TERMS & CONDITIONS

Who we are and how to contact us

Yourmenopausenurse.co.uk is a website developed and operated by Your Menopause Nurse Limited. We are registered in England and Wales; our company registration number is 15673929

Our registered office is Waites Cottage, Glaisdale, Whitby, North Yorkshire, YO21 2PW.

You can contact us by emailing us at: support@yourmenopausenurse.co.uk

By using our site, you accept these terms

By using our site, you confirm that you accept these terms of use and that you agree to comply with them. If you do not agree to these terms, you must not use our site.

  1. There are other terms that may apply to you
    1. These terms of use refer to the following additional terms, which also apply to your use of our site:
      • Our Privacy Policy
      • Our Cookie Policy, which sets out information about the cookies on our site.
    2. We may amend these terms from time to time. Each time you use our site, please check these terms to ensure you understand the terms that apply at that time. These terms were most recently updated on 22.8.2024.
  2. We may make changes to our site

o   We may update and change our site from time to time to reflect changes to our services, our users’ needs, and our business priorities.

  3. We may suspend or withdraw our site

o   We cannot ensure that our site or its content will always be accessible or uninterrupted. For business or operational purposes, we may need to suspend, withdraw, or limit access to all or parts of our site. We will try to provide you with reasonable notice of any such actions.

o   You must ensure that everyone who accesses our site via your internet connection is aware of and complies with these terms of use and any other applicable terms and conditions.

  4. Our site is only for users in the UK

Our site is directed to people residing in the United Kingdom. We do not guarantee that the content on our site is suitable for use or accessible in other locations.

  5. How you may use material on our site - We hold ownership or licensing rights to all intellectual property on our site and the materials published there. These works are protected globally by copyright laws and treaties. All rights are reserved. We are allowing you to use this website.

  6. Reliance on information on this site

o   The content on our site is meant for general informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as specialist medical advice. You should seek professional or specialist advice before taking or avoiding any action based on the content on our site.

o   While we strive to keep the information on our site current, we do not make any representations, warranties, or guarantees, whether express or implied, regarding the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the content.

  7. We are not responsible for websites we link to

o   When our site includes links to third-party sites and resources, these are provided solely for your information. These links should not be seen as our endorsement of the linked websites or the information you may find there.

o   We have no control over the contents of those sites or resources.

  8.  Our responsibility for loss or damage suffered by you

Whether you are a consumer or a business user:

o   We do not exclude or limit our liability to you where it would be unlawful to do so. This includes liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence or that of our employees, agents, or subcontractors, as well as for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation.

o   Different limitations and exclusions of liability will apply to liability arising because of the supply of any services to you, which will be set out in our Terms & Conditions of Supply.

If you are a consumer user:

  • Please be aware that our site is intended for domestic and private use only. You agree not to use our site for commercial or business purposes, and we are not liable for any loss of profit, business, business interruption, or business opportunities.
  • How we may use your personal information - We will only use your personal information as set out in our Privacy Policy.
  • We are not responsible for viruses, and you must not introduce them
  • We cannot guarantee that our site will be secure or free from viruses.
  • You are responsible for configuring your technology and using your own virus protection software to access our site.
  •  Do not misuse our site by introducing harmful material or attempting unauthorised access. Do not attack our site via denial-of-service. Breaching these rules is a criminal offence under the Computer Misuse Act 1990. We will report violations to law enforcement and disclose your identity. Your right to use our site will cease immediately if you breach these terms. 

Which country’s laws apply to any disputes?

  •  If you are a consumer, these terms are governed by English law. The courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction, but residents of Northern Ireland and Scotland may also bring proceedings in their respective regions.
  •  If you are a business, these terms and any related disputes are governed by English law. We agree to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

Copyright

All content featured on the Your Menopause Nurse website is, unless explicitly stated otherwise, protected by copyright held by Your Menopause Nurse. You are welcome to link to material from this site provided the original source is clearly credited. However, full reproduction or partial modification of any content is not permitted without prior written consent from Your Menopause Nurse. All rights reserved.

Safeguarding Policy

Our Safeguarding procedure details the steps, which will be followed where there are concerns that a vulnerable adult may experience abuse and/or neglect.

The procedures should ensure a speedy response for dealing with concerns.

Introduction

This provides a brief introduction to the work that Your Menopause Nurse does. It also explains that we are committed to the wellbeing of the group of people that we work with.

It also includes the purpose of the procedures, i.e. to ensure that any allegations of abuse are effectively managed and that staff fully understand their duty to act.

We provide care and support for women experiencing perimenopause and menopause.

We are committed to putting in place safeguards and that all those involved will

be treated with dignity and respect. 

These procedures are cross referenced with and should be read in conjunction with the following policies and procedures

  • Confidentiality
  • Health and Safety
  • Complaints 
  • Equality and Diversity 
  • Data Protection

These procedures are divided into the following sections. This process is linked to The Care Act 2014 and the Social Services and Well-being Act 2014.

  • Preventing and minimising abuse
  • Recognising the signs and symptoms of abuse 
  • Named person for safeguarding adults
  • Responding to people who have experienced or are experiencing abuse
  • Recording and managing confidential information
  • Disseminating/Reviewing policy and procedures  

 1 Preventing and minimising abuse

Your Menopause Nurse Ltd is committed to safer recruitment policies and practices for staff. This includes enhanced CRB disclosures for staff, ensuring references are taken up and the appropriate level of training for Safeguarding Adults & Children is provided for staff.

All staff will be provided with training and information to enable them to develop the awareness, skills and abilities appropriate to their role within the organisation and responsibilities regarding Safeguarding.

All staff will be provided with information regarding the organisations safeguarding policies and procedures.

2 Recognising the signs and symptoms of abuse

My Menopause Nurse Ltd is committed to ensuring that all staff undertake training to gain a basic awareness of signs and symptoms of abuse and will ensure that the named person and other members of staff have access to training around Safeguarding.

“Abuse is a violation of an individual’s human and civil rights by any other person or

persons” No Secrets: Department of Health, March 2000

Abuse includes: 

  • physical abuse, hitting, slapping, punching, burning
  • sexual abuse, rape, indecent assault, inappropriate touching
  • emotional abuse, belittling, name calling,
  • financial or material abuse, stealing, selling assets
  • neglect and acts of omission, leaving in soiled clothes, failing to feed properly
  • discriminatory abuse (including racist, sexist, based on a person’s disability and other

forms of harassment)

  • institutional

Abuse may be carried out deliberately or unknowingly.

Abuse may be a single act or repeated acts.

People who behave abusively come from all backgrounds and walks of life. They may be doctors, nurses, social workers, advocates, staff members, volunteers or others in a position of trust. They may also be relatives, friends, neighbours or people who use the same services as the person experiencing abuse.

See Appendix ONE for more detailed definitions of types of abuse. 

3 Named person for safeguarding adults

The roles and responsibilities of the named person(s) are: 

  • To ensure that all staff are aware of what they should do and who they should go to if they have concerns that someone may be experiencing or has experienced abuse or neglect.
  • To ensure that concerns are acted on, clearly recorded and referred to the appropriate local authority, following the appropriate local Safeguarding Multi-agency Policy and Procedures where necessary. 

Follow-Up Procedures for Safeguarding Referrals

Upon receiving a safeguarding referral, our primary method of contact with the client will be via email. We will reach out to the appropriate authority in the days following the referral to request an update on the situation. However, it should be noted that feedback received from the authority may be limited due to confidentiality considerations.

  • To reinforce the utmost need for confidentiality and to ensure that staff are adhering to good practice regarding confidentiality and security. 
  • To ensure that staff working directly with service users who have experienced abuse, or who are experiencing abuse, are well supported and receive appropriate supervision.

 4 Responding to people who have experienced or are experiencing abuse

The following section should provide clear guidelines for staff to follow if they have concerns about a person they are working with. Your Menopause Nurse recognises that it has a duty to act on reports, or suspicions of abuse or neglect. Anyone who has contact with vulnerable adults and hears disclosures or allegations or has concerns about potential abuse or neglect has a duty to pass them on appropriately.

How to respond if you receive a disclosure:

  • Reassure the person concerned
  • Listen to what they are saying
  • Record what you have been told/witnessed as soon as possible
  • Remain calm and do not show shock or disbelief
  • Tell them that the information will be treated seriously
  • Don’t start to investigate or ask detailed or probing questions
  • Don’t promise to keep it a secret

If you witness abuse or abuse has just taken place the priorities will be:

  • To call an ambulance if required
  • To call the police if a crime has been committed
  • To preserve evidence
  • To keep yourself and the service user safe
  • To inform the named Safeguarding person

All situations of abuse or alleged abuse will be discussed with the named person. The alleged victim will be told that this will happen. This stage is called the alert.

The practitioner can then signpost the client to the agreed list of support services i.e. SHOUT, Samaritans, 111 or the Police. (See Appendix Two)

Making a referral 

  • Once you have established that you believe there is an allegation of abuse, you have a duty to make a referral to their local Safeguarding team. This would mean referring to the client’s local authority. As we are an online service we would need to locate the client’s local authority to make the referral. The practitioner would need to access this information from the client or from the client’s consultation records or pre-consultation questionnaire.
  • Prior to making a referral, you will need to gather as much information as you can about the allegation. If you need further guidance, consider reaching out to the relevant local safeguarding authority or organisation for help. Access the client’s local authority guidance on safeguarding adults via the NHS Safeguarding App that all staff have downloaded on their phones.

Reporting Safeguarding Concerns for Children

In the event of safeguarding concerns related to a child under the care of the client or an individual associated with the client, the appropriate safeguarding referral process must be initiated. This process mirrors that of adult safeguarding referrals, and reports should be submitted via the NHS Safeguarding App, utilizing the 'Child or Young Persons' section.

Lack of access to the necessary information should NOT delay the referral.

Follow the instructions on the App to make the referral.

They may need to contact you for further details and, should contact you in any event to offer feedback about the safeguarding assessment.

  • A referral will then lead to the implementation of the next stages of the Multi agency via the Local Authority.
  • Information should be provided to the individual. This could be about other sources of help or information that could enable them to decide what to do about their experience, enable them to recover from their experience and enable them to seek justice. 

5 Recording and managing confidential information

Reassurance that this information will be kept in a secure location and only shared with those who need to know.

Reference should be made to the organisation’s confidentiality policy and data protection policy.

It should be made clear that where an adult has capacity and no other person or child is at risk, then if they do not want to take the matter further it will remain confidential. The person should be reassured and provided with information about possible sources of help, should they decide to do something at a later date. 

However, there will be occasions when confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.

Your Menopause Nurse is committed to maintaining confidentiality wherever possible and information around Safeguarding issues should be shared only with those who need to know. For further information, please see Your Menopause Nurse confidentiality policy.

All allegations/disclosures/concerns should be recorded by date in the secure shared file in WriteUpp under ‘Safeguarding incidents’ The information should be factual and not based on opinions, record what the person tells you, what you have seen and witnesses if appropriate.

The information that is recorded will be kept secure and will comply with data protection.

6 Disseminating/Reviewing policy and procedures

Your Menopause Nurse Ltd will update this policy on a regular basis, to ensure that it reflects changes in law or good practice. It will be reviewed on an annual basis and the procedures should set out who will review and what measures will be in place to disseminate new information.

Complaints Policy

How to complain

Please contact us at support@yourmenopausenurse.co.uk if you wish to make a complaint.
OUR COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

This procedure sets out the company’s approach to the handling of complaints and is
intended both as an internal guide that should be made readily available to all staff, and also
as a summary setting out the approach to complaint handling that should be available for
any client requesting a copy.
From 1st April 2009 a common approach to the handling of complaints was introduced
across health and adult social care. This procedure complies with this.

Our Complaints Policy
Your Menopause Nurse Limited will take reasonable steps to ensure that clients are aware
of:
● The complaints procedure.
● The time limit for resolution.
● How it will be dealt with.
● Who will deal with it?
● Named Nurse handling complaints.
● Their right of appeal
● Further action they can take if not satisfied.
● The fact that any issues will not affect any ongoing treatment from the clinic and they
will continue to be treated.

Procedure
Receiving of complaints
The company may receive a complaint made by, or (with their consent) on behalf of a client,
or former client, who is receiving or has received treatment at Your Menopause Nurse.
OR where the client is incapable of making a complaint, by a relative or other adult who has
an interest in their welfare.

Period within which complaints can be made
The period for making a complaint is normally:
(a) 12 months from the date on which the event which is the subject of the complaint
occurred; or
(b) 12 months from the date on which the event which is the subject of the complaint comes
to the complainant's notice.
Complaints should normally be resolved within 6 months. The company standard will be 20
days for a response.
The Director’s have the discretion to extend the time limits if the complainant has good
reason for not making the complaint sooner, or where it is still possible to properly
investigate the complaint despite extended delay
When considering an extension to the time limit it is important that the Director’s take into
consideration that the passage of time may prevent an accurate recollection of events by the
clinician concerned or by the person bringing the complaint. The collection of evidence,
clinical guidelines or other resources relating to the time when the complaint event arose
may also be difficult to establish or obtain. These factors may be considered as a suitable
reason for declining a time limit extension.
Action upon receipt of a complaint
• It is always better to try and deal with the complaint at the earliest opportunity and
often it can be concluded at that point.

● If it is not possible or the outcome is not satisfactory the client should be asked to put
it in writing. This ensures that each side are well aware of the issues for resolution. If
the client does refuse to put it in writing, then it is advisable for the clinic to put it in
writing and check that the client is happy with the detail of the complaint.

● On receipt of a written complaint an acknowledgement will be sent within three days.
It should also say who is dealing with it i.e. which clinician.

● If it is not possible to conclude any investigations within the 20 days then the client
should be updated with progress and possible time scales.

● A full investigation should take place with written notes and a log of the progress
being made.

● It may be that outside sources will need to be contacted and if that is the case then a
client consent form will need to be signed to make such a request.

Unreasonable Complaints
Where a complainant becomes aggressive or, despite effective complaint handling,
unreasonable in their promotion of the complaint, some or all of the following formal
provisions will apply and will be communicated to the patient:

● The complaint will be managed by one named individual at senior level who will be
the only contact for the patient
● Contact will be limited to one method only (e.g. in writing)
● Place a time limit on each contact
● The number of contacts in a time period will be restricted
● A witness will be present for all contacts
● Repeated complaints about the same issue will be refused
● Only acknowledge correspondence regarding a closed matter, not respond to it
● Set behaviour standards
● Return irrelevant documentation
● Keep detailed records

Final Response
This will include:

● A clear statement of the issues, investigations and the findings, giving clear
evidence-based reasons for decisions if appropriate
● Where errors have occurred, explain these fully and state what will be done to put
these right, or prevent repetition

● A focus on fair and proportionate outcomes for the client, including any remedial
action or compensation
● A clear statement that the response is the final one, or that further action or reports
will be send later
● An apology or explanation as appropriate
● A statement of the right to escalate the complaint, together with the relevant contact
detail
● It should also advise on the next step in the process if the complainant is still not
satisfied. That would normally be an offer of an online meeting with the Lead Nurse
to try further reconciliation.
● If at that point resolution is still not achieved then either side can refer the matter to
the Health Commissioner.

Annual Review of Complaints
The clinic will establish an annual complaints report, incorporating a review of complaints
received, along with any learning issues or changes to procedures which have arisen. This
report is to be made available to any person who requests it, and may form part of the
Freedom of Information Act Publication Scheme.
This will include:
· Statistics on the number of complaints received
· Justified / unjustified analysis
· Known referrals to the Ombudsman
· Subject matter / categorisation / clinical care
· Learning points
· Methods of complaints management
· Any changes to procedure, policies or care which have resulted

Confidentiality

All complaints must be treated in the strictest confidence.
The clinic must keep a record of all complaints and copies of all correspondence relating to
complaints, but such records must be kept separate from patients' medical records.

You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how we have used your data.

The ICO’s address is:

Information Commissioner’s Office
 Wycliffe House
 Water Lane
 Wilmslow
 Cheshire
 SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113

Gender Language Policy

Your Menopause Nurse Ltd (YMN) recognises that patients have diverse gender identities. In our publications, literature, and other printed and digital materials, YMN uses the word “woman” (and the pronouns “she” and “her”) to describe patients or individuals whose sex assigned at birth was female, whether they identify as female, male, or non-binary.

As gender language continues to evolve in the scientific and medical communities, YMN will periodically reassess this usage and will make appropriate adjustments as necessary. When describing or referencing study populations used in research, YMN will use the gender terminology reported by the study investigators.

Prescribing Policy

  1. Individualised Care: Each patient will receive personalised treatment plans based on their medical history disclosed, symptoms, and preferences.
  2. Evidence-Based Practice: All prescriptions will be based on the latest clinical evidence and guidelines from the BMS and other reputable sources.
  3. Shared Decision-Making: Patients will be fully informed about the benefits and risks of all treatment options, and their preferences will be respected in the decision-making process.
  4. Safety and Efficacy: Mainly licensed medications will be prescribed, and the lowest effective dose will be used to minimise side effects in line with clinical advice. The exception to this is Testosterone. We prescribe this in accordance with the BMS guidelines, specifically for women experiencing the symptom of low sexual desire after other options have been exhausted. A testosterone blood test is required prior to starting treatment and 3 months after. Annual blood tests are then required. We prescribe testosterone products which were originally granted a license for male use, but we prescribe its use at much lower doses for women. This is classed as an off-licence use of the medication.
    5. Regular Review: Treatment plans will be reviewed during    follow up consultations and adjusted as necessary to ensure      ongoing effectiveness and safety.