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Obligations to Clients
1. Duty of Care
- You have a duty to maintain high standards of care, conduct and professional competence.
- The relationship between the Practitioner and the Client is a professional one, where the Client can confidently trust in the competence and care of the Practitioner. It is the Practitioner's duty not to take advantage or abuse this trust in any way.
2. Insurance
- All Practitioners must be adequately qualified and insured to practice.
- The insurance policy must state provision for public liability and employee liability (if personnel are employed) and public indemnity, as well as provision for professional treatments.
3. Fees
- Practitioners must act with consideration concerning fees and justification for treatment.
- A full list of fees should be displayed in the clinic for clients to see.
- A Practitioner has the same obligation to the client whether being paid or working in a voluntary capacity.
- Practitioners need to recognise the client’s right to refuse treatment or to disregard advice and therefore, clients should not be coerced into attending for treatment.
- Practitioners must not use information gained during treatments for personal or professional gain.
4. Case Notes
- Practitioners must ensure they keep accurate, comprehensive, easily understood and dated case notes. These records should be factual and avoid opinion. This is especially important for the defence of any negligence actions as well as for efficient and careful practice.
- Case notes should include client name, age, date of birth, address, presenting complaint and symptoms, clinical information, treatment and advice given.
- Case notes are the legal property of the practitioner not the patient.
- Patients must be allowed access to their case notes if they wish to see them or if they wish to have copies of them.
- If case notes are written in a language other than English, Practitioners must be able to provide a full translation if required by law.
- Case notes should document any advice given, or any referrals on to other health care professionals.
- Records are to be kept in safe custody for seven years from the time of the last consultation additionally, for minors; records must be kept for seven years beyond the age of consent (i.e. age 26).
- Case notes should be kept in a locked, fireproof cabinet, with clear instructions for their correct disposal (shredding or burning) in the event of the practitioner’s death.
5. Clear Contracts
- Before the commencement of treatment, Practitioners must explain fully, either in writing or verbally, how the treatment will be conducted. This must include length of consultation, fees, and possible number of treatments required and care of client records.
- The client should understand clearly, that it is not possible to guarantee the outcome of any course of treatment and with that in mind there should be frequent revisions of progress, to ascertain the value of continuing treatment.
- Practitioners must never claim to ‘cure’.
- If any other therapy is used in conjunction with Crystal Healing, this must be clarified with the client from the outset.
- Practitioners retain the right to refuse or to postpone treating a client and should make it clear to the client why they are refusing or postponing treatment, for example if the client is;
a) Under the influence of alcohol or mind-altering substances.
b) If the client is intimidating or offensive, in a physical or sexual manner or otherwise.
c) If the client behaves in any way, which may lead the Practitioner to feel physically unsafe, disrespected, or abused.
d) In the case of client lateness, the Practitioner may exercise discretion in refusing treatment.
- Practitioners must not use titles or descriptions in order to give the impression of medical, or other qualifications unless they possess them. They must make it clear to their clients that they are not doctors and do not purport to have their knowledge or skills
6. Empowerment of the Client
- Practitioners should be empathic, supportive and positive.
- Practitioners must respect the client’s prerogative to make their own choices with regard to their health, lifestyle and finances.
- Practitioners should refrain from making judgements upon the choices made by clients, and the way in which clients choose to conduct their lives.
- Practitioners must not countermand instructions or prescriptions given by a doctor.
- Clients should be encouraged and advised to seek out other treatment if the Practitioner feels that Crystal Healing is no longer the best form of treatment.
- Practitioners must not advise a particular course of medical treatment, such as to undergo an operation or to take specific drugs. It must be left to the client to make his/her own decision in the light of medical advice.
7. Client Assesment
- Practitioners must never give a medical diagnosis to a client in any circumstances, this being the responsibility of a registered medical practitioner.
- A client should be advised not to discontinue prescribed medication without consulting their doctor.
- All clients must be asked what medical advice they have received. If appropriate they should be advised to consult their GP if they have not already done so. Since it is legal to refuse medical treatment, no client can be forced to consult a doctor.
- A Practitioner may suggest that it would be advisable to seek an allopathic diagnosis but should not attach a medical name to the perceived condition.
- Practitioners should recognize that Crystal Healing does not take the place of conventional medical treatment.
- The Practitioner will make a base-line assessment during the first treatment and discuss appropriate aftercare.
- All advice must be recorded for the Practitioner’s protection.
8. Confidentiality
- Practitioners, their assistants and receptionists have a strict duty to keep all information relating to client attendance, information and records entirely confidential. This duty persists even after the client‘s death.
- No information may be passed to a third party, including any member of the client’s own family, without the client’s consent, except when it is required by due process of the law
- Practitioners must ensure that they comply with the Data Protection Act.
- Practitioners who sell or otherwise transfer their interest in a practice must inform all their clients of the change and inform their clients of the name of the Practitioner who has taken over.
- No information on a client shall be provided to the incoming Practitioner without the permission of the client.
- If a Practitioner believes that there is a risk of self-harm by an individual, the confidentiality guidelines are overridden. (If a Practitioner believes an individual intends to harm or abuse a child, or learns of any terrorist activity then the confidentiality guidelines are overridden. The Practitioner is obliged by law to report this to the appropriate authorities.
9. Personal relationshiops - boundarys
- The relationship between the Practitioner and client should be of the highest professional standard. Due diligence of care, skill and integrity should be demonstrated at all times.
- Practitioners must not exploit their clients in any way, financially, sexually or emotionally.
- The Practitioner will not undertake any form of sexual relationship or activity with a client in their care or with a student in their tutelage or supervision.
- The School requires that the Practitioner formally end any therapeutic or educational relationship before starting a sexual relationship.
- If a client or student shows signs of becoming inappropriately involved with the Practitioner, it is the Practitioner’s responsibility to discourage them and if necessary end the professional relationship.
- It is the Practitioner’s responsibility to ensure that their behaviour is professional at all times and not open to misunderstanding or misinterpretation.
- Practitioners must not request the removal of clothing except for coat and footwear
- Practitioners shall be without judgement concerning race, colour, creed, gender or sexual orientation.
10. Responsibilities to Self
- Practitioners shall recognise the value of self-treatment and receive healing from another Practitioner, as part of their continuing self-development.
- Practitioners have a responsibility to themselves to maintain their own effectiveness. They are expected to monitor their own personal health and to seek help, or withdraw from giving treatments when their personal resources are depleted. This may be through personal or emotional difficulties, illness, disability, alcohol, and mind-altering substances or for any other reason.
- Members must take all reasonable steps to monitor, develop and advance their professional competence, and to work within that capacity. Professional development may include in-service training, supervision, counselling, research and other consultative support..
- A Practitioner shall be aware of their own professional limitations and refer a client elsewhere when the need demands.
11. Responsibilities to others
- Practitioners shall seek a good relationship and work in a co-operative manner with other healthcare professionals.
- Practitioners shall recognise and respect their particular contribution within the healthcare team, irrespective of whether they perform an allopathic or complementary treatment.
- Practitioners must ensure that any interim/locum Practitioner that they engage in their practice is fully qualified, insured and competent to manage the practice during their absence.
- Practitioners must ensure, during periods of absence, that their clients have the contact details and support of an appropriate Practitioner - see above.
- Practitioners will not undermine a client’s faith in any other form of treatment nor be drawn into criticising another Practitioner. They must at all times, act with discretion and integrity.
- Practitioners will encourage understanding of Crystal Healing within other fields and modalities within the healthcare sector.
- Practitioners shall at all times conduct themselves with due diligence in their relations with all people whilst conducting their professional practice.
- Practitioners must not attend women in childbirth or treat them for 10 days thereafter unless they hold an appropriate qualification in midwifery or unless the client, in consultation with a practising midwife or a Registered Medical Practitioner requests their services.
12. Soliciting of clients
- Practitioners shall not encourage clients away from other professional colleagues.
- If you treat a client during the absence of their ‘usual’ Practitioner you must encourage them to return to their ‘usual’ Practitioner as soon as he or she becomes available again.
13. Crystal Healing in hospitals
- The hospital is always responsible for the patient.
- Practitioners may treat patients in hospital once the permission of the patient and the hospital authority, including the ward charge nurse has been given.
- Practitioners should not wear clothing, which gives the impression that they are a member of hospital staff, but should wear some form of identification such as a name badge.
- Where permission is given to provide treatment on the ward, this must be carried out without fuss or interruption to other patients and staff.
- If other patients request treatment, the permission of the ward charge nurse or nursing officer (and if relevant, the patient’s doctor) must first be obtained. Practitioners must never undermine the patient’s faith in hospital treatment or regime.
- Where credentials are requested, Practitioners must provide their certificates of qualification and current insurance documents.
14. Premises
- Practitioners should ensure that their work environment is suitable for the practice of Crystal Healing.
- Practitioners should ensure that their premises are easily accessible by all members of the public, including wheelchair users.
15. Crystal Healing Code of Disciplinary Procedures
- Practitioners will follow and abide by decisions made under the disciplinary procedures of the CMA (Complementary Medical Association).
- The primary concern of the School shall be to protect the public and to uphold the reputation of the School and its members.
15. Advertising/Public Statements
- Advertising must be legal and truthful it must not deceive, sensationalise or mislead.
- It should not claim to cure any disease.
- It may contain Practitioner qualifications and details of special interests.
- It may include general information regarding the treatment process. .
- When advertising with other Healthcare professionals the Practitioner should take reasonable steps to ensure they too are appropriately qualified and insured.
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