Service Agreement Policy

Changing Tides will:

• Work with the Client to provide services that meet the Client’s needs, within the reasonable scope of Speech Pathology practice
• Communicate openly and honestly in a timely manner, during business hours
• Treat the Client with courtesy and respect
• Consult with the Client (or caregiver) on decisions about how the services are provided
• Listen to the Client’s feedback and resolve problems quickly
• Protect the Client’s privacy and confidential information
• Keep clear records about the services provided to the Client
• Issue regular paid invoices once payment of a service is received
• Review the service with the Client every 3-6 months.

We charge for the following activities:

• All appointments with your therapist
• Travel time to your home, school, aged care facility and anywhere outside of the clinic. Travel fees may vary depending on traffic to the appointment – Google maps will be used to determine travel calculations.  Our travel fees follow the current NDIS guidelines and will be charged per minute at the NDIS hourly rate of $97/hr. This fee includes travel to and from the appointment. In order to minimise cost, we will try and ‘bundle’ our appointment locations together, for example, if we have more than one appointment in a particular area, then this fee will be split between families
• Appointments include both direct therapy and consultation with caregivers before/after direct therapy.
• If there is more than one therapist at an appointment, you will be charged for each therapist. We will discuss who attends appointments with you and always gain prior consent
• Working with the people in your life to make sure therapy happens in everyday situations
• Talking with you in person, by phone, text message and email
• Time spent helping you with assistive technology
• Completing assessments and reports
• Making resources that help you achieve your goals
• Time spent (e.g. phone, email, video chat) collaborating with your therapy team (e.g. Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, Teachers, Doctors) in order to work together to deliver therapy and help you achieve your goals
• Completing mandatory reports required by our professional body Speech Pathology Australia, under our duty of care. For example, an initial assessment report

• For ongoing appointments, every quarter we ask our families to commit to a full term. During this time, we allow for one cancellation only (24hr late cancellation still applies during this time). This means that fees are payable for all booked appointments during school terms whether the Client attends or not. Of course we understand that life is unpredictable and it’s not always possible to attend every appointment. That is why rescheduled appointments within a one week period are offered where time is available, but are not guaranteed. If we cannot reschedule or fill the time slot with someone else, we offer to repurpose the time by using it for administrative tasks such as progress reports, letters, resource making, or meetings including phone calls to other professionals who are involved in the team care.
• This new policy aims to ensure a sustainable business that can continue to provide services to our community. It will also guarantee the Clients allocated time is held throughout the term, and allow continuity and progress of goals.
• Outside of school terms, 100% of the appointment fee (including any travel fee) applies when the Client cancels an appointment within 24 hours of the scheduled appointment, or 50% of the fee (including any travel fee) if cancelled within 48 hours of the scheduled appointment. Note the fee is waived if the appointment is rescheduled within one week after the original appointment, or if we are able to fill the spot.
• In some circumstances where you or your child is sick but you are still happy to come to your appointment, your therapist may cancel your appointment anyway. This is to protect their well-being and others in the clinic (e.g. if you or your child has gastro and has been vomiting). In this case, you will still be charged for the appointment, if we are unable to reschedule, repurpose the time or fill the spot with someone else.
• For any cancelled appointments where the Client has chosen to repurpose the time (e.g. phone calls, administrative tasks, resource making), it is the Client’s responsibility to advise their therapist before the appointment what they would like completed during their allocated appointment time. Any administrative tasks will not be provided after this time.

Please note, cancellations must be made in writing to your therapist (via email or text).

** For appointments on Mondays, 24hr notice is considered to be on the Friday beforehand, not over the weekend. This allows us time to find someone else to fill the appointment.

Should any of the above not be adhered to, we reserve the right to withdraw our services.