Terms of Service for Insta-Care

Version 1.1 | 2025-03-07

1. Introduction

1.1 Purpose of Agreement

These Terms of Service govern your use of Insta-Care’s online consultation booking services. They outline the rights and responsibilities of Insta-Care, healthcare providers, and patients.

1.2 Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using our services, you confirm your agreement to these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, you must refrain from using our services.

1.3 Updates to Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The latest version will always be available on our website. Continued use of the platform constitutes acceptance of any changes.

2. Compliance and Verification

2.1 Compliance with Laws

Insta-Care complies with all applicable UK laws, including but not limited to the General Medical Council (GMC), General Dental Council (GDC), and Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) regulations, as well as private healthcare regulations applicable in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. However, healthcare regulations and professional standards may vary across jurisdictions, and healthcare providers must ensure they meet any additional requirements in their respective regions.

2.2 Healthcare-Specific Data Compliance

• Insta-Care conducts provisional background checks and verification for all healthcare facilities and healthcare providers.
• Healthcare providers must provide valid credentials to ensure medical compliance.

2.3 Medical License Background Checks

• GMC, GDC, and HCPC Reference Number verification.
• Identity verification.
• Board certification checks.
• Disciplinary records checks.

2.4 Medical Advisory and Risk Management

Insta-Care implements strict risk management protocols, ensuring all healthcare providers meet required standards for authorisation, verification, and compliance.

3. Booking, Rescheduling, and Cancellation

3.1 Patient Responsibilities

Patients are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of their booking details and attending appointments on time.

3.2 Healthcare Provider Responsibilities

Healthcare providers are required to be available at the agreed appointment time and provide the booked services.

3.3 Rescheduling and Cancellation Policies

3.3.1 Patient Rescheduling

• Patients must reschedule or cancel appointments at least 24 hours before the scheduled time.
• Failure to reschedule or cancel within this timeframe will result in no refund.

3.3.2 Healthcare Provider Rescheduling

• Healthcare providers must reschedule appointments at least 72 hours prior to the scheduled time.
• If a suitable alternative time cannot be agreed upon, the patient will receive a full refund.

3.3.3 Missed Appointments

• If a patient misses an appointment without prior rescheduling, no refund will be issued.
• If a healthcare provider misses an appointment, the patient will receive a full refund, and the healthcare provider will still be charged the £30 booking fee as a cancellation penalty.

4. Fees and Payments

4.1 Payment Processing

Payments for consultations are processed through Stripe or PayPal, secure and reputable third-party payment processors. Insta-Care does not store or have access to your payment details, including your credit card or banking information. For more information on how Stripe and PayPal process payments, please refer to their respective privacy policies below.

Stripe

Stripe processes payments made on our platform. For more information on how Stripe handles your data, including how they collect, store, and protect your payment information, please refer to their Privacy Policy:

• Stripe Privacy Policy

PayPal

If you choose to pay via PayPal, PayPal will process your payment. For more information on how PayPal handles your data, including how they collect, store, and protect your payment information, please refer to their Privacy Policy:

• PayPal Privacy Policy

4.2 Refund Processing

Refunds for consultations are only issued in cases where an appointment cannot be rescheduled by either party or where the service was not provided as agreed (e.g., due to technical failure). If a refund is applicable, it will be processed through the same payment method used for the original transaction, subject to the limitations of the payment provider.

For transactions made through Stripe, refunds will be issued directly to the original payment method. However, for PayPal transactions, as Insta-Care does not collect patient payment details, refunds must be processed manually by the healthcare provider. This may require the patient to provide their PayPal email or bank details for a direct transfer, and transaction fees may apply.

Refunds will not be issued for missed appointments or cancellations made less than 24 hours before the appointment time, unless otherwise stated in exceptional circumstances.

4.3 Healthcare Provider Fees

Healthcare providers agree to pay a £30 booking fee per appointment. This fee is non-refundable in cases of healthcare provider non-attendance or cancellations that do not comply with these Terms.

5. Pricing Parity

5.1 Guarantee of Equal Pricing

Healthcare providers are required to ensure that the prices for consultations and treatments listed on Insta-Care’s platform are identical to the prices that would be charged if the patient were to book directly with the healthcare provider in person. This clause aims to maintain transparency and trust in the pricing of medical services offered through Insta-Care.

5.2 Compliance with Pricing Parity

By agreeing to these Terms of Service, healthcare providers understand that failure to comply with this pricing parity clause will result in a fine equal to the total amount overcharged. The overcharged amount will be refunded to each affected patient. Additional penalties may include removal of the healthcare provider’s profile from Insta-Care’s platform, suspension of booking privileges, and other legal actions as deemed necessary by Insta-Care.

6. Dispute Resolution and Liability

6.1 Dispute Resolution

Insta-Care encourages patients and healthcare providers to resolve disputes amicably. If a resolution cannot be reached, Insta-Care’s support team will mediate to the best of its ability.

6.2 Limitation of Liability

• Insta-Care acts as a booking intermediary and is not liable for the quality of services provided by healthcare providers.
• Insta-Care’s liability is limited to the fees paid for the specific booking in question.

7. General Provisions

7.1 Governing Law

These Terms of Service are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. If you are accessing our services from Scotland or Northern Ireland, additional legal or regulatory requirements may apply based on local healthcare laws. While Insta-Care ensures compliance with UK-wide regulations, healthcare providers and patients are responsible for understanding and adhering to any region-specific obligations.

7.2 Entire Agreement

These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and Insta-Care regarding the use of our services.

7.3 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

Reasoning Behind the Policies

The following explanations outline the reasoning behind our booking, rescheduling, and refund policies for healthcare providers. These rules ensure fairness, transparency, and operational efficiency for both the healthcare providers and the patients, while maintaining professional standards.

1. 24-Hour Rescheduling for Patients

The 24-hour rescheduling rule for patients is designed to:

• Give adequate notice for healthcare providers: Healthcare providers need time to prepare for consultations. A 24-hour window allows enough time to adjust schedules or make alternative plans.
• Minimize disruption: Cancelling at the last minute may result in unfilled appointment slots. A 24-hour notice helps ensure that healthcare providers can potentially offer the slot to another patient.
• Promote responsibility: This rule encourages patients to be responsible and respectful of healthcare providers’ time, ensuring better management of the appointment schedule.

2. 72-Hour Rescheduling for Healthcare Providers

The 72-hour notice requirement for healthcare providers is designed to:

• Allow patients to reschedule: Healthcare providers often have busy schedules, and a 72-hour notice provides sufficient time to ensure a smooth rescheduling process for patients.
• Ensure professional courtesy: The longer notice period gives patients the chance to reschedule with minimal inconvenience, thus ensuring a fair experience for all parties.
• Manage healthcare provider’s time effectively: Since healthcare providers manage multiple patients, a 72-hour notice period allows them to reorganize their schedule effectively and ensures proper resource allocation.

3. No Refund for Missed Appointments or Last-Minute Cancellations (Within 24 Hours)

The decision to not issue refunds for missed appointments or cancellations within 24 hours serves to:

• Encourage commitment: Patients are motivated to honor their appointments or notify the platform in advance if they cannot attend, ensuring accountability.
• Prevent system abuse: Without this rule, patients could cancel at the last minute repeatedly without facing consequences, which would disrupt healthcare providers’ schedules.
• Operational efficiency: Last-minute cancellations or missed appointments create difficulties in filling the appointment slot, resulting in lost opportunities for both the healthcare provider and the patient.

4. Same-Day Appointments and No Refund for Missed Same-Day Appointments

The no-refund policy for missed same-day appointments is meant to:

• Ensure commitment for last-minute bookings: Same-day appointments require quick adjustments from healthcare providers. If a patient misses the appointment, the healthcare provider cannot easily find another patient to fill the slot.
• Prevent disruption: This policy ensures that patients do not take advantage of the last-minute availability without fully committing to attending the appointment.

5. Refunds Issued Only if Rescheduling Cannot Be Arranged or Service Was Not Provided as Agreed

This policy ensures that:

• Refunds are fair and reasonable: Refunds are issued when services are not delivered as agreed or rescheduling is not possible, ensuring fairness to patients while maintaining provider compensation.
• Financial protection for both parties: This policy ensures that patients are not left without recourse when services are not delivered and that healthcare providers are compensated for their time and effort.

6. Reasoning Behind Pricing Parity

The Pricing Parity policy is essential for maintaining transparency, fairness, and trust between healthcare providers and patients using Insta-Care’s platform. The rationale behind this rule is as follows:

• Fairness and Consistency: By ensuring that prices listed on Insta-Care are identical to those charged directly by healthcare providers, patients can be confident that they are receiving the same rate as they would if they booked directly with the healthcare provider in person. This helps avoid confusion or frustration over pricing discrepancies and fosters trust in the platform.


• Transparency: This rule ensures clear, upfront pricing for patients, preventing hidden fees or surcharges. With consistent pricing across all booking channels, patients are empowered to make informed decisions without worrying about unexpected costs when using Insta-Care.


• Preventing Market Manipulation: The policy prevents healthcare providers from listing artificially low prices on Insta-Care and charging higher prices for direct bookings. It ensures a fair and competitive marketplace where all pricing is transparent and equal across different channels.


• Maintaining Trust: Pricing transparency is fundamental to building and maintaining trust with users. When patients see that the prices offered on the platform are consistent with the healthcare provider's in-person pricing, it reinforces the platform’s commitment to fairness and integrity.


• Accommodating Variable Treatment Costs: While pricing parity ensures consistency in base pricing, we acknowledge that certain treatments or procedures may have variable costs based on complexity. For example, the cost of a dental procedure like a tooth extraction may vary depending on the number of teeth being treated or the complexity of the procedure. Healthcare providers must ensure that any variation in cost due to complexity is clearly communicated to patients before the booking is confirmed, and it should reflect the same variable cost structure across both the platform and in-person pricing. This ensures that patients are fully aware of any potential price changes based on their individual treatment needs, maintaining fairness and clarity for both parties.


• Encouraging Fair Business Practices: This policy discourages predatory pricing practices and supports ethical business practices within the healthcare industry. Healthcare providers are encouraged to be transparent and consistent in their pricing to avoid overcharging or unfairly taking advantage of platform users. Pricing flexibility due to treatment complexity should be clearly explained and structured in a way that is understandable for patients, preventing hidden or unexpected charges at any point in the process.

Contact Us

For questions regarding these Terms, contact Insta-Care at info@insta-care.co.uk.