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Abercorn Terms & Conditions

1. Contact, Availability, and Clinic Operations

Our practice administration team is available for contact via telephone and email between the hours of 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday.

Our team is dedicated to assisting you efficiently with:

  • Service queries and operating procedures.
  • Making bookings and scheduling adjustments.
  • General administrative enquiries.

Abercorn Clinic employs a model where most clinicians maintain part-time roles with other professional bodies, including the NHS, local councils, and universities.

2. Referral, Triage, and Information Provision

  • The clinic operates a clear triage process. All referrals are reviewed by the Head of Clinical Operations and assigned to the most relevant clinician based on the information provided at the time of referral.
  • We may contact you for further information or clarification regarding the details you have provided to ensure we can appropriately support your needs.
  • You are responsible for ensuring that Abercorn Clinic is made aware of any relevant historical, medical, or clinical information that may impact your treatment, assessment, or therapy needs.

3. Acceptance, Refusal, and Withdrawal of Service

Abercorn Clinic reserves the right to exercise clinical and administrative discretion regarding the acceptance and continuation of services:

  • Following our triage and review process, we reserve the right to decline accepting you as a client if we determine that Abercorn Clinic is not the most suitable service to address your clinical needs. Although we will attempt to explain our reasoning via email or telephone, please note that we are not legally required to provide a specific justification for non-acceptance.
  • The clinic reserves the right to discontinue arranging any subsequent treatment or appointments, even after a client has been accepted for treatment or assessment, if it is determined that continuing the service is no longer clinically appropriate or sustainable.
  • We are not obliged to give a reason for the withdrawal of services.
  • If our services are withdrawn for any reason, we will try to either direct you to a suitable alternative provider, if one is available, or recommend that you contact your GP for a referral elsewhere.

In engaging with our services you agree:

  • To supply full and accurate information to us and any clinicians within the team.
  • To notify us of any changes to your condition.
  • To speak to all staff in an appropriate manner. We maintain a strict zero-tolerance policy against abuse directed towards our staff. Should any staff member perceive your communication as abusive, we reserve the right to immediately withdraw our services from you or the client you are communicating with us about. Abuse is not confined solely to offensive language. It includes any form of communication that we deem to be unduly aggressive or overly critical of our services or our employees. You will not be entitled to any refund for services that have already been delivered. Where feasible, and if we decide to withdraw our services due to abusive communication or behavior, we will attempt to direct you to a suitable alternative provider. However, we are under no obligation to do this. This policy does not restrict your right to submit a formal and appropriate complaint. Details of our complaints procedure are available in a separate document.
  • To notify us as quickly as possible in the event you need to cancel your appointment, or any you have made on behalf of someone.

4. Dealing with Emergencies

Abercorn Clinic is not an emergency service nor does it provide out of hour services. We understand the importance of getting help during difficult times. In the event of an emergency or crisis you should contact your local Accident & Emergency Service, or your GP or Community Mental Health Team.

In certain situations, for example where there has been a significant escalation in risk to your safety, we or your clinician may decide that you need a higher level or type of care, including more specialist services, than we are able to provide in our private mental health service. In that case we will refer and/or signpost you to an appropriate organisation accordingly.

5. Cancellation Charges

We understand that cancellations are sometimes unavoidable. To avoid a cancellation charge, we require a minimum of 48 hours’ notice if you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment.

● Less than 48 hours’ notice: A cancellation fee of up to 50% of the appointment fee may be charged.
● Less than 24 hours’ notice: The full cost of the appointment may be charged.
Exceptions to the late cancellation fee may be considered on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Head of Clinical Operations, typically for sudden severe illness or unforeseen emergencies. Please note that documentary evidence may be requested in these circumstances.

6. Fees and Payment

Our current standard fees will be communicated to you when you book an appointment. Please note that these fees may be amended by us occasionally.

Payment for all appointments is due prior to the appointment time, ideally at the time of booking. Full payment is required 7 days before your appointment and can be made online, over the telephone, or in the practice. Failure to make payment within 7 days of the appointment will result in cancellation.

Cash payments are not accepted for any of our services.

All Assessment fees must be paid in full when the booking is made. We regret that we are unable to offer payment plans.

Third-Party Payments
If a third party (e.g., a parent, guardian, or employer) pays our fees on your behalf, you are responsible for ensuring that they comply with these standard terms. You must specifically bring these terms to their attention.

7. Non Client Payers

Should you engage our services on behalf of a client, or otherwise pay any sum for a client, you agree to be fully bound by these terms, including, but not limited to, the payment of cancellation fees, even if you are not the client yourself.

8. GP Involvement

For your safety and wellbeing, we strongly advise that you inform your private or NHS General Practitioner of any treatment you arrange with us. Maintaining open communication among all medical professionals involved in your care is vital. Notifying your GP about your engagement in medical treatment is considered best practice, ensuring they are kept completely up-to-date.

Following an ADHD assessment, we are obligated to inform your General Practitioner (GP) of the assessment outcome and any subsequent treatment plan.

If medication is required, please note that all clinicians reserve the right to withhold prescriptions unless you provide your consent. This strict policy is for your safety, ensuring that any prescribed medication does not interact negatively with other treatments you may currently be receiving.

If you are pursuing a private assessment with the intention of returning to your NHS GP for subsequent care—including tests, monitoring, prescribing, or any other service—you must consult with your GP beforehand. This consultation is essential to confirm the extent to which they are willing to support this transition. Please be aware that GPs may refuse to cooperate entirely, and we cannot be held liable for their decision. Should your GP be unwilling to support your continuing care, we strongly advise you to arrange all necessary services privately. We will offer assistance in making these private arrangements where feasible.

9. Confidentiality and Consent

We are committed to the secure management of your personal data, adhering strictly to all relevant legislation, including GDPR. We will only use your data for the specific purpose of arranging your treatment and based solely on the uses to which you have explicitly consented. Your engagement with our services confirms your consent for us to store and process your data as detailed in our Privacy Policy, which is accessible on our website.

Please be aware that there are circumstances requiring us to legally disclose your personal information. By accepting these terms, you acknowledge our legal obligation to do so in the following situations:

  • If you disclose information to us or a clinician indicating that you pose a serious risk to yourself or another person.
  • If you disclose information regarding acts of terrorism or serious crime.
  • Where we are legally obliged under child protection legislation to report safeguarding/child protection concerns.

In Scotland, the legal age of capacity is 16. This means 16 and 17-year-olds can consent to medical treatment or intervention without parental consent. Furthermore, doctors are bound by a duty of confidentiality to these young people and should not usually share information with parents unless the patient agrees.

You should be aware that we are also subject to these same obligations of confidentiality. Consequently, we will not be held liable if we are required to comply with these obligations as directed by the patient.

A child under 16 can give consent to medical treatment, provided the treating doctor determines they have sufficient maturity to fully understand the nature and potential consequences of the proposed procedure or treatment. If a child is too young or is otherwise not considered capable of making their own medical decisions, consent (or refusal of consent) must be given by those with parental responsibility.

10. Complaints

If you are unhappy with any aspect of our service, please contact us in writing as soon as possible at contact@abercorn.org.uk.

11. Discharged

When your treatment is complete, your clinician will discuss discharge with you. If discharge is agreed upon, the clinician will process your discharge from their individual caseload and from the clinic. If you are seeing more than one clinician, you will remain a client of the clinic and open to any other clinicians until you are discharged from all of them.

If discharge is not formally agreed with your clinician (e.g., if you miss a follow-up appointment or request that your case remain open for potential future appointments), your case will be kept open for a six-month period. This allows you time to request a further appointment. If we do not receive a request from you to book another appointment within this six-month period, you will be discharged from the clinic.

Medication and Shared Care

If you have been prescribed medication, and have not been seen for six months, a letter will be sent to your GP informing them of your discharge from the clinic. Similarly, if you have a shared care agreement with your GP and have not been seen for six months, you will be discharged from the clinic, and your GP will be informed.

Returning After Discharge

  • Within six months: If you have been discharged and wish to return within six months of your last appointment, this can be arranged by contacting your clinician.
  • More than six months: If you have been discharged and wish to return more than six months after your last appointment, you will need to complete a new referral form before being allocated to a clinician.