Policies & Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions
Where are you based?
Hedge & Hearth Holistics is based in the North East of England. Model appointments take place Bella Marie Training Academy, Seaham and are released on our social media pages.
What happens at my first appointment?
We begin with a short consultation about what you would like from the session, your health, any relevant medication or injuries, and anything that may affect safe treatment. We then agree the areas to be worked on, pressure, positioning and any adjustments. You can ask questions, take a break, change your mind or end the treatment at any point.
Do I need to tell you about trauma or explain why I need an adjustment?
No. You only need to share information relevant to safe treatment. You do not need to tell me your personal story to receive respectful care. You can request a quieter appointment, less conversation, different positioning, a fragrance-free option or no work on a particular area without explaining why.
What should I wear?
Wear whatever is comfortable. I will explain what a treatment involves before it begins and provide appropriate privacy and draping. Only the area being worked on will be uncovered, where relevant. You can choose to keep more clothing on, change the treatment or decline any part of it.
Is the treatment suitable for me if I have a medical condition?
Please tell me about relevant conditions, medication, allergies, pregnancy or recent surgery when booking or during consultation. I may adapt or postpone a treatment, or suggest checking with your GP or another suitable clinician. Massage is not a substitute for medical care and I do not diagnose conditions.
Do you offer silent or sensory-friendly appointments?
Yes. You can ask for minimal conversation, reduced lighting or sound, and fragrance-free products where available. Essential consent and safety check-ins will still take place. Please note any preferences when booking, or tell me on the day.
Who can book?
Hedge & Hearth welcomes adults aged 18 and over. [Confirm the final client eligibility statement against the actual service and insurance terms.] Respectful treatment and adjustments are available without requiring anyone to disclose a diagnosis or personal history.
Can I bring someone with me?
Please ask in advance if you would like a companion or support person present. We can discuss what works for the treatment space and your privacy. Your choices and consent remain central to the appointment.
How do I book, pay, cancel or rearrange?
Book through [booking link]. The available treatments, prices, payment options and [cancellation notice/fees] will be shown before you confirm. [Insert final terms and booking provider before publishing.]
Are our conversations confidential?
I treat what you tell me with care and keep client records securely. If you would like me to contact your GP or another service, I will normally discuss this with you and seek your permission first. Confidentiality has limited exceptions where sharing is necessary to address serious risk of harm, a child safeguarding concern, or a legal requirement. See the Privacy and Safeguarding pages for details.
Are you a counsellor or a crisis service?
No. Hedge & Hearth offers bodywork and wellbeing support, not counselling, trauma treatment, emergency response or crisis monitoring. You are welcome to say if something is affecting your comfort or safety; we can pause and talk about support options without pressure to disclose more. If someone is in immediate danger, call 999.
Safeguarding Policy
Our Privacy Policy
Last updated: [date published]
Hedge & Hearth Holistics respects your privacy.
This notice explains how Hedge & Hearth Holistics use personal information when you visit the website, make an enquiry, book an app
Confidentiality & Information Sharing
I do not sell client information. I normally seek your permission before sharing relevant information with your GP, another healthcare professional or a support organisation. I share only what is needed and record what was shared and why. In exceptional circumstances I may share relevant information without permission when necessary and lawful to protect someone from serious harm, respond to a child safeguarding concern, comply with a legal requirement or establish or defend a legal claim. I consider your wishes, the risk and the least information needed; I tell you about a disclosure where it is safe and appropriate to do so.
Providers who host the website, manage bookings, process payments, provide email or securely store records may process data on my behalf under appropriate arrangements. Relevant information may also be disclosed to my insurer or professional adviser if a complaint or claim requires it. [Name the actual website, booking, payment and records providers, and check their privacy terms, hosting locations and any international transfers.]
Security & Retention
Client information is stored digitally with password-protected access limited to those who need it. I collect only information relevant to the service, use appropriate security measures and review records so they are not kept longer than necessary.
[For adult consultation and treatment records: retain for at least five years after the last treatment, subject to the final FHT qualified-member policy wording and any longer period that is justified by a complaint, claim or other specific requirement. Confirm this exact period before publication.] Other information, such as an unanswered enquiry, booking administration and finance records, follows a separate documented retention schedule based on its purpose and applicable obligations. At the end of the period, information is securely deleted or anonymised. A deletion request may not always result in immediate deletion where records still need to be held for a valid reason.
Your Rights, Your Data
Depending on the circumstances, you can ask to see your information, correct it, have it erased, restrict or object to certain uses, or receive certain data in a portable form. Where processing relies on your consent, you may withdraw it for future processing.
Contact me at hello@hedgeandhearthholistics.com. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint. I would welcome the chance to address your concern first.
Website & Cookies
The website and online booking system may use essential cookies and, if enabled, optional analytics or marketing cookies. [Link to the actual cookie settings and list the tools in use. Check that optional cookies require the appropriate choice before they run.] This notice will be updated if the services, systems or legal requirements change.
Policy Review
Policies are reviewed at least annually and sooner after a safeguarding incident, a change to services or a relevant change in guidance. [Add a private operational procedure for referrals, emergency action, advice, recording, secure storage and lone working; the public page alone is not that procedure.]
Safeguarding & Safe Disclosure Policy
Last updated: [date published]
Safeguarding contact: Kae, hello@hedgeandhearthholistics.com
Scope: Hedge & Hearth clients and participants aged 18 and over; concerns about children disclosed during work are also taken seriously.
Our Commitment
Hedge & Hearth aims to be a welcoming place where adults are treated with dignity, choice and respect. You never have to disclose trauma or harm to receive a treatment. If you choose to tell me about abuse, neglect or something affecting your safety, I will listen without judgement, take you seriously, explain the limits of confidentiality and discuss what you would like to happen next. I will not investigate or ask you to repeat a detailed account unnecessarily.
My experience and safeguarding training inform how I respond, but Hedge & Hearth is a bodywork and wellbeing practice, not a domestic abuse service, counselling service, emergency service or statutory safeguarding authority. I can help you consider practical next steps, contact an appropriate service with you or signpost you to specialist help. I will be honest about what I can and cannot offer.
Your Choice and Confidentiality
For an adult who can make the relevant decision, I will normally ask before contacting a GP, support service, adult social care or the police, and respect your wishes. I will talk with you about the options and any possible effect of sharing information, including safety concerns if somebody else may see your messages or records. I will not promise absolute confidentiality.
Sometimes sharing without consent may be necessary and lawful: for example, an immediate or serious risk to you or another person, a child who may be at risk, or circumstances in which an adult cannot make the relevant decision and action is needed to protect them. A refusal does not automatically mean information will be shared; I will consider the particular risk, available guidance and appropriate professional advice. Where safe and practicable, I will tell you what I plan to share and with whom. I will share the minimum relevant information and record the reason for the decision.
How Concerns Are Handled
I will listen, check whether anyone needs urgent help, and avoid promising an outcome or conducting an investigation. With your involvement wherever possible, I will identify suitable options such as your GP, a specialist domestic abuse or sexual violence service, the relevant local authority's adult safeguarding team, or emergency services. I will make a factual, dated, confidential note of the concern, your wishes, any action taken and the reason for any disclosure. I will keep those notes securely and review the response as appropriate.
If a child may be at risk, I may need to pass relevant information to children's social care or the police without waiting for consent. If there is immediate danger, I will call 999. If the matter is not an emergency, I will seek appropriate advice or make a proportionate referral to the relevant local authority where justified. Where contacting you could increase a risk, I will consider that before doing so.
Getting Support Now
Hedge & Hearth's email and booking system are not monitored as an emergency service. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999. For domestic abuse support in England, the National Domestic Abuse Helpline is available on 0808 2000 247. [Add locally verified adult safeguarding, sexual violence and other inclusive specialist services appropriate to the final location and audience.]
Policy Review
Policies are reviewed at least annually and sooner after a safeguarding incident, a change to services or a relevant change in guidance. [Add a private operational procedure for referrals, emergency action, advice, recording, secure storage and lone working; the public page alone is not that procedure.]
