Terms and conditions.

1. 1. What these terms cover
2. 2. Changes
3. 3. Our role
4. 4. Your case link
5. 5. Who can use the site
6. 6. You and the consultant
7. 7. No guarantee of a health outcome
8. 8. Private care and the NHS
9. 9. Ending things
10. 10. Fees
11. 11. Paying
12. 12. Refunds
13. 13. Consultants
14. 14. Using the site
15. 15. Our content
16. 16. Your content
17. 17. Links to other sites
18. 18. Limits on our liability
19. 19. Indemnity
20. 20. Disputes
21. 21. Privacy
22. 22. Confidentiality
23. 23. General
24. 24. Contact

These terms and conditions (Terms) govern your access to and use of this website and the services offered through it: REFER by Patient2Doctor and Direct Match (together, the Site and the Services). By using the Site, posting a case, or requesting a Service, whichever is earlier, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Site or request a Service.

1. What these terms cover

1.1 These Terms set out the conditions under which we introduce you to GMC-registered consultants who are independent practitioners (Consultants), and under which Dr Yogesh Patel, GP Partner, GMC 6064097, provides the REFER service. Consultants are not employed by us. Whether they take your case, and what they then offer, is at their discretion.

1.2 Your use of the Site, or your request for a Service, is your agreement to these Terms and creates a contract between you and Patient2Doctor.

2. Changes

We may amend these Terms from time to time. Amendments take effect when the updated Terms are posted at this address. Where the law requires it, we will tell you about changes that materially affect your rights and give you reasonable notice.

3. Our role

3.1 Patient2Doctor is an introduction platform. Our role is limited to: (a) running and improving the Site; (b) introducing patients and Consultants to each other through Direct Match, once the fees in clause 10 are paid by both; and (c) in the case of REFER, Dr Yogesh Patel reading your case, deciding the speciality, naming consultants and other private healthcare professionals, and signing a referral letter.

3.2 You agree that: (a) the Site does not diagnose or treat, and nothing on it is medical advice about you; (b) the REFER free call and the REFER folder are an experienced GP's opinion on where to go next, not a consultation, an examination or a diagnosis; (c) we are not responsible for, and do not control, what any Consultant does or says, or the consultation, treatment or fee you agree with them; (d) we are not responsible for how any other person uses the Site; and (e) we may refuse anyone access to the Site at our discretion and without notice.

4. Your case link

4.1 There are no accounts on this Site. When you post a Direct Match case you are given a private case link. It is the only way back to your case and the only place your Consultant's details will appear. Treat it like a password.

4.2 You must: (a) not share your case link with anyone; (b) make sure everything you give us is true, accurate, complete and up to date; and (c) tell us straight away if you think someone else has your link. The same applies to a Consultant's case link.

5. Who can use the site

5.1 You confirm that: (a) you are at least 18; (b) you have the legal right and capacity to agree to these Terms; (c) you are able to consent to medical treatment; (d) you live in, and will be in, the United Kingdom when you use the Services; and (e) all information you give us and any Consultant is true, accurate and complete.

5.2 Doing this for someone else, a parent, a partner, a friend: you may, with their consent. Their case, your payment, their consent. You confirm you have it.

5.3 You acknowledge that: (a) you will use the Site fairly and lawfully; (b) we do not guarantee that any Consultant will take your case, or that any Service is suitable for you or your condition.

6. You and the consultant

You agree that: (a) once you contact a Consultant, any relationship, appointment, fee, consultation or treatment is between you and them, and we are not a party to it; (b) the Consultant is solely responsible to you for anything they provide or fail to provide, including any referral, diagnosis or treatment (Health Outcomes); (c) a Consultant does not replace your usual GP, and you should tell your GP about any Health Outcome; and (d) if you suffer any side effect from a Health Outcome, you must contact your GP or the Consultant straight away.

7. No guarantee of a health outcome

Consultants decide for themselves whether to take a case and what to offer. Neither Patient2Doctor nor any Consultant guarantees a diagnosis, a treatment, an appointment on a given date, or any outcome. Dr Patel's REFER folder names people he would send his own family to; it does not guarantee that they will have space, or what they will conclude.

8. Private care and the NHS

The Services and any consultation that follows are private. They are not NHS services, NHS rebates do not apply, and no fit notes (Med3) are provided through the Site. The free NHS route remains open to you at all times and for most people it is the right one.

9. Ending things

9.1 For a one-off Service, these Terms end once that Service has been delivered, apart from the clauses that survive under clause 23.

9.2 You may ask us to delete your case and your details at any time by replying to any message you have received from us. Deleting a case removes it from the Site permanently.

9.3 We may remove a case or end your access immediately if we believe you have breached these Terms, may be at risk of harm, may harm others, or are interfering with the Site or anyone's rights; or for any reason on 7 days' written notice.

10. Fees

10.1 Direct Match. Posting a case is free. To be introduced, the patient pays an introduction fee of £50 and the Consultant pays an introduction fee of £50. Nothing is shared until both have been paid. Neither party's payment on its own discloses anything to anyone.

10.2 REFER. The price is shown on the Site before you pay. As at the date above it is £495, reduced from £997 for a limited time, payable once. It covers the case summary, the care decision note, the named people, the signed referral letter and the appointment sheet, delivered by email within five working days of your case being complete.

10.3 You agree that: (a) fees are payable in advance and are refundable only as set out in clause 12; (b) fees are in pounds sterling and include any applicable tax unless stated; and (c) any consultation, investigation or treatment fee is separate, is set by the Consultant or provider, and is paid directly to them. We take no percentage of it.

11. Paying

Fees are paid through PayPal, by PayPal balance or by card on the PayPal page. A payment counts once PayPal confirms it to us as completed. Where PayPal's confirmation is delayed, we may confirm a payment by hand after checking it. You authorise PayPal to process your payment on our behalf.

12. Refunds

12.1 Direct Match. Your £50 is refunded in full if: (a) the other side does not pay, so no introduction is made; (b) no Consultant takes your case within 14 days of your payment; or (c) we remove the case under clause 9.3 before an introduction is made. Once both fees are paid and details have been exchanged, the introduction has been delivered and the fee is not refundable.

12.2 REFER. Your fee is refunded in full if: (a) the folder is not delivered within five working days of your case being complete; or (b) Dr Patel cannot name a consultant he would send his own family to, in which case he will say so. If the named consultant says it is the wrong speciality, you get a re-referral, a new note and a new letter at no charge.

12.3 Refunds go back to the PayPal account or card you paid with, within 7 business days of us confirming the refund is due.

13. Consultants

13.1 A Consultant using Direct Match confirms that they are on the GMC register with a licence to practise, that the GMC number, name and contact details they give are their own and accurate, and that they practise in the United Kingdom. We check GMC numbers by hand against the register and may refuse or remove any Consultant at our discretion.

13.2 A Consultant pays £50 to be introduced to a patient whose case they have taken, and nothing else: no joining fee, no subscription, and no share of any fee they go on to charge. The patient's details are released only once both fees are paid.

13.3 A Consultant must use a patient's details only to contact that patient about the case they took, must keep them confidential, and remains responsible for their own clinical practice, indemnity and regulatory obligations.

14. Using the site

You may use the Site only for the purposes in these Terms and only lawfully. You must not: (a) copy, modify or reverse engineer the Site; (b) do anything harmful to our systems or reputation, including transmitting malicious code; (c) post cases or take cases by automated means; (d) collect information about other users; (e) infringe anyone's rights; (f) post anything obscene, illegal, offensive, defamatory or threatening; (g) send spam; or (h) harass, intimidate or discriminate against anyone you meet through the Site.

15. Our content

We own or license all rights in the Site and its content. Your access is for personal, non-commercial use for as long as you use the Services. You may not copy, distribute, publish, sell or commercially exploit any of it.

16. Your content

16.1 Anything you post, including your case and any messages (Your Content), remains yours. You confirm you have the right to post it and any consents needed, including from anyone else whose information it contains.

16.2 You grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to store, copy and share Your Content only as needed to run the Site and provide the Services, including showing your anonymised case to Consultants.

16.3 We may review, edit or remove Your Content, but we do not check its accuracy and are not responsible for it.

17. Links to other sites

The Site links to third-party sites, including PayPal, NHS services and price information from private providers. We do not control them and are not responsible for their content or accuracy. Prices quoted from other providers are illustrations, not quotes.

18. Limits on our liability

18.1 Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, including for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud (Non-excludable Rights). Otherwise the Site and the Services are provided as they are.

18.2 We are not liable for any loss arising from: (a) the acts or omissions of any Consultant or other provider; (b) any consultation, treatment or Health Outcome; (c) Your Content; or (d) any disclosure of your information by a Consultant.

18.3 To the extent the law allows, our total liability to you for all claims is limited to the fees you paid us in the 12 months before the claim arose.

18.4 To the extent the law allows, we are not liable for loss of profit, data, goodwill or business, or for any indirect or consequential loss.

19. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify Patient2Doctor, Dr Yogesh Patel and anyone working with us against losses arising from your breach of these Terms, your misuse of the Site, or any claim by a person who accessed the Services through you or your case link.

20. Disputes

If a dispute arises, tell us in writing within 10 days of it arising. We will both then try in good faith to resolve it within a further 5 days. If that fails, either of us may refer it to mediation with a recognised mediation body, and must do so before starting court proceedings, unless urgent relief is needed. If mediation has not resolved it within 30 days, either of us may go to court.

21. Privacy

21.1 We collect and use the personal data and health data you give us, as defined in the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR, only to run the Site and provide the Services: to show your anonymised case to Consultants, to introduce you once both fees are paid, to deliver REFER, to process payments and to keep the records the law requires. We do not sell your data and we do not use it for marketing unless you ask us to.

21.2 Your name, phone number and email are never shown on your case. In Direct Match they are released only to the one Consultant who took your case, and only once both fees have been paid. The Consultant's details are released to you at the same moment. In REFER, your case is read by Dr Yogesh Patel and nobody else.

21.3 We may contact you by email or phone about your case. Consultants keep their own clinical records of any consultation with you, and are responsible for them.

22. Confidentiality

22.1 Everything you share through the Site, including health information, case details and contact details (Confidential Information), is confidential. We use it only to operate the Site and provide the Services, and disclose it only: (a) to the Consultant who takes your case, once both fees are paid; (b) as required by law, a court, a regulator or a professional body; or (c) with your explicit consent.

22.2 You must not share another person's health or personal information through the Site without their informed consent, and you must not use any information you receive through the Site, including a Consultant's or a patient's contact details, for any purpose other than the introduction it was given for.

23. General

23.1 Clauses 3, 6, 7, 8, 10 to 13, 15, 16 and 18 to 22 survive the end of these Terms. 23.2 If we do not enforce a right, we have not waived it. 23.3 If any part of these Terms is unenforceable, the rest still applies. 23.4 These Terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have non-exclusive jurisdiction. 23.5 "Including" means "including without limitation".

24. Contact

To ask about your case, request a refund or deletion, or tell us something is wrong, reply to any message you have received from Patient2Doctor or from Dr Patel. We answer these personally. Feedback on the Site is welcome the same way.