Please read these terms and conditions carefully before booking a short break with Vitalise.

Last updated December 2009

Your agreement with us

Note for Care Managers and Social Workers

Making a booking

Payment

Price

Price guarantee

Changes made by you

Cancellation made by you

Cancellation charges

Curtailment

Insurance

Changes made by us

Cancellations made by us

Complaints

Lost or damaged property

Advanced directive

Liability

Brochure and website accuracy 

Transport and trips

Direct Payments

Risk assessments

Meeting assessed needs

Bariatric guests

Your agreement with us

Your contract with us shall come into existence when we issue our confirmation invoice.This will be sent within 48 hours of the booking being processed.To make a booking, you must fully complete and sign the relevant booking form and return it to our Kendal office with a non-refundable deposit of £100 per person.
 

Information we require from you

In order to enjoy a stay at a Vitalise Centre you will need to provide us with three documents:

Booking form – In order to confirm your booking you need to supply us with a completed booking form. Incomplete booking forms will be returned.

Medical certificate – We require medical information completed by your GP. The information must be received at least three weeks prior to your break and must have been completed within the 12 months prior to your break with Vitalise. The information given must be current and it is important that your medical condition is as it was when the medical certificate was completed. A letter requesting this information will be sent to you six weeks prior to your break. Certain conditions may require you to come with an accompanying carer, rather than independently, or the extent of your stay may be limited to seven days.

Daily living care plan – In addition to a medical certificate we will require a care plan which tells us how you lead your life. We will contact you within two weeks of your break to complete this. It is important that you complete it accurately and honestly. Your care plan will be made available to everyone required to see it in order to enable us to provide the level of care you require and ensure your wishes are fully respected.

Incomplete booking forms will be returned and where information is incorrect or withheld, or where medical certificates are not available, we will be absolved of any liability and reserve the right to cancel your booking and retain any payment received.

These three documents together are essential to allow you to access our facilities and enjoy a break with Vitalise.

Please note – Vitalise reserves the right to refuse any booking.

In addition,we reserve the right to cancel or curtail any break due to inappropriate behaviour. Vitalise has a zero tolerance policy on alcohol and substance abuse.We reserve the right to terminate the break of any service user who contravenes this policy.

Note for Care Managers and Social Workers

It is imperative that, where appropriate, Social Workers or Care Managers complete questions 28 and 30 of the booking form in full, with special attention to any guest or third party contribution to be paid directly to Vitalise.

We regret that until this information is received we cannot confirm any bookings. We are able to hold bed spaces for guests whilst the financing of the break is being finalised for a limited time only.

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Making a booking

To make a provisional booking, please call our Bookings Team on 0845 345 1970.

Fully complete and return the booking form which will be sent to you. Please ensure that all contracts/paperwork are received by our Kendal office at least six weeks prior to the start of the break.

Terms and conditions agreed with local authorities supersede any other set of terms and conditions.

Payment

An invoice for the cost of the break (less any deposit paid) is issued at the time of booking. The invoice will show the date on which the full balance is due, which is six weeks prior to the start of your break. A payment reminder letter will also be sent shortly before the balance is due. Payment is requested immediately you receive your reminder letter.

If the booking is made within six weeks of the break start date, it is deemed a late booking and the contract between us comes into effect upon your confirming to us the acceptance of the arrangements and our receiving full payment. If the deposit and/or balance is not paid in time we may cancel your booking. If the balance is not paid on time, we shall retain your deposit and levy cancellation charges as detailed in the Cancellation charges section.

For your security, do not send cash through the post. Always use a secure method of payment, such as a cheque, BACS payment, postal order, or social services voucher. Vitalise also accepts payment by Visa, Visa Electron, Mastercard, Maestro and Solo. A 3% administration fee will be added to all bookings made by credit card (debit cards are not charged this fee).

Only those guests funded in full via local authorities are not required to pay a deposit.

Price

Prices shown in the Vitalise UK Breaks brochure, and on this website, for guest and carer accommodation are normally per person, per week.

At Vitalise Netley Waterside House, for Garden Studio and Garden Twin rooms, the prices quoted are per room, per week.

For Vitalise Churchtown self-catering lodges, prices quoted are per lodge, per week.

The published price includes the cost of personal care provided by care support staff but excludes the cost of nursing care at Vitalise Centres. The cost of nursing care is charged separately at the Registered Nursing Care Contribution (RNCC) rate set by the Department of Health which is currently £106.30 per week.

As standard practice,Vitalise does not invoice guests for the cost of the nursing care support of their break, but claims back the cost from the Primary Care Trust local to the Vitalise Centre. As part of this process Vitalise may have to share the service user's medical records for review by the local Primary Care Trust.

Service users who would not like their medical details shared with the Primary Care Trust for the purpose of claiming back the cost of nursing care are free to pay the additional cost of nursing care themselves. This will be charged at the RNCC rate set by the Department of Health which is currently £106.30 per week.To follow this option guests should tick the box for question 31 on the booking form.

Please note if your break is financed through an NHS continuing care package, the funding authority will be charged for the full cost of the break including the RNCC price.

Conditions and prices for nursing care may change in line with government policy.

UK Centre breaks do not include transport to and from the Centre. While arrangements can be made with the Centre to provide transport, a charge may be applicable for this service. Any early arrivals or late departures from Centres may be accommodated, but may be subject to a surcharge of £100.

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Price guarantee

Once you have paid your deposit and received your confirmation, the price of the break is guaranteed with the exception of any additional costs for the provision of registered nursing care. A letter of confirmation with full details of your booking will be sent once your deposit and booking form have been processed.

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Changes made by you

If, after your booking has been confirmed, you wish to transfer to a different break or change the name in which the booking has been made, we will do our best to make the necessary changes. Changes made within the balance due period will be treated as a cancellation of the original booking and cancellation charges will be applied as shown in the Cancellation charges section.

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Cancellation made by you

You may cancel your break at any time. Written notification from the person who signed the booking form must be received at our Kendal office. The date of cancellation will be the date of receipt of written notification to cancel (not the date of verbal notification by telephone). You will be required to pay the applicable cancellation charges as shown in the Cancellation charges section.

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Cancellation charges

The cancellation charge is the responsibility of the person who is agreeing to pay.

Cancellation charges are as follows (based on the date that written notification of the cancellation is received by us):

More than 28 days before departure – cancellation charge will be the deposit only
14–28 days before departure – cancellation charge will be 50% of the full break cost
0–13 days before departure – cancellation charge will be 100% of the full break cost

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Curtailment

Guests who choose to leave the Centre before the end of the break, or who provide incomplete information prior to the break and are therefore deemed unsuitable for the Centre on arrival, will not automatically receive a refund for any nights not spent at the Centre. Where a guest leaves the Centre because of a perceived deficiency in the care provided to them, or for another reason, they should follow the complaints procedure. Details of the complaints procedure can be found in the Complaints section.

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Insurance

IMPORTANT – TO ENSURE YOU HAVE PROTECTION AGAINST THE MAJORITY OF INCIDENTS THAT CAN SPOIL OR AFFECT A HOLIDAY ALL FULLY OR PARTIALLY SELF-FUNDING GUESTS AND CARERS SHOULD TAKE OUT TRAVEL INSURANCE.

Vitalise in partnership with Crispin Speers & Partners Limited and P J Hayman Company Limited, has arranged a travel insurance scheme for guests and carers.

For more information on this policy, or to purchase cover please call 0845 230 0631 or write to:

P J Hayman Company Limited, Stansted House, Rowlands Castle, Hampshire PO9 6DX

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Changes made by us

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of your booking, amendments will sometimes be necessary. We reserve the right to make minor changes both before and after your booking has been made. Where a major change is necessary, you will be advised in writing immediately and you will have a choice of the following options:

1. Accepting the altered arrangements for the break.
2. Accepting alternative arrangements for a break that we may be able to offer together with any difference in price, be it higher or lower.
3. Cancelling your arrangements for a break with us without charge. Provision of alternative arrangements for breaks remains at the discretion of Vitalise.

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Cancellation made by us

We reserve the right in any circumstances to cancel your break.

If we are unable to provide the booked break you can either have a refund of all monies paid or accept an offer of an alternative break of comparable standard, if available. We also reserve the right to cancel the break of any guest who persistently displays inappropriate behaviour during their stay with us. In this instance, payment for the break will be retained.

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Complaints

If you have a complaint, please take it up initially with the Centre Manager during your break. If you are not satisfied with the response, please write to the Head of Services within 28 days of your return from the break at:

Vitalise, Shap Road Industrial Estate, Shap Road, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 6NZ

You may also wish to contact the Care Quality Commission (CQC) at:

Care Quality Commission National Correspondence, Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4PA
tel: 03000 616161
email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk

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Lost or damaged property

Vitalise accepts no responsibility for loss or damage to property. All items (including equipment and clothing) should be clearly and firmly labelled with the guest's name.
 

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Advanced directive

Vitalise respects the right of people to receive the treatment and care they believe is appropriate for them. This includes the right to have their wishes respected at a time when they are not able to express them directly. At Vitalise, it is the usual policy for staff to offer and attempt emergency first aid resuscitation if this becomes necessary. Any guest who has a different preference is advised to contact the Head of Care at the Centre well in advance of their stay, when your wishes will be discussed with you sensitively. Without prior notice, should your medical condition deteriorate while in the care of our Centres, we will arrange transfer to a more suitable environment.

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Liability

We accept responsibility for ensuring that the arrangements for the break you book with us are supplied as described in promotional material and that the services offered reach a reasonable standard. We are not liable for acts/omissions or third party interference on a client’s behalf.

It is a condition of the acceptance of liability that you notify us of any claim in accordance with the conditions relating to complaints. Where any payment is made to you or any members of your party, that person must assign to ourselves, or our insurers, any rights they may have to pursue any third party.

Furthermore, they must agree to fully co-operate should our insurers, or we, wish to enforce those rights.

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Brochure and website accuracy

We have compiled the information on this website and in our Vitalise UK Breaks brochure and other promotional material as accurately as possible at the time of going to print. However, we would ask you to appreciate that a brochure is prepared well in advance of the commencement of the programme.There may be occasions when an amendment to the details of a break must be made. If the amendment is considered to be of a severe enough nature you will be given the opportunity to cancel your break with a full refund, or to amend to an alternative break subject to availability.

Please note that activities such as swimming and other entertainment are subject to suitable staff being available to organise and supervise activities.

At Vitalise Sandpipers, Vitalise Skylarks, Vitalise Netley Waterside House and Vitalise Jubilee Lodge we employ a care team of nurses and/or care assistants and fulfil the staffing requirements of the Care Quality Commission (CQC). In addition, we supplement the employed staff with trained volunteers who provide companionship and support for the social needs of our guests.

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Transport and trips

When travelling to and from the Centre, please ensure that you travel in safety and wear a correctly fitted seatbelt when appropriate.

Passengers are required to wear a passenger restraint when being transported in Vitalise vehicles. The restraint must be used in the correct manner (as per manufacturer’s directions) and refusal to wear it this way will lead to service users being refused transport. Vitalise also recommends that guests have headrests fitted to their wheelchairs in order to improve comfort and safety when travelling on Vitalise vehicles.

Although we aim to provide excursions and entertainment on five days per week, the provision of these is subject to the availability of drivers, vehicles and Centre Staff and can be subject to cancellation at short notice.

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Direct Payments

Vitalise welcomes guests paying for their breaks using Direct Payments funded by local authorities. However, when making a booking you need to let us know the name of the authority which provides your Direct Payment funding. Please note that when paying by Direct
Payments normal payment terms apply.This means that you must pay a deposit of £100 to secure your break and then pay the balance before your departure.

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Risk assessments

In order to ensure that Vitalise can give you appropriate care while you enjoy your break,we will need to carry out a number of risk assessments with you prior to and on arrival for your break. These may cover everyday activities that you would normally carry out at home, but also items specific to Vitalise Centres. For guests who have problems with tissue viability, you will also be asked by our nurses about any pressure sores or other lesions on your body and your permission will be asked to photograph these as a clinical record. Should you refuse any of these assessments, you will be asked to sign a disclaimer to absolve Vitalise of responsibility for these aspects of your care.

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Meeting assessed needs

Vitalise confirms that, subject to the information provided by you regarding your care needs being full, accurate and up-to-date, we are able to meet your assessed needs and provide you with the service described in our brochure and on our website. Please note, that the photographs and descriptions given are intended as an illustration of the nature of the service provided. They are not necessarily a precise portrayal of the actual service although we always try to meet and, if possible, to exceed the reasonable expectations of our guests.

It is of vital importance that you inform us of changes in your condition, health and care requirements prior to the start of your break with us, failure to do so may result in us being unable to provide you with the care you require and/or your break being cancelled by us. We will therefore contact you at least two weeks prior to the start date of your break to complete an up-to-date care plan. On your arrival or as soon as possible after, we will interview you and/or your carer and carry out risk assessments as necessary to check the accuracy of the information we have received, but please bear in mind that this interview cannot replace the necessity of you providing us with full written documentation in advance. Cancellation and curtailment rights still apply.

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Bariatric guests

Vitalise makes every effort to cater for the needs of bariatric guests, and specialist beds and hoists are normally available in Centres to provide for your care needs. However, these are subject to availability. Please also note that in addition guest’s enjoyment of trips and excursions can be affected through limited access to vehicles.

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