Definitions
| “you” or “your” | Patient, patient representative or organisation who make the request |
| “us”, “we” or “our” | Ambulance International Scarborough Ltd |
| “Quote” | The email send to you containing the total price of transport, based on the information send to us regarding your transport needs |
| “Agreed price” | the price set out in the Quote |
| “Interest” | An annual rate of 4% above the original invoice, accruing on a daily basis until payment is made |
| “Additional Charges” | Any amounts set out in the Invoice, in addition to the Agreed Price, payable by you in exchange for services or equipment which are not included in the Quote |
| “Invoice” | The bill that will be issued to you after once your acceptance of Quote |
| “Risk Assessment” | A written copy of identified hazards/risks that have the potential to cause harm, and the controls in place to eliminate the hazard/risk |
| “in writting” or “written” | this includes emails |
| PTS | Ambulance patient transport service |
Booking Request
After you have completted a request of booking using our online booking form or by completing and sending us the booking form send via email, we will send you a quotation (the “Quote”).
Booking Agreement
a) Accepting your booking
If we accepting your booking, we send you a booking confirmation email. Confirmation of booking for all AIS services must be in writing, with no guarantee of transport if you have not received our written confirmation. The quation itself is not enough for transport to go through, you need a written confirmation that AIS will provide the service requested.
Our contract starts with booking confirmation and ended immediately after the transport has taken place. Once confirmation has been sent, you will be contractually obliged to pay all sums owed, unless you meet the criteria for refund.
b) Refusing your booking
We will inform you in case that we are not able to accept your booking and it will be no charge for you.
This might be due to following conditions:
• there is lack of information from you to enable us to assess the suitability for the transfer
• the transfer is out of our statement of purpose (exceptions; children 0-3 years old, people detained under Mental Health Act, people who misuse drugs and alcohol)
• there is no vehicle available or suitable level of clinical staff on the date of transfer
• we haven’t both agreed to a safe level of medical covering and the transport type.
Agreement Execution-Company resposibilities:
A. Before transport:
a) We ensure that staff with adequate skills and appropriately trained will deliver the agreed transport/service
b) We ensure that all arrangements are done in detail before the repatriation or patient transport service, with correct discharging and receiving addresses, date and time of booking and patient needs assessed before transport
c) We ensure an adequate transport vehicle is deployed in acordance with the transport specifications
d) We will keep you regularly updated with all information related to your booking
B. During transport
a) We will appoint a point of contact for transport. Our point of contact is responsible for the safety and welfare of the patient and their accompaning person.
b) We will provide the agreed number of staff with appropriate skills
c) We will provide only insured ambulances , that are in compliance with CQC requirements regarding patient safety and confort.
Agreement Execution-Client responsibilities
A. Before transport:
a) You must send us the information requested as soon as practically before the transfer, in order to arrange the suitable vehicle and level of staff covering
b) You must provide us with all necessary information:
• Passport information
• Addresses, including area codes
• Contact telephone numbers
• Confirmation of fit to travel
• Medical notes
• Confirmation of healthcare facility acceptance
• Specific information related to patient: infectious disease, special medical requirements (Oxygen, insuline, Parkinsonian disease medication), allergies and special dietary requirements.
c) You must include us into all email communications between discharge and receiving medical units.
B. During the transfer:
a) You must keep the clinical area of the ambulance free from personal belongings
b) You must allow the medical team to perform medical observations as necessary
c) The patient’s companion must not provide any medication to the patient without informing the clinical staff
d) You must not attempt to use any medical equipment by yourself
e) You must respect the rest periods for our drivers Booking amendments
A. Our company
We rely on the information provided by you to us, in order to determine a suitable level of medical support for your travel. If we become aware that information regarding the level of cover agreed in the Quote is inappropriate, we can only continue with your booking if the level of cover is revised and considered safe. We will inform you in writing, if we are unable to provide cover at the original level agreed.
If your transport requires a higher level of medical support than that in the information provided, our staff will call our Duty Manager to take a decision regarding your transfer.
The possible scenarious are:
a) immediately suspend the transfer and charge you the Agreed Price;
b) require a higher clinical grade to the pickup location. In repatriation services, the ambulance crew will need to collect a new clinician from the nearest airport and this will incur additional costs, which must be paid prior to sending the new clinician.
c) continue the trip with ongoing telephone support from our Clinical Lead or Medical doctor, which will be chargeable to an agreed hourly rate.
d) deviation from initial route in case of patient deterioration or life-treatening conditions, which need extra unexpected medical treatment. If patient remain on A&E site more than 60 minutes, our staff will discuss with the Duty Manager to adjust the price agreed or even to terminate the transport service. When an additional payment is due, this will need to be cleared before transport recommens.
B. Client
If you wish to increase your level of medical support, you can discuss this with us as soon as reasonably practicable. We will analyse your request and we will update you about the agreed price. The amendment will become effective only after a written confirmation from you, that you agree with the change and amended price.
Booking Cancelling
If you wish to cancel the transport you must notify us by email and telephone, as a late cancellation fee may be incurred.
Less than 7 day’s notice: 100% charge
7-21 day’s notice: 50% charge
More than 21 day’s notice: No charge
Please note that paid flights, Tunnel fees or tolls are none refundable.
Payment, agreed price and additional charges
Once a quotation is agreed, we will raise an invoice for the full amount of the Agreed Price and, where applicable, including Additional Charges, agreed in writting before the transport.
The invoice is payable within the time frame set out in your invoice. An interest will be added to the agreed price in case of payment delays. The interest will be an annual rate of 4% above the original invoice, accruing on a daily basis until payment is made. Unless we agree otherwise with you in writing, we only accept payment by bank transfer to the account details set out in the invoice.
All amounts due and payable under the Invoice are payable by you in full. You must pay the final remaining amount specified on the invoice 7 days before the first day of your agreed transport. If you owe us monies under an outstanding invoice, we reserve the right to decline the transport until your account is settled with us. Please note that we are unable to book flights, tunnel or toll charges until we receive payment in full.
Insurance
Ambulance International Scarborough has in place the following insurances:
(a) Public liability Insurance cover in the insured sum of at least £10 million in the aggregate, and;
(b) Professional Indemnity Insurance to the sum of £10 million in the aggregate.
Complaints
• if you wish to raise a concern about the services you have received under this Contract please email us to office@ambulanceinternational.co.uk or write us to our head office.
We will open an internal investigation as per our Complaint Policy and you will have a formal response in 20 working days.
• If the complaint is not resolved at your level of satisfaction, you can write to the Health Service Imbudsman or direct to Care Quality Commission.
Force Majeure
1. Force majeure means any circumstances independent of the will of the parties as a result of which the other party cannot reasonably fulfill the agreement. Example of force majeure in ambulance transport: extreme whether conditions, unexpected deterioration patient, strike and excessive absenteeism due to illness on the part of our staff.
2. If in our opinion the force majeure will be of a temporary nature, we have the right to suspend the agreement execution for the duration of the force majeure situation.
3. If in our opinion the force majeure situation is of a permanent nature, the parties can make an arrangement about the dissolution of the agreement and the associated consequences.
4. In the event of dissolution or suspension due to force majeure, the client is not entitled to any compensation.
5. In the event of dissolution or suspension due to force majeure, the client is obliged to pay for the spendings already performed before the force majeure circumstance has become apparent.
Limitation of liability
a) Our liability is at all times limited to damage that the client suffers and that is directly and exclusively the result of a shortcoming attributable to us. We do not exclude liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence or fraudulent misrepresentation and our liability to you arising from provision of our ambulance transport under the Agreement, will be limited as follows:
(i) our liability for loss or damage to land or property belonging to you or any other person
caused by an act or omission of our personnel, employees, or contractors will not exceed £10,000;
(ii) our liability for all other losses or damage suffered by you in any 12 month period and caused by an act or omission of our personnel, employees or contractors will not exceed the total of the Agreed Price and Additional Charges which are paid by you;
(iii) we will not be liable for any delay or failure to comply with our obligations where the
failure is caused by fire, flood, weather, strikes, industrial action, pandemic, government action or any other reason or circumstances beyond our reasonable control.
b) Unless the law provides otherwise and without prejudice to our other rights and remedies, you will indemnify us against all or any of the following:
(i) any damage, loss or expenses which we may incur as a result of a claim by a third party;
(ii) all costs and expenses (including enquiry agents, debt collection agents and legal costs on a full indemnity basis) incurred or sustained by us in enforcing any terms of this contract.
Other important terms
• If you enter into the Agreement on behalf of another person, you warrant that you have the appropriate and necessary authority to enter into the Agreement on behalf that other person and to bind that other person to the terms of the Agreement.
• No other person has any rights under this contract. A person other than any person or organisation to whom you give a guarantee or other security will not be part to this contract and has no right to enforce any terms of the contract.
• We may transfer this agreement to another organization or person. We may transfer or sub-contract, in whole or in part, our obligations under the Agreement to another organisation or person on our approved partners list and you will be notified if we plan to do this.
• If a court finds part of this contract illegal, the remainder will continue in force. If any part of the Agreement is found by any court, tribunal or authority of competent jurisdiction to be illegal, invalid or unenforceable than it will be severed from the Agreement and will be ineffective but without modifying any other part of the Agreement which will remain in force.
• These terms together with our written booking confirmation to you constitute the agreement between us relating to the transport. You acknowledge that you can’t rely on any statement, promise, assurance or warranty given by us or on behalf of us which is not set out in these terms and conditions.
• These terms are governed by English and Wales law. The English and Welsh courts will have exclusive jurisdiction for any disputes arising out of this contract.
• We reserve the right to amend and update these terms and conditions periodically.
