Terms & conditions

Terms & conditions of Hannah Sylvester trading as The District Herbalist

The Terms & conditions are effective from 01/06/2026

Please carefully read these terms and conditions. I try to accommodate, where I can, but I need to protect my income and time, and also ensure that those in need of appointments can see me as soon as possible. By agreeing to an appointment and taking herbal medicines prescribed by myself, or by attending an event that I am leading or have arranged, you agree to the terms and conditions laid out as follows.

1) Appointment cancellation / appointment reschedule policy

  1. If an initial appointment is cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice, the entire initial consultation fee is non-refundable.
  2. If an initial appointment is not attended, with no prior notice, or, I attend a home visit initial appointment and I am not able to carry out the appointment due to the patient not being available, and I have not received 24 hours’ notice, by phone, email, text of WhatsApp message the entire initial consultation fee is non-refundable.
  3. If a review appointment is not attended, regardless of whether an online or home visit appointment, without prior notice, or without 24 hours’ notice, the full cost of the missed appointment will need to be paid in full, prior to rebooking a new appointment.
  4. If a review appointment time needs amending, please try to allow 24 hours’ notice where possible. I understand that sometimes emergencies can happen, and I try to be accommodating of these, where I can. If repeat appointments are missed twice in a row, regardless of circumstances, the full fee for the 2nd appointment must be made, prior to booking the new appointment.
  5. If three initial or review appointments are missed consecutively, regardless of whether payment has been made to pay for missed appointments, I reserve the right to not book you in again, and refer you to alternative practitioner for herbal support. This is to preserve my professional boundaries of an acceptable and respectful therapeutic relationship and also to ensure those in need of an urgent appointment, or continuing care, are able to see me in good time.

These payment terms and cancellation policy are in place, to ensure that those awaiting an appointment, can be seen sooner if an appointment becomes available, as well as respecting my professional time and the therapeutic relationship. As I usually have a waiting list for appointments, by letting me know you are unable to attend your appointment, or it’s not suitable for me to visit your home for a home visit appointment, it means that patients in serious need of an earlier appointment, are able to see me sooner.

2) Payment terms and conditions

  1. All initial appointments must be paid for in advance to confirm your booking, and payment is required no less than 48 hours in advance of your first appointment. If no payment is made by this time, your appointment will automatically be cancelled, and the appointment slot made available again.
  2. Review appointments must be paid for once the invoice is received.
  3. Herbal medicines: All herbal medicines must be paid for in full, on receipt of invoice or card payment invoice, or by the date stated on the invoice.
  4. Talks: Payment for talks must either be received in advance of, or on the night of the talk, by cash, cheque or bank transfer. If payment will be made the next day, or if payment needs to be made by bank transfer, advance notice will be needed, so I can bring or send an invoice across
  5. Herb walks and events: Payment is needed in advance, to secure your ticket. All tickets are sold on a first come, first served basis.
  6. Accepted payment types: I am able to accept payment as follows:
    • Online appointments or events – bank transfer or Zettle card payment invoice
    • In person appointments and talks: bank transfer at the time, Zettle card machine (providing there is a mobile phone signal), cash.
    • Events of any kind: varies depending on event. Usually online payment, but other forms of payment can be agreed by email or phone, depending on the event and circumstances.

3) Requirements for attending your appointment, or attending an event

  1. If you attend an appointment, online, or in person, under the influence of excess alcohol, or under the influence of any illegal recreational drugs of any kind, I reserve the right to terminate the appointment with immediate effect. Full payment will be taken / asked for the appointment. If payment has already been made, you will not be eligible for a refund. I will then take the decision whether it is right to continue the therapeutic relationship, and advise you in writing of my decision.
  2. If you attend a herb walk, workshop or any other event that I have organised or am leading, online, or in person, under the influence of excess alcohol, or under the influence of any illegal recreational drugs, I reserve the right to ask you to leave the walk, workshop or event, with immediate effect at any point during the event, and I would expect you to respect and understand my decision. You will not be eligible for any refund. It is at my personal discretion whether you will be permitted to attend any future event. If you have previously been refused entry to an event, or asked to leave part through, and you attend a future event, which another person has bought you a ticket for, or paid for you for, without me being aware that you are due to attend, I reserve the right to refuse your entry to that event, or part way through that event, and I would expect you to respect my decision.
  3. Hate speech is not tolerated during appointments or events of any kind. I reserve the right to discontinue an appointment, or ask you to leave an event if this occurs.
  4. Mutual respect: I place great value on the therapeutic relationship (if you are unaware of what this is, you can read about it here. Whilst it is usually the case that ending the therapeutic relationship between patient and practitioner is a mutual agreement, and / or once treatment has reached its conclusion, there are very occasionally other times when the therapeutic relationship may be terminated, prior to treatment reaching its conclusion. The patient reserves the right to cease treatment at any point they choose. Hannah Sylvester (the practitioner) reserves the right to terminate the therapeutic relationship between patient and practitioner, at any point, if she feels she is no longer able to act as a herbal practitioner for a patient, or if she feels it would be of detriment to continue, either for the patient or herself. Signposting to other herbal practitioners (via links to a professional association website), or other health professionals (via professional association website, or to NHS services) will usually be offered if this occurs.
  5. Ideally an uninterrupted appointment: For the appointment to flow well and so that what you talk about remains confidential and you are able to speak freely, I ask that if possible, you are able to be seated in a room by yourself, or somewhere that you will not be disturbed by other people. If you have a child or have someone that you care for, I appreciate that this is often not possible, and I of course understand this, and will be happy to continue with your appointment if this is the case.
  6. Allergies: If you have any allergies, you must inform Hannah on arrival at an event, or at the time of your appointment, to enable any adjustments to the event or herbal treatment to be made.

 4) Communications, emergencies and out-of-hour contact:

  • My working hours are usually 8.30am to 6.00pm, Tuesday to Saturday, apart from Spring and Summer months, where I may also / instead work Sunday and Monday.
  • Patient emergencies and out of office enquiries: If you have any emergency or urgent medical or herbal prescription matter:
    • Consult your GP, 111, 999 or A&E if you have a serious health problem, or any serious likely cardiac or neurological related episode.
    • GP registration: I ask that all patients are registered with a GP, even if they are not presently receiving any direct care from one.
    • Allergy / reaction – if you think you are having some kind of reaction to food, or any part of your herbal treatment, please stop it immediately, or reduce the dosage slightly, if not a serious reaction and contact Hannah. If you tongue, mouth or throat swells in any way, please stop taking your herbs immediately, and seek medication with urgency, and also let Hannah know. Tongue tingling with some herbal medicines may be normal. Please contact Hannah with any queries you may have.
  • I try to respond to all queries, within 24 working hours, but there are times this may not be possible, at extremely busy times. If you have not hear from me within 72 working hours, it is possible that your message or voicemail may not have arrived, and so please feel welcome to contact me once again.
  • Contact or questions between appointments – patients are welcome to contact me between appointments, to relay news of medical test results, or other important information that I need to know, before we next speak. I ask that this is done via email where possible, so I can transfer this information easily to patient notes. Ordinarily I do not charge for this, but if more than 10 minutes’ work is required, cumulatively in response to this, I may charge for my time, but a fee will be agreed first. Sometimes, I may ask that a patient book in for an additional appointment to discus extra matters, but this is always agreed between both parties first.
  • How I contact patients: I try to stick to your preferred method of communication, but there may be times that I need to use other means to reaching you, e.g. in case of technology difficulties or travel difficulties. Where possible, I try to only contact you by text and WhatsApp message during my working hours, which sometimes includes evenings up to 8pm. If you have a preference for a cut-off time for this type of message, please let me know. I do sometimes send emails outside of working hours, due to my busy clinic and needing to catch up with admin after I finish, but please do not feel obliged to reply, until you are next at your computer, or until the next day.
    • Newsletters: I have a newsletter, which I try to send out every 1-2 months, which I sent to patients, event attendees and newsletter subscribers, with interesting information about medicinal plants and upcoming events for example. All patients are automatically added to this newsletter, as it is also the means in which I contact patients to let them know about fee changes and holiday times. By registering as a patient, you agree to being added to the newsletter, so I can keep you informed of any changes and times I am away from work.
  • How patients can contact me:
    • Email – any time, 7 days a week
    • Telephone: working hours, Tuesday to Saturday. If calling outside of those hours, unless I am expecting your call due to an emergency or we have agreed a time for you to call me, your call will go to voicemail, and I will pick up and hopefully respond within 24-48 working hours. If you would like a call back, please let me know which days and times I am able to return your call.
    • Text – any time, 7 days a week, for questions that require a couple of sentences reply at home. I will respond within 24 hours where possible. If it requires a more in-depth reply, I ask that you please email me instead.
    • WhatsApp text – any time, 7 days a week, for questions that require a couple of sentences reply at home. I will respond within 24 hours where possible. If it requires a more in-depth reply, I ask that you please email me instead.
    • Telephone calls and WhatsApp voice calls – working hours, Tuesday to Saturday. If calling outside of those hours, unless I am expecting your call due to an emergency, your call will go to voicemail, and I will pick up within 24-48 working hours. If you would like a call back, please let me know which days and times I am able to return your call. If I do not answer your call, please leave a message. If you call, and we have not previously arranged the call, please be aware and respectful that I may only have a short amount of time to speak to you, before my next appointment or event. If this is the case, I will either ask to arrange a good time to call you back, straight away, or a few moments into our call, or I may let you know how much time I have to talk. Usually, I can only offer 10-15 minute of my time, without prior arrangement. Time over 15 minutes, without prior arrangement, if you are patient, will be billed at my usual hourly rate.
    • WhatsApp video calls – I do not accept WhatsApp video calls, unless we have to switch to WhatsApp for an online appointment, due to any technical difficulties with Zoom.
    • My business location – patients are not permitted to visit, or knock on the door of the business location noted on invoices (the business location), to collect prescriptions, unless by prior arrangement. Please be aware, that prescriptions can only be collected by a small number of patients.
  • Newsletter subscribers – Any person that has opted in to receive my newsletter, by direct sign up, or at an event so they can receive a handout or update, their details are kept in accordance with GDPR and relevant data protection regulations. You can unsubscribe at any time, by clicking the ‘unsubscribe’ link a the bottom of each newsletter, or my contacting me directly to remove you from the newsletter. I try to send a newsletter every 1-2 months, but there are times that they are less frequent, due to busy clinic times. You are able to forward the newsletter, but it is not permitted to replicate the newsletter, its pictures, or content in any way, without my prior written permission.

Disclaimer:

The contact provided on this website is included for educational and information purposes only and not intended as advice relating to medical or health conditions or to replace medical care from health professionals. Herbs noted on this website may not be suitable for all persons.

Those who are pregnant, breast feeding, or taking prescription medications must consult with a qualified health professional before using herbal medicine.

Prescribed herbal prescriptions must be taken at the dose specified on the label, and not be exceeded. Prescriptions must be stored as advised.

 

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Updating of these Terms and conditions

We may update these Terms and Conditions from time to time. It is your obligation to periodically check these Terms and Conditions for changes or updates. The date provided at the beginning of these Terms and Conditions is the latest revision date. Changes to these Terms and Conditions will become effective upon such changes being posted to this website. Your continued use of this website following the posting of changes or updates will be considered notice of your acceptance to abide by and be bound by these Terms and Conditions.

 

Contact information

This website is owned and operated by Hannah Sylvester t/a The District Herbalist. Contact details noted on the Contents page.