Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions

Community Support Solutions Ltd (trading as Ellia) Company Number: 16437222. Registered in England and Wales. Contact: hello@ellia.org.uk | 01452 447109 | ellia.org.uk

Last updated: 8 June 2026

1. About these terms

These Terms and Conditions govern the services provided by Community Support Solutions Ltd, trading as Ellia ("Ellia", "we", "us", "our"). They apply when you arrange or receive our services, set up payment with us, or submit information through our website.

By doing any of these things, you confirm that you have read, understood and accepted these Terms.

In these Terms, "you" and "client" mean the person receiving the services. Where a family member, representative or other person arranges or pays for services on behalf of the client, that person confirms they have the authority to do so and agrees to be responsible for payment and for these Terms on the client's behalf.

If anything here is unclear, please contact us before you agree.

2. Payment, fees and recurring billing

This section explains how and when we take payment. Please read it carefully.

2.1 Fees. Your fees are agreed with you in advance and are based on the hours of care and companionship delivered, charged at your agreed hourly rate. Your rate and any minimum visit length are confirmed to you when your services are set up.

2.2 Saved card and recurring payments. When you set up payment, your card details are stored securely by our payment provider, Stripe. We do not see or hold your full card number. By saving your card you agree that we may charge it on a recurring basis for the services you receive, without you needing to enter your details again each time.

2.3 How much we charge. The amount we charge each fortnight is not fixed. It is calculated from the hours of care actually delivered in that two week period at your agreed hourly rate. You will be able to see the hours and amount on each invoice.

2.4 When we charge. Payments are taken every two weeks for the preceding fortnight of care. We will tell you which day this falls on when your services begin.

2.5 Card verification. When you first set up your card, a temporary charge of around £1 may appear to confirm the card is active. This is refunded automatically, usually within 24 hours.

2.6 Failed or declined payments. If a payment is declined, we will contact you to arrange payment by another method. We may pause services where payment remains outstanding (see section 2.8).

2.7 Changing prices. We may change our rates from time to time. We will give you at least 14 days' written notice of any change to your hourly rate before it takes effect. If you do not wish to continue at the new rate, you may end your services under section 9.

2.8 Overdue payments. We may pause or suspend services if payment is significantly overdue. We will always try to contact you first and give you a reasonable opportunity to bring your account up to date.

2.9 Refunds. You are charged only for care actually delivered. If we charge you in error, or for a visit that did not take place, we will refund the affected amount promptly.

2.10 Stopping future payments. You can stop future payments at any time by giving us two weeks' written notice (see section 9 on ending services). You can also ask us to update or remove your saved card at any time by contacting hello@ellia.org.uk or calling 01452 447109. Stopping payments does not affect your responsibility to pay for care already delivered.

3. Our services

Ellia provides non-medical home help and companionship to people living at home. This includes support such as companionship, help around the home, accompaniment to appointments and similar everyday assistance, as agreed with you.

Our workers do not provide nursing, clinical or medical care. They do not provide personal care. If your needs change so that you require care we are not able to provide, we will discuss alternative arrangements with you.

4. Arranging your services

You tell us what support you would like, and we provide services on the basis of your instructions and the information you give us. We do not assess your needs or advise you on what care you require. It is your responsibility to decide what support you want and to let us know if your needs or circumstances change, so that we can agree any adjustments with you.

5. Respect and care

We are committed to treating everyone we work with respect, dignity and compassion. We aim to deliver our services in a kind, professional and person-centred way, and to listen to what matters to you.

6. Your responsibilities

To help us deliver services safely, you agree to:

• give us accurate and complete information, and tell us promptly of any changes;

• tell us of any relevant risks, health conditions or access requirements;

• provide a safe and reasonable environment for our workers, free from threatening behaviour, harassment or discrimination;

• ensure safe access to your home at agreed times;

• not ask our workers to carry out tasks outside the agreed scope of services; and

• treat our workers with the same respect and courtesy that we extend to you.

We may pause or end services where a worker's safety or wellbeing is at risk.

7. Our workers

Our workers are carefully recruited and supported by Ellia, and are subject to our recruitment and safeguarding checks. They remain engaged by Ellia at all times while working with you.

To protect our business and the workers we invest in, you agree that during the time we provide services to you, and for a period of six months afterwards, you will not directly employ or engage any Ellia worker privately, or arrange for care to be provided to you by an Ellia worker outside Ellia, whether paid or unpaid. If you wish to engage a worker directly, please speak to us first. Where care is arranged directly with an Ellia worker in breach of this section, an introduction fee of £1,500 becomes payable to Ellia.

This protects the continuity and safety of your care and the proper support, insurance and safeguarding that we provide around it.

8. Cancellations and missed visits

We ask for at least 24 hours' notice if you need to cancel or change a visit. Visits cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice may be charged in full, as we may be unable to redeploy that time. If our worker is unable to gain access at an agreed time, the visit may be charged.

If we ever need to cancel or rearrange a visit, we will give you as much notice as we reasonably can and will not charge you for a visit that does not go ahead because of us.

9. Ending services

Either of us may end services by giving 24h written notice. You can give notice by emailing hello@ellia.org.uk or calling 01452 447109.

We may end or suspend services immediately, without notice, where there is a serious concern about safety, the conduct of any person at the premises, a safeguarding risk, or significant non-payment.

10. Health, safety and risk

We take reasonable care to deliver services safely and to assess and manage risks in your home. We rely on you to keep us informed of anything that affects safety, including health conditions, medication, pets, and any hazards in the home.

Our workers are not responsible for providing medical or emergency treatment. In an emergency they will seek appropriate help, including calling the emergency services, and will contact your named contact where they can.

11. Access, keys and property

Where you provide keys or access arrangements, we will keep these securely and use them only to deliver your agreed services. We take care in your home, but we are not responsible for pre-existing wear, faults or damage not caused by us.

12. Privacy, data protection and safeguarding

We handle personal information in line with UK data protection law and our Privacy Policy, which is available on request and on our website. We collect and use your information only to deliver and manage your services, meet our legal duties, and keep you safe.

We carry out appropriate recruitment and safeguarding checks on our staff, including DBS checks. We take safeguarding seriously and will act on any concern about the safety or wellbeing of an adult at risk in line with our safeguarding responsibilities, which may include sharing information with relevant authorities where necessary.

13. Insurance and liability

We hold public liability insurance and take reasonable care and skill in delivering our services.

Except as set out below, our total liability to you in connection with our services is limited to the value of the services provided to you in the three months before the event giving rise to the claim.

We are not liable for losses that were not reasonably foreseeable, or for losses arising from your failure to give us accurate information or to follow advice we have given.

Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or for anything else that cannot be limited or excluded under the law. Nothing in these Terms affects your statutory rights as a consumer.

14. Complaints

We want you to be happy with your care. If something is wrong, please tell us as soon as you can by emailing hello@ellia.org.uk or calling 01452 447109. We will acknowledge your complaint, look into it fairly, and respond within a reasonable time. We keep a record of complaints and use them to improve.

15. Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms from time to time, for example to reflect changes in our services or the law. Where we make a significant change, we will give you reasonable notice. Continuing to use our services after that confirms your acceptance of the updated Terms.

16. Events outside our control

We are not responsible for failing to deliver, or for delays in delivering, services because of events outside our reasonable control, such as severe weather, illness, power or transport failures, or other emergencies. We will let you know as soon as we can and will rearrange services where possible.

17. General

If any part of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the rest will continue to apply. These Terms, together with your care or support plan and any written arrangements we agree with you, form the whole agreement between us. We may transfer our rights and obligations under these Terms to another organisation; this will not affect your rights. A delay in enforcing these Terms is not a waiver of our right to do so. These Terms do not give any rights to anyone who is not a party to them.

18. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes will be dealt with by the courts of England and Wales.

19. Acceptance

By using our services, setting up payment, or submitting information through our website, you confirm that you have read, understood and accepted these Terms and Conditions.

If you have any questions, please contact us at hello@ellia.org.uk.