Standards of Practice
Introduction
1.1 Foyht has developed a basic ‘Standards of Practice’ notice for therapists and practitioners: particularly those who have ‘Protect’ or ‘Support’ membership with Foyht and/or those who insure with BGi.uk, BGi.eu and Hispania.
1.2 This ‘Standards of Practice’ is considered the professional base standard expected of all practitioners, necessary to maintain and develop the reputation of Foyht and its members and to protect the general public, internationally.
1.3 This ‘Standards of Practice’ applies to all practitioners who are, or who become, members of Foyht but we encourage and freely allow this ‘Standards of Practice’ notice to be adopted and used by any professional therapist.
1.4 The Foyht team reserves the right to amend the ‘Standards of Practice’ as and when necessary. When we make amendments, all Foyht Members will be informed and the changes posted on the web pages.
Propriety
2.1 The welfare of others (clients, students and the public, generally) must take priority over the self-interest of members, employees and colleagues.
2.2 Data protection generally, and especially the confidentiality of client information, must be observed without fail. Where it is necessary to share personal information for any reason, prior consent must be obtained from the owner of that information. The owner might be a client/patient or legal guardian, employee, contractor, etc.
2.3 Foyht Members shall not behave in any manner that might bring Foyht or the members’ profession into disrepute.
2.4 Foyht Members shall, at all times, maintain and demonstrate high ethical standards to their clients and others they may work with. Members shall conduct themselves professionally: to comply with the generally accepted standards of moral behaviour and common decency.
2.5 Membership of Foyht shall be immediately revoked, pending investigation, should that Member be in breach of any aspect of the ‘Standards of Practice’.
Competence
3.1 Foyht Members shall conduct their professional practice with reasonable skill and learning. Foyht Members shall not misrepresent their level of training, expertise, experience, or qualification.
3.2 Foyht Members shall not offer or attempt to provide any advice, service, therapy or treatment beyond their evidenced and acknowledged level of competence or training.
Responsibility
4.1 Foyht Members must accept responsibility for any and all of their professional decisions, actions, treatments, therapies etc. They must give due consideration to the foreseeable consequences of their actions within their field of expertise.
4.2 Foyht Members shall maintain the highest standard of professional integrity when working with or for other persons or organisations. In these circumstances, they will check to establish if the ‘person or organisation’ is providing liability insurance.
4.3 Foyht Members must insist clients seek expert medical attention or psychological help if/when a client requires assistance or treatment that falls outside of the individual practitioner’s acknowledged level of expertise, experience or qualification.
Consulting
5.1 Clinical consulting and evaluative information is confidential and must be securely stored. Such data may be shared for professional purposes: with the consent of the client, or as may be required by law.
5.2 Client records retained by the practitioner shall be stored (and disposed of) in a confidential manner. Clients should be advised that their records and associated personal information shall be retained for ten years.
5.3 When clients are unable to give informed consent, due to age, medical condition, psychological state etc., consent is required from the client’s Legal or Enduring Guardian prior to treatment.
5.4 Minors must be accompanied for treatment by a parent or guardian if under 16, or written permission for such treatment must be obtained by a parent or guardian for those 16 to 18. (NB: your insurance probably excludes ‘abuse cover’).
Client Relationship
6.1 Foyht Members shall respect both their client’s physical and emotional conditions, and shall not abuse clients through actions, words or silence, nor take advantage in any way of the therapeutic relationship.
6.2 Foyht Members shall not participate in sexual activity (of any description) with a client. (NB: In the event that a Client and Consulting Foyht Member wish to participate in an intimate sexual relationship, any and all professional services must be terminated and the client be referred to another practitioner for future treatment or therapy).
6.3 Where the nature of the therapy or treatment necessitates close proximity or touch, Foyht Members shall explain in advance the proposed procedure in detail and retain a detailed record of the information provided. Foyht strongly recommends use of a consent form. (NB: your insurance probably excludes sexual misconduct).
Charging for your Services
7.1 Foyht Members shall ensure that:
a) they, both individually and as organisations, have a clear pricing structure including the procedure and returns policy for cancellations and ‘no-shows’.
b) prospective clients/patients have seen and agreed the pricing structure before any chargeable service is booked.
Claims and Complaints
8.1 Foyht Members shall notify Foyht of any complaint, claim or potential claim made against them within ten days of receiving that notification.
8.2 Foyht Members shall notify their insurers of any complaint, claim or potential claim made against them in accordance with the policy terms and conditions of the policy.
8.3 Foyht Members shall work closely with their insurers to ensure that any issues raised by their client/patient are resolved as expediently as possible. NB. It is imperative that you read, understand and comply with your insurer’s claims procedures within the stipulated time-frames.
8.4 Foyht Members will take care to ensure that their trading conditions (Ts & Cs) are clearly available to all prospective clients/patients before any service is booked. (NB: Foyht recommends that this practise is adopted before ‘free’ or ‘investigative’ appointments or consultations are booked.)
Professional Conduct
9.1 Foyht Members will neither publicly criticize nor disparage any other Foyht Member nor any other practitioner or therapist other than when following the appropriate professional protocols.
9.2 Foyht Members will not trade unless they have adequate Insurance (Public Liability, Product Liability and Malpractice Liability) suitable for their activities, in place with a reputable insurer licensed in the country where the Member lives/works. (NB: A minimum indemnity limit equivalent to £5.0M is recommended)
9.3 Foyht Members will be able to produce evidence at any time, when asked, of their qualifications and ‘Continual Professional Development’.
9.4 Foyht Members shall not make claims or statements, which may bring their profession or Foyht into disrepute.
Marketing and Advertising
10.1 Foyht Members are automatically listed on the Foyht members’ directory database, which is not public. Members may publicly list their practice on the public directory if they so wish. Additional information may be included dependent on the membership level.
10.2 Foyht Members who belong to ‘Protect’ and ‘Support’ levels of membership may (and are encouraged to) write articles and generally contribute to the FocusOn Health and Wellbeing Online Magazine.
10.3 Foyht Members who belong to ‘Protect’ and ‘Support’ levels of membership may take advantage of the ‘What’s On’ events page at no cost.
10.4 Foyht Members shall not falsely imply sponsorship, authorisation or verification by any organisation that has not freely given their consent to do so.
10.5 Foyht Members shall ensure that any advertising is civil and ethical and shall not make any exaggerated or misleading claims.
10.6 Foyht Members shall only advertise themselves in accordance with the membership level and modalities approved on their Foyht Membership and Insurance certification, and may use the Foyht logo for marketing purposes accordingly. If a member is providing services outside of those activities included in their Foyht Membership, those services must be advertised separately and the Foyht name or logo must not be used.