service is fully provided during that period, the statutory right to cancel that service may end. If the patient cancels after provision has begun but before it is completed, a proportionate charge may be payable for the service already provided.
Different statutory rules may apply to medicines prescribed or prepared for an individual patient.
Questions or concerns about care should initially be raised with the clinical team where appropriate.
Feedback or complaints may be submitted in accordance with our Feedback and Complaints Policy.
Making a complaint will not adversely affect the patient’s care.
We will provide our services with reasonable care and skill.
We are responsible for loss or damage that is a foreseeable result of our breach of these terms or our failure to exercise reasonable care and skill.
We are not responsible for loss resulting from:
except where it would be unlawful to exclude or limit responsibility.
Nothing in these terms excludes or limits responsibility for:
We may amend these terms from time to time for future services.
The version accepted when a service is booked will apply to that booking unless:
We will explain any material change affecting a service already booked.
If part of these terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue to apply.
A delay in exercising a right does not mean that the right has been waived.
No person other than the patient, the person accepting financial responsibility and Cambridge Allergy Partners has a right to enforce these terms, except where the law provides otherwise.
These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. Patients retain any right under consumer law to bring proceedings elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
Nothing in these terms affects the patient’s statutory rights.
By booking or paying for a service with us, you confirm that you have read and accept these Terms and Conditions. The version in force when a service is booked applies to that booking.
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