Terms of Service

1. Who We Are

UK Medical Electives ("we", "us", "UKME") arranges clinical observership placements for international medical students and graduates at NHS hospitals in the United Kingdom.

Contact us at james@ukmedicalelectives.org

2. What We Provide

We arrange clinical observership placements at NHS hospitals. This means:

• We match you with a hospital and department based on your preferences, qualifications, and availability
• We prepare your documentation pack for the hospital
• We submit your application to the hospital on your behalf
• We support you with logistics before and during your placement
• We provide pre-placement training materials

What we do not provide:

• We do not guarantee a placement at a specific hospital or department. Hospitals make their own decisions about who they accept.
• We do not provide accommodation, flights, travel insurance, or living expenses
• We do not provide visa applications (though we provide guidance — see section 6)
• We do not provide medical registration or GMC registration

3. What You Are Booking

Your placement is clinical observation only. This means you will watch and learn. You will not:

• Examine, treat, or touch patients
• Make clinical decisions or contribute to care plans
• Write in patient records
• Prescribe or handle medications
• Perform any procedure

This is not optional. It is a condition of your placement, your honorary contract with the hospital, and (for most international students) your UK visa. Breaking these rules could result in immediate removal from your placement, immigration consequences, and no refund.

4. Pricing and Payment

Programme fee: £2,800 to £3,200, depending on the hospital and placement duration. Your exact fee will be confirmed before you pay.

What's included: Application processing, documentation preparation, pre-placement training, hospital liaison, and placement support.

What's not included: Visa application fees, flights, accommodation, travel insurance, living expenses, occupational health screening (if the hospital requires their own provider), and any additional training the hospital requires.

When you pay: You pay the full Programme Fee after your application is accepted by UKME and before your documentation pack is submitted to the hospital.

Important: Payment to UKME does not guarantee that the hospital will accept you. If the hospital declines your application after you have paid, see section 8 (Refunds).

5. Your Obligations

To secure a placement, you must provide us with accurate and complete documentation, including:

1. Valid passport (with at least 6 months' validity beyond your placement end date)
2. Police clearance certificate(s) from every country you have lived in for 6+ months in the past 5 years
3. University enrolment letter or dean's reference
4. CV / resume
5. English language proficiency evidence (IELTS, OET, or equivalent)
6. Immunisation records (Hepatitis B, MMR, Varicella, TB screening)
7. Evidence of valid UK visa or visa-exempt status for clinical observation
8. Passport-sized photographs (x2)

You must provide all documents within the deadlines we set (typically 10 weeks before your placement start date), complete all mandatory pre-placement training, obtain appropriate UK immigration permission before travelling, and arrange your own travel, accommodation, and travel insurance.

If you provide false or misleading information, we may cancel your placement and refuse a refund.

6. Visas and Immigration

Most international students attend placements on a Standard Visitor visa (or enter visa-free if eligible). Clinical observation is a permitted activity under visitor rules.

We provide guidance on visa requirements, but we are not immigration advisers. Our guidance is general information, not legal advice. You are responsible for checking that you have the correct visa, applying in good time, meeting all entry requirements, and complying with your visa conditions at all times.

7. Clinical Indemnity Insurance

You must have clinical indemnity insurance covering observation activities at an NHS hospital for the duration of your placement.

You must arrange your own clinical indemnity insurance. Providers include the Medical Protection Society (MPS), Medical Defence Union (MDU), or equivalent. You must provide us with a copy of your insurance certificate at least 6 weeks before your placement starts.

8. Cancellations and Refunds

Your right to cancel (cooling-off period)

Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, you have the right to cancel within 14 days of paying, for any reason. If you cancel within this period, we will refund your full Programme Fee within 14 days. If you have asked us to start work on your application before the 14-day period ends, we may deduct a reasonable amount for work already done.

Cancellation after the cooling-off period

If the hospital declines your application

If the hospital declines for reasons not caused by you (for example, the department has no capacity), we will offer you an alternative placement or provide a full refund. If the hospital declines because of something you did or failed to do (for example, incomplete documents or undisclosed criminal record), no refund is payable.

If your visa is refused

Provide us with a copy of the refusal letter. We will refund your Programme Fee minus any costs already incurred. If the refusal was caused by false information you provided, no refund is payable.

Our right to cancel

We may cancel your placement if you fail to provide required documents, provide false information, or if the hospital withdraws. If we cancel for reasons not caused by you, you will receive a full refund.

Refunds are paid to the original payment method within 14 days of the cancellation being confirmed.

9. During Your Placement

You will be supervised by a Named Supervisor appointed by the hospital. You must follow all hospital rules and policies, attend during the agreed hours, and must not engage in any clinical practice (see section 3).

The hospital may end your placement early if you breach hospital rules, behave unprofessionally, or if your continued presence poses a risk. If this happens because of your conduct, no refund is payable.

10. Your Personal Data

We collect and process your personal data to arrange your placement. This includes sensitive data such as health records, police clearance, and passport details. Full details are in our Privacy Policy.

We share your documentation with the hospital so they can process your honorary contract. We store your data securely and only keep it as long as needed. You have rights under UK data protection law, including the right to access, correct, or delete your data.

11. Complaints

Contact us first at james@ukmedicalelectives.org. We will acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days and aim to resolve it within 14 working days.

12. Things Outside Our Control

We are not liable for delays or failures caused by events outside our reasonable control, including pandemic, government restrictions, hospital closures, strikes, natural disasters, or terrorism.

If such an event affects your placement, we will work with you to find an alternative. If no alternative is possible, we will provide a full refund.

13. Limitation of Liability

We do our best to arrange placements, but we cannot guarantee outcomes. We cannot guarantee that a hospital will accept your application, guarantee a specific learning experience, or take responsibility for the hospital's clinical environment or staff behaviour.

Our total liability to you under these terms shall not exceed the Programme Fee you paid.

Nothing in these terms excludes our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud, or any other liability that cannot be excluded by law.

14. Changes to These Terms

We may update these terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by email before they take effect. The version in force when you paid applies to your booking.

15. Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any dispute shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.