Policies & Procedures

(Updated December 1st, 2024)

Our goal is to provide high quality Speech Pathology services. In order to do so, Lindfield Speech Pathology has a cancellation policy in place. The policy enables us to better utilise available appointments for our clients.

This cancellation policy reflects the time that the speech therapist sets aside for your appointment.

Appointments

You will receive an email confirmation for an initial appointment which will include links to a questionnaire and our policies. Please complete these forms prior to your appointment. You will receive a text confirmation 2 days prior to each session. We require that you confirm appointments in response to our reminders in a timely manner.

Regular clients are prioritised to keep the same weekly appointment timeslot, on a term by term basis. Once this time is scheduled you commit to attendance for the term.

Cancellations

Lindfield Speech Pathology acknowledges that at times appointments need to be cancelled. If your child is unable to attend their appointment, please let us know as soon as possible. Our therapists have put a significant amount of time into planning for scheduled assessments and therapy sessions. When you agree to therapy for your child you are committing to attending either weekly or fortnightly sessions and therefore your child’s spot has been exclusively reserved.

We appreciate that unforeseen life events and illnesses do occur from time to time. However, consistency of attendance is essential to the success of your child’s therapy.

Failure to attend a scheduled appointment (with no notice or less than 48 hours’ notice) will be charged at 100% of the session fee. Should you wish to terminate your child’s therapy we will require 14 days’ notice via email notification or by phoning reception.

1. In the event of a cancellation, the clinic requires at least 48 hours’ notice.
2. Consistent attendance: If you cancel more than 1 session in a term any subsequent cancellations will be charged at 100% of the session fee to hold your child’s place for the rest of the term, regardless of illness, misadventure, or planned absence due to school excursions or clashes.

How we can utilise the time if you do cancel last minute

We understand last minute cancellations can happen, so talk to your therapist about how you’d like them to utilise the time if this does occur. There are many ideas and options, for example:

• Emailing homework for when your child is feeling better.
• Creating of visual resources such as social stories, schedules, guides
• Phone support session with the parents/caregivers for goal planning.
• Research on a topic you’ve discussed, toys, equipment, or resources.
• Reviewing data, progress and goals

Please note: In some circumstances we may be able to offer a Zoom session. Please check with your therapist or the Practice Manager to see if this is an option. We require at least 2 hours’ notice for preparation of Zoom sessions.

How to cancel your appointment

To cancel your appointment, simply contact us using any of the below methods:

• Text: Reply to your most recent appointment confirmation text
• Phone: 02 8467 4800 (If we do not answer, please leave a voicemail)
• Email: reception@lindfieldspeech.com.au

Lindfield Speech Pathology & Learning Centre (LSP) needs to collect information about you/your child to provide a quality service to you/your child to thoroughly assess, diagnose and provide therapy, This information will also be used for:

• Billing, either directly or through an insurer or compensation agency;
• Use within the practice if passing your case to another speech pathologist within the practice for your/your child’s ongoing management.

Please note LSP will not share information with your child’s doctors, other health professionals or teachers without your consent.

Information at LSP is stored securely using the cloud-based private practice management software, Power Diary (ISO 27001 certified), and only practice staff have access to it.

If you have a complaint, compliment or suggestion about any aspect of our services we are keen to hear from you.

Our commitment to you

We will deal with your issue thoroughly and fairly.
We have a clear process for resolving problems and suggest you contact us as early as possible.

We value your feedback

We are constantly improving the way we work, so let us know if you have any suggestions.
We’d also like to know if you think we’re doing something well. It helps us to make sure we continue to do our best work. We’ll make sure your message is passed on.

Our process

We encourage you to contact us to talk about your concerns, as most problems can be solved by talking to the office staff, your speech pathologist or the clinic director. They know your circumstances and are best placed to help you. Also, it’s best if you let them know about your concerns as early as possible.

What can a complaint be about?

• any aspect of the services we provide
• the behaviour or decisions of staff
• practices, policies or procedures

How to make a complaint

It is best to discuss your concerns with your speech pathologist first. Make an appropriate time to meet with them in person or over the phone.

If you are not happy with the result, or if you do not feel it is appropriate to talk to them, phone and make an appointment to discuss your concerns with the practice manager or clinic director.

If your complaint cannot be resolved in an informal way, we may ask you to put it in writing. It is important that you include specific details of the situation and tell us what you would like to happen.

Will my complaint be confidential?

The person dealing with your complaint will advise you if confidentiality applies to your case, but generally it can’t be guaranteed. If your complaint is about another person they have a right to know the allegations and be given a chance to respond.

Can I make an anonymous complaint?

Yes, you can make your complaint anonymously. However, it may be difficult to resolve an anonymous complaint if you do not provide your contact details and if further information is required.

What you can expect

How your complaint is managed depends on what it is about. Most complaints can be resolved quickly and informally to everybody’s satisfaction simply by talking to the practice manager.