Terms, payment & cancellation.

What you are booking

The standard ILLUMINA assessment is a private autism assessment carried out by two Clinical Psychologists. It includes pre-assessment information gathering, developmental assessment, face-to-face clinical assessment including ADOS-2 where appropriate, joint clinical formulation, feedback, a written report, recommendations and signposting.

The free 15-minute initial conversation is an opportunity to ask questions and consider whether the service appears suitable. It is not itself a clinical assessment and does not create an obligation to book.

Fees & payment

We will confirm the assessment plan and payment details in writing before you pay a deposit. The standard fee covers the core assessment pathway described above.

Cooling-off period for online or telephone bookings

If you enter into the assessment contract online or by telephone, you will normally have a 14-day statutory cooling-off period from the date the contract is agreed.

If no chargeable work has started and you cancel within that period, we will refund what you have paid. We will not normally begin chargeable assessment work during the cooling-off period unless you ask us to do so.

If you ask us to begin the service within the 14-day period and then cancel before it is complete, you may be charged a proportionate amount for work that has already been carried out. If the service has been completed in full after you expressly asked us to start early and acknowledged the effect on your cancellation right, the statutory right to cancel may end.

These terms do not affect any statutory rights you may have.

Cancellation & rearranging appointments

The free 15-minute initial conversation can be cancelled or rearranged without charge.

Substantive assessment appointments can be cancelled or rearranged without charge when you give at least 48 working hours’ notice. Working hours means normal weekdays and does not include weekends or bank holidays.

The purpose of this charge is to reflect clinical time that has been reserved and may not be possible to offer to someone else at short notice. We recognise that genuine emergencies happen and will use reasonable discretion where circumstances are outside your control.

If we need to cancel an appointment, there is no charge and we will offer an alternative appointment as soon as reasonably possible.

If you decide not to continue part-way through

You can decide to stop the assessment at any point. We will not automatically charge the full assessment fee for work that has not been carried out.

If chargeable work has already taken place, we will calculate a proportionate fee for the clinical and administrative work completed, taking account of the stage the assessment has reached. We will explain the calculation and credit any amount you have already paid against it.

If you have paid more than the amount due for work already completed, we will refund the difference. Any separately agreed, non-recoverable third-party costs may also remain payable.

Reports & timescales

We aim to provide the written report within three weeks of the final assessment appointment. If an unusual clinical or practical issue means the report is likely to take longer, we will let you know.

The report explains the information considered, our understanding of the presentation, relevant differential or co-occurring explanations, whether diagnostic criteria for autism are met, and individual recommendations and signposting.

Additional professional input

Most assessments are completed by the two ILLUMINA Clinical Psychologists. Where useful, we may suggest consultation with a trusted colleague in another discipline, such as psychiatry or occupational therapy.

Brief professional consultation may sometimes be absorbed within the standard pathway. If we recommend a substantial additional assessment or piece of work that would carry an extra fee, we will explain why and agree the cost with you before anything is arranged.

Confidentiality & records

Clinical information is treated as confidential and shared only for legitimate purposes connected with your assessment, with appropriate consent and subject to professional and legal exceptions. Please see our privacy notice for more detail about how information is collected, stored and shared.

Urgent or emergency support

ILLUMINA is an assessment service and is not an urgent or crisis mental-health service. If you need immediate support, please use the appropriate NHS emergency or crisis services rather than relying on the ILLUMINA enquiry route.

Concerns & complaints

We want people to feel able to raise concerns directly with us. Our complaints procedure explains how to raise a concern, how we will respond, and what external routes may be relevant.