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

Your agreement with us
Note for Care Managers
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
Force majeure (greater force)
Brochure and website accuracy
Staff

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. Guests funded in full via local authorities are not required to pay a deposit.

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.

We require medical information completed by your GP.The information must arrive at least three weeks before the commencement of your break, and must have been issued within the 12 months prior to the date of your break with Vitalise.A letter requesting this information will be sent to your GP 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 need to be limited to seven days.

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, as a charity, reserve the right to terminate the break of any service user who contravenes this policy.

Note for Care Managers

It is imperative that, where appropriate, Social Workers or Care Managers complete sections 23, 24 and 25 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 first call our Bookings team on 0845 345 1970.

Fully complete and return the booking form that 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 the terms and conditions on this website and in our UK and European Breaks brochure.

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 on receipt of your reminder.

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 cheque, postal order, or social services voucher. Vitalise also accepts payment by Visa, Visa Electron, Mastercard, Maestro and Solo. A 2% administration fee will be added to all bookings made by card.

Price

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

At Vitalise Netley Waterside House, for Solent and Beachcomber suites the prices quoted are per suite, 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 £101.00 per week.

As standard practice,Vitalise do not invoice service users for the cost of the nursing care component of their break, but claim 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 £101.00 per week.To follow this option guests should tick the box for question 26 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.

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

More than 28 days before departure – charge will be the deposit only
14–28 days before departure – charge will be 50% of the full break cost
0–13 days before departure – 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 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 and contact the Director of Operations at the Vitalise Office in Kendal. Find the Kendal office contact details in the Contact Us section.

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Insurance

Vitalise strongly recommends that all fully or partially self-funding guests and carers take out travel insurance which gives protection against cancellation and the majority of incidents that can spoil of affect a holiday.

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 arrangements for a break.

If we are unable to provide the booked break arrangements you can either have a refund of all monies paid or accept an offer of alternative break arrangements 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 Director of Operations 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 Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) at:

CSCI, 33 Greycoat Street, London SW1P 2QF

tel: 020 7979 2000
fax: 020 7979 2111

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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 guests’ 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 whilst at 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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Force majeure (greater force)

Vitalise shall not be liable for any failure to perform its obligations where such performance is rendered impossible by circumstances beyond its control.Nothing in this clause shall limit the obligation on Vitalise to use the charity’s best endeavours to fulfil any obligations.

Circumstances which might prevent Vitalise from fulfilling its obligations include war, riot or civil commotion, invasion, rebellion, insurrection, epidemic, acts of terrorism or contamination, radioactive or otherwise.

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Brochure and website accuracy

We have compiled the information on this website and in our Vitalise UK and European 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.

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Staff

We employ a care team of nurses and/or care assistants at each Vitalise Centre and fulfil the staffing requirements of the Commission for Social Care Inspection. In addition, we supplement the employed staff with trained volunteers who provide friendship and support for the social needs of our guests.

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