The Hive Wellness Platform Terms
These Platform Terms are the standard terms applicable to the services provided through Hive Wellness, our online therapy/therapist matching service platform found at www.hive-wellness.co.uk (referred to as the Platform). The Platform is operated by Hive Wellness Limited, with a business address at 167-169 Great Portland Street, 5th Floor, Fitzrovia, London, W1W 5PF (referred to as "we", "us", or "our").
Please read these Platform Terms carefully and sign at the end to indicate your acknowledgement and acceptance. If you have any questions on any part of this document, please do not hesitate to ask before signing.
Professional Information:
• Dr Holly Milmine and all therapists matched via our Platform are appropriately qualified and registered with, or hold relevant professional membership of a recognised UK regulatory or professional body, as applicable to their profession. These may include the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), and British Psychological Society (BPS). Clinical and counselling psychologists are required to be registered with the HCPC in order to use these protected professional titles. Counsellors and psychotherapists are not currently subject to statutory regulation in the same way; however, Hive Wellness requires practitioners to hold appropriate registration or professional membership relevant to their profession and to meet Hive Wellness's professional, ethical and clinical standards. In order to maintain their practising registration, all clinical psychologists, psychotherapists and counsellors must continue to demonstrate compliance with a range of minimum standards of conduct, performance and ethics.
• All of our clinical psychologists are also chartered by the British Psychological Society and abide by their code of Ethics and Conduct, while our psychotherapists and counsellors adhere to the BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions.
• All our associates are highly qualified professionals and bear full clinical responsibility for the therapy they provide. By engaging with our services, you acknowledge and consent that your care will be administered by these qualified associate therapists. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding this, please do not hesitate to reach out to us for further clarification.
Therapist Matching:
• Our Platform provides a personalised therapist matching service designed to connect you with the most suitable therapist based on your unique needs. Upon completing our online questionnaire, which gathers essential information about your preferences and therapeutic requirements, we will match you with an appropriate therapist from our network of qualified associate clinical psychologists, psychotherapists and counsellors.
• All therapists will undergo a thorough vetting process before joining the Platform and being matched with clients, ensuring they meet our high standards of professionalism and expertise.
• The matching process is based on the information you provide in the online questionnaire or over the phone if you wish to have a call to initiate the matching process.
• You must provide complete and accurate information during the intake process and throughout your engagement with our services. This ensures that we can match you with the most suitable therapist and deliver effective and appropriate care.
• Please note that the effectiveness of therapy can be influenced by various factors, including personal compatibility with the therapist and the therapeutic approach used. If you feel that the matched therapist does not suit your needs (for any reason), we encourage you to reach out so we can assist in finding a more suitable therapist.
• This matching process is part of our dedication to providing a supportive and effective therapeutic experience, ensuring you receive care that aligns with your personal and psychological goals. If you have any questions about the matching process, please do not hesitate to contact us.
• You or your therapist may choose to stop the therapy services at any time. If you decide to discontinue, please inform us as soon as possible. Similarly, therapists reserve the right to terminate services based on clinical judgment or other valid reasons. Any advance payments for sessions not yet provided will be refunded.
• If a therapist you are working with decides to stop using the Platform, we will notify you via email, providing you with the opportunity to select a new therapist.
Therapist Independence:
• Our role is to facilitate the connection between you and a qualified therapist, but we do not assume responsibility for the therapeutic relationship or outcomes.
• The therapists available through our Platform are independent therapists with their own practices. They are not our employees, agents or representatives. Our Platform's role is strictly limited to (i) provide access to these independent therapist services; (ii) facilitate the payment process for these therapy services; and (iii) to handle the administrative tasks related to the therapy services provided.
• Hive Wellness itself does not provide therapy services and is not a healthcare entity.
• As such, Hive Wellness does not exercise control over the clinical methods, treatment decisions, or professional judgment of the therapists. Each therapist is solely responsible for their professional conduct and the services they provide and will be solely clinically responsible for the therapy they provide to you.
Booking Therapy Sessions:
• All appointments for sessions with our therapists can be made, cancelled, and rescheduled through the client portal on our Platform. This convenient system allows you to manage your schedule efficiently and access up-to-date availability for our therapists.
• You select an appointment that has been made available by the therapist you are matched with, and you pay for that specific appointment as part of the booking process. Details regarding session timings, duration, fees and login details will be provided to you once a booking has been made via the Platform. Where an appointment is more than 5 days in advance, you may “reserve” it; however, payment must be received at least 2 days before the appointment, failing which the appointment will be cancelled. We will send you reminders in the run up to the appointment to make the payment.
• Ideally, you will complete the questionnaire and make your bookings yourself through our website. If you experience any barriers to doing so, you can email us and our admin team can support you through the process, including making a booking on your behalf and sending you an offline payment link.
• If you anticipate being late for one of your sessions, please inform your therapist, through the Platform messaging service (which can be found in the client portal), as soon as possible. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late to a virtual appointment, your selected therapist will attempt to accommodate your session. However, if they are unable to do so, the appointment may be treated as a cancellation without notice, and you may be charged accordingly (see Cancellations section for details).
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality and security of your login credentials for accessing our Platform. You must not share your username, password, or any other access information with anyone. If you suspect that your login credentials have been compromised, you must notify us immediately so that appropriate measures can be taken to secure your account.
• Failure to keep your login credentials confidential may lead to unauthorised access to your personal information and therapy sessions, for which we cannot be held liable.
Platform Messaging:
• Hive Wellness provides a secure messaging function to help therapists and clients communicate about appointments and therapy-related administration. Messages are treated as confidential and are not routinely monitored or read.
• However, you acknowledge and agree that messages are not wholly private between the therapist and client. Notwithstanding the Confidentiality section of these Terms, a limited number of authorised Hive Wellness personnel may, on an exceptional and controlled basis, access, review or retrieve platform messages only where reasonably necessary to:
(a) support the safe and effective operation of the platform and provide technical support;
(b) investigate safeguarding concerns or risks of harm to any person;
(c) respond to complaints, disputes or concerns raised by clients or therapists;
(d) monitor compliance with these Terms, professional standards and applicable law; and
(e) comply with legal, regulatory or law enforcement obligations.
• Access is restricted to authorised personnel, is logged, and is carried out in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable data protection law. The messaging function must not be used for urgent or crisis matters; if you or someone else is at risk of harm, contact the emergency services on 999, NHS 111, or the Samaritans on 116 123.
Cancellations:
• Cancellation charges are necessary to compensate for the reserved time and resources allocated by our therapists, ensuring the sustainability of our services and allowing us to offer appointments to other clients in need.
• If you cancel a session with less than 24 hours' notice, you will be charged 100% of the session fee.
• If cancellation is made between 24 and 48 hours before the scheduled session, 50% of the session fee will be charged and the remaining 50% will be refunded to you. Any refund will be paid back to you and will not be applied as a credit against future sessions.
• Cancellations made more than 48 hours in advance will not incur any charge, and you will receive a full refund. Any refund will be paid back to you and will not be applied as a credit against future sessions.
• On rare occasions, a therapist may need to cancel a session due to unforeseen circumstances. In such cases, we will work with you to reschedule the session for a mutually convenient time. If you prefer not to reschedule, any fees paid for that session will be refunded to you and will not be applied as a credit against future sessions.
Online Sessions:
• Sessions with your therapist are provided within the Hive Wellness platform.
• When attending an online session your personal and special category data will be treated in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
• Ahead of your online session, you should plan where in your location you will sit for the meeting. It is important that the connection to the internet is as strong as possible.
• It is important that you ensure the space is private and that you cannot be interrupted or overheard. You are strongly encouraged to make any necessary arrangements with anyone you may normally share the location with to ensure that your protected space can be achieved.
• Wearing earphones attached to your mobile, laptop or tablet device is helpful in blocking out “feedback” noise and ensuring extra privacy.
Recording of sessions:
• To maintain our high-level professional accreditations, our therapists may be required to audio or video record some therapy sessions to be discussed within clinical supervision. Any such recording is carried out by the therapist outside the Platform, as the Platform itself does not record sessions. It is important to note that there is no expectation or requirement for you to agree to this, but please let your therapist know if you would feel happy for your session to be recorded for this purpose.
• You must not record the session without discussing and agreeing this with your therapist first. It is not permitted, under any circumstances, that any agreed recording is shared with others or on any social media platform.
• Where sessions have been recorded, clients are not permitted to share, broadcast, distribute or make available online the recordings without our written consent. If you would like to share the recording with someone (e.g. a family member, partner) please discuss this with us.
Fees & Payment:
• Therapy session pricing varies based on the type of practitioner, such as counsellors, psychologists, or specialists. Prices will be shown to you during the booking process, so you are fully aware of the price before you book. If the pricing does not meet your expectations, we can offer alternative options to ensure you receive the care you need at a suitable price point.
• You have the flexibility to choose between two payment options for your therapy sessions, which you can select during the booking process. Payment is taken at the time of booking, and where an appointment is more than 5 days in advance you may reserve it and pay at least 2 days before the appointment (as set out in the Booking Therapy Sessions section above). Bookings, whether paid or reserved, can be made up to 6 weeks in advance. Your payment options are:
• Pay-As-You-Go: Payments can be made on a per-session basis, with each session fee payable upfront before the appointment.
• Advance Payment Option: There may be times when Hive Wellness offers block bookings of therapy sessions, which may offer additional convenience and potential cost savings. We may also, from time to time, provide vouchers for discounted sessions (up to 100% discount).
• Payment for sessions will be taken on the Platform at the time of booking. You can make payments using a debit or credit card, and all transactions will be securely processed through Stripe.
• All prices of Services shown in the price list are exclusive of VAT (which is not chargeable unless we notify you otherwise).
Platform Suspension:
• From time to time, the Platform may be temporarily suspended to perform maintenance, updates, or other technical improvements.
• We will make reasonable efforts to notify you in advance of any planned downtime.
• We appreciate your understanding and patience during these periods, as they are essential to ensure the continued quality and functionality of our services.
Access to Additional Resources:
• At Hive Wellness, we are committed to supporting your wellbeing beyond therapy. As part of our service, you will have access to a variety of helpful tools and materials through our Platform, including:
• The Hive Hub: Practical resources and helpful articles to guide you on your wellbeing journey.
• Emergency Contacts: Information on urgent support services available if needed.
• Monthly Newsletters: Engaging sessions covering topics such as anxiety, burnout, self-care, and more.
• These resources are designed to complement your therapy sessions and equip you with the knowledge and skills to enhance your overall mental health and wellbeing.
Materials provided by us and our therapists:
• The Hive Wellness name and logos are proprietary branding and intellectual property of Hive Wellness. They are protected by applicable intellectual property laws and may not be used, reproduced, or distributed without our prior written permission.
• All materials, content, and resources provided through our Platform or during therapy sessions, including but not limited to information materials, session content, videos, articles, and any other related information, are the intellectual property of Hive Wellness or our therapists.
• You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to access and use these materials for personal, non-commercial purposes only. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, modify, create variations from, publicly display, or exploit any of the materials provided through the Platform without our prior written consent.
• Unauthorised use of our name, logos, branding or any of the other materials available on our website or provided during a therapy session may result in termination of your access to the Platform.
• Should you have any questions about the use of content provided through our Platform, or the therapy services, please contact us for clarification.
Confidentiality:
• The information discussed in sessions with our therapists are of a confidential nature. We provide a safe place in which you can share your feelings and thoughts with your selected therapist.
• We will ensure that any confidential information you disclose to us and our therapists shall not be disclosed to any person except as permitted in this section.
• We may disclose confidential information relating to you (i) to our employees, advisers, other healthcare professionals or social agencies who need to know such information for the purposes of carrying out our services to you; (ii) any of our third-party IT service providers who help manage the functionality of the Platform (who are all GDPR compliant); (iii) as may be required by law, a court of competent jurisdiction or any governmental or regulatory authority; and/or (iv) if we believe that you are at risk of harming yourself or others, in which case we are entitled to report this to the relevant organisation. Where possible any breach of confidentiality related to risk of harm will be discussed with you first.
• We shall not use your confidential information for any purpose other than to perform our obligations under these Platform Terms.
• We shall ensure that any person to whom we disclose your confidential information to in this section also comply with these confidentiality obligations and the UK data protection laws.
• It is a requirement for all clinical psychologists, psychotherapists and counsellors to have regular clinical supervision sessions in which they discuss their work in a safe and confidential space with an equally or more experienced colleague. All work that is discussed in these sessions is completely anonymised. Supervisors are bound by the same professional and ethical regulations as our practitioners and do not discuss clinical material outside of the supervisory context.
How We Use Your Personal Information (Data Protection)
• We will only use your personal and health information as set out in our Privacy Policy on our website at https://hive-wellness.co.uk/privacy-policy. If you do not have access to the internet, we can provide you with a printed version of our Privacy Policy.
• We are registered as Data Controllers with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as required by the Data Protection (Charges and Information) Regulations 2018.
• Therapy notes will be stored exclusively on the secure therapist portal within the Platform. This storage is managed in a GDPR-compliant manner, ensuring the confidentiality and protection of your personal information.
Limitation of Liability:
• Hive Wellness provides a platform to connect clients with qualified therapists but does not assume clinical responsibility for the therapy services provided. Each therapist is an independent professional who maintains full clinical responsibility for the therapy they deliver. Clients should address any clinical concerns directly with their assigned therapist.
• Nothing in these Platform Terms shall exclude or limit our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability which cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.
• However, Hive Wellness shall not be liable for any indirect, special, or consequential losses. Our total liability for any direct losses arising from or in connection with our services will be limited to the total fees you have paid to us for the services.
• Furthermore, if you are a “consumer” as defined by the Consumer Rights Act 2015, or a consumer for the purposes of any other consumer protection legislation, nothing in these Platform Terms is intended to or will exclude, limit, prejudice, or otherwise affect any of our duties or obligations to you, or your rights or remedies, or our liability to you, under the Consumer Rights Act 2015; the Consumer Contracts (Information and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013; the Consumer Protection Act 1987; and any other consumer protection legislation.
Disclaimers:
• Therapy services provided through the Platform may not suit everyone's needs or every particular situation.
• The Practice does not recommend or make any representation about the efficacy, appropriateness or suitability of any treatments, services or opinions. We cannot guarantee any outcome nor promise to provide a diagnosis.
• These services are not a substitute for certain mental health needs that require in-person therapy or for emergency situations.
• If you require urgent help between sessions then please contact your GP, use the NHS 111 service for advice, phone 999 or attend A&E. You can also contact the Samaritans’ anonymous helpline on 116 123.
• If you are thinking about suicide, considering self-harm, or feel someone else is in danger, immediately call your local emergency services and notify the relevant authorities. The Platform is not designed for use in these crisis situations, and therapists cannot provide the necessary assistance.
• The Platform is not intended for clinical assessments/diagnoses that require in-person evaluations, nor can our therapists provide guidance on drugs or medical treatments.
• Always seek in-person care from your doctor or another qualified professional for medical advice or treatment, regardless of information received through the Platform.
Changes to these Platform Terms:
• We may from time to time change these Platform Terms without giving you notice, but we will use our reasonable endeavours to inform you as soon as is reasonably possible of any such change.
Complaints:
• We are committed to providing as helpful and compassionate a service as possible to meet the needs of all our clients.
• We always welcome feedback from our clients and, whilst we shall use all reasonable endeavours to provide a high standard of matching service and care from our therapists to all clients, we nevertheless want to hear from you if you have any cause for complaint.
• If you have any complaint about our services or any other complaint about us, please raise the matter with Dr Holly Milmine who can be contacted via email at admin@hive-wellness.co.uk.
• If this is not possible, or should you feel you would like to take the matter further, you can contact the applicable regulatory body using the links below:
The British Psychological Society: www.bps.org.uk/submitting-complaint
The Health and Care Professions Council: www.hcpc-uk.org/concerns/raising-concerns/
The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy: www.bacp.co.uk/about-us/protecting-the-public/professional-conduct/how-to-complain-about-a-bacp-member/
Governing Law:
• These Platform Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales, and any disputes will be subject to the jurisdiction of the English courts.
Consents:
Under UK data protection laws, we are required to obtain specific consents for the various uses and sharing of your health data to ensure compliance and protect your privacy. We appreciate your time and effort in reading through the information and ticking the boxes to provide your consent, which helps us ensure compliance with UK data protection laws and to safeguard your privacy.
By ticking below, you explicitly consent to the following:
By ticking this box, you agree that we can collect, process, and store your health information to provide you with our services. We handle your data carefully, following our privacy policy.
By ticking this box, you agree that we can occasionally send your health information outside of the UK, for the purpose of using our third-party IT and software providers (who help run our Platform). This will always be done safely and in line with UK data protection laws, as outlined in our Privacy Policy.