Terms and Conditions

Additional terms that apply to Users, including healthcare professionals, using TEL Connect — on top of the Key Definitions and Part B (General Terms and Conditions) above. Here, “You or Your” means the User registering for or using the Platform.

General

TEL provides access to its Platform to enable registered Users, including healthcare professionals and other eligible professionals, to discover and apply for relevant professional opportunities offered by Brands, Product Companies and other Organisations.

Opportunities available through TEL Connect may include consultancy projects, advisory boards, surveys, research, product testing and feedback, content creation (including social media content), speaking opportunities and other paid professional activities.

Users may browse and apply for opportunities for which they meet the stated eligibility criteria. Applying for a project does not guarantee that a User will be selected or appointed.

Users are responsible for ensuring that all information provided within their TEL profile and any project application is accurate, complete and up to date, including their profession, qualifications, experience and any other information relevant to their eligibility for an opportunity.

Users must only apply for or accept projects that they are appropriately qualified, experienced and able to undertake.

TEL does not guarantee that a User will be selected for any project, receive a minimum number of opportunities or earn any particular amount through the Platform.

Applications

Users may apply for opportunities displayed through TEL Connect where they meet the eligibility requirements stated within the project listing.

When applying, Users may be required to provide information about their professional experience, suitability, availability, proposed approach or other information relevant to the project.

Users must provide accurate and truthful information within their applications and must not misrepresent their qualifications, experience, professional registration, audience, social media following or other relevant credentials.

The Organisation offering the project is responsible for deciding which applicant or applicants it wishes to appoint unless the project listing expressly states that TEL will undertake the selection process.

If an Organisation does not respond to an application within 7 days, the application may automatically be removed from the Organisation’s active applicant list so that Users are not left with applications remaining open indefinitely.

Accepting a Project

If a User is selected for a project, they will be given the opportunity to review and accept the appointment through the Platform.

Users should review the project brief, deliverables, payment, deadlines, usage rights and any other relevant requirements before accepting.

Once a User accepts the project, a binding agreement in respect of that project is formed between the User and the Organisation.

By accepting the project, the User agrees to undertake the work in accordance with the agreed project requirements.

Project Completion and Approval

Once the User has completed the agreed work and provided all required deliverables, they should mark the project as complete through the Platform.

The Organisation will then have 7 days to approve the completed project or raise a genuine issue relating to the agreed scope or deliverables.

If the Organisation does not take action within this period, the project will automatically be deemed approved and any payment due to the User will be released in accordance with the applicable payment terms.

Users must not mark a project as complete where material elements of the agreed work remain outstanding.

Withdrawing an Application or Cancelling a Project

A User may withdraw an application at any time before they have accepted an appointment to the project.

Once a User has accepted a project, they are expected to complete the agreed work and should only cancel in exceptional circumstances or where cancellation has been mutually agreed with the Organisation.

If a User becomes unable to complete an accepted project due to illness, emergency or another exceptional circumstance, they should notify TEL and the Organisation as soon as reasonably possible.

Where work has already commenced before a project is cancelled, any payment due will be determined in accordance with the Payment and Project Cancellation section of the Brand & Organisation Terms and Conditions and the work completed.

Changes to an Accepted Project

An Organisation may not materially change the agreed scope, deliverables, payment, usage rights or deadlines after a User has accepted a project without the User’s agreement.

Users are not required to undertake additional work or accept materially different terms from those originally agreed.

If an Organisation requests a significant change to an accepted project, the User should agree any revised terms before undertaking the additional or amended work.

Professional Responsibilities

Users remain responsible for their own professional judgement and for complying with the professional standards, codes of conduct, regulatory requirements and guidance applicable to them.

Users must not undertake work through TEL that would require them to act outside their professional scope of practice or breach an applicable professional or regulatory obligation.

Users must provide their genuine professional opinion when participating in research, testing, feedback, consultancy or other projects.

A User will never be required to provide a positive review, recommendation or endorsement as a condition of receiving payment, products or other benefits through TEL.

Where a User believes that a project brief or request is inappropriate or conflicts with their professional obligations, they should decline the request and may report the matter to TEL.

Content Creation and Usage Rights

Where a User applies for a content creation opportunity, the project listing will specify the proposed usage rights for the content.

These may include organic social media use, paid advertising, the duration of the licence, the platforms on which the content may be used and whether whitelisting is required.

Users should review these rights before applying for and accepting the project.

By accepting a content creation project, the User agrees to grant the Organisation the usage rights expressly stated within the agreed project.

Unless expressly agreed otherwise, ownership of the User’s original content remains with the User and the Organisation receives a licence to use that content only in accordance with the agreed usage rights.

Any extension of the agreed usage period, addition or extension of paid advertising, whitelisting, use on additional platforms or other material expansion of the agreed usage rights requires the User’s agreement and may be subject to an additional fee.

Users should notify TEL if they become aware that their content is being used materially outside the rights agreed through the Platform.

Communication and Platform Circumvention

Users should communicate with Organisations through TEL’s built-in messaging system in relation to projects wherever reasonably possible.

Users must not deliberately move work with an Organisation introduced to them through TEL outside the Platform for the purpose of avoiding TEL’s fees, payment processes or other Platform requirements.

If an Organisation introduced through TEL approaches a User directly regarding additional paid work, the User should arrange that work through TEL unless otherwise authorised by TEL.

Deliberate attempts to circumvent the Platform may result in restriction, suspension or termination of the User’s account.

Professional Conduct

Users must communicate with Organisations, TEL and other Platform Users professionally and respectfully.

TEL reserves the right to restrict, suspend or terminate an account where a User behaves inappropriately, provides materially false or misleading information, breaches these Terms or otherwise misuses the Platform.

TEL’s Role

TEL provides the Platform through which Users can discover, apply for and undertake professional opportunities with participating Organisations.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, TEL is not the User’s employer and registering with or undertaking projects through TEL does not create an employment relationship between TEL and the User.

TEL may facilitate communication between a User and an Organisation where an issue arises. However, TEL is not a party to the individual project agreement between the User and the Organisation and is not responsible for resolving contractual disputes between them, except where expressly stated otherwise in these Terms.

Participation in TEL does not require a User to recommend, prescribe, endorse or promote any Brand, Organisation, product or service.

Professional Status

The User confirms that they hold any licences, registrations, qualifications or professional memberships required for their profession and for any activities they undertake through the Platform.

The User is responsible for ensuring that all professional information provided to TEL, including qualifications, registration status, profession and experience, is accurate and up to date.

The User must maintain any professional registration, qualification, insurance or other requirement necessary for the projects they undertake through the Platform and must notify TEL promptly of any material change to their professional status that may affect their eligibility to use the Platform or participate in a project.

The User must not misrepresent their qualifications, professional registration, experience, employment status or scope of practice.

Professional Independence

Nothing within the Platform requires a User to recommend, prescribe, endorse, promote or use any particular product, service, Brand or Organisation.

The User must maintain their professional independence at all times.

Any professional opinion, feedback, recommendation or other contribution provided by the User through the Platform must reflect their genuine professional judgement and experience.

Where participation relates to patient care, all professional and clinical decisions remain the responsibility of the User and must be made independently, in accordance with their professional obligations and in the best interests of their patients.

Payment, gifted products or any other benefit received through TEL must not influence or be conditional upon the User providing a positive opinion, recommendation, review or endorsement.

Clinical and Professional Responsibility

The User remains solely responsible for their own professional judgement and for any clinical decisions, assessments, recommendations, advice or treatment they personally provide in the course of their professional practice.

Nothing provided through the Platform, by TEL, or as part of an Organisation’s project brief constitutes clinical instruction or replaces the User’s independent professional judgement.

The User is responsible for ensuring that any project or activity undertaken through the Platform complies with their:

• professional registration and applicable code of conduct;
• scope of practice and professional competence;
• employer policies and contractual obligations, where applicable;
• professional indemnity or insurance requirements, where applicable;
• applicable regulatory and professional guidance; and
• applicable advertising, disclosure and promotional requirements.

The User must not apply for or accept a project that requires them to work outside their professional competence, scope of practice or applicable professional obligations.

Where a User believes that a project, brief or request from an Organisation would require them to breach a professional, regulatory, clinical or ethical obligation, they must not undertake that activity and should notify TEL where appropriate.

Regulatory Compliance

The User must comply with all professional standards, ethical obligations, codes of conduct, regulatory requirements and applicable legislation relevant to their profession and to any activity undertaken through the Platform.

The User remains responsible for ensuring that their participation in any project complies with any applicable professional, regulatory, employer or advertising requirements.

Conflicts of Interest

The User must disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest where required by applicable law, professional guidance, their employer or TEL’s Platform policies.

Where a conflict of interest may affect, or reasonably be perceived to affect, the User’s professional independence or ability to participate objectively in a project, the User must disclose this before accepting or continuing with the project.

Independent Relationship (User)

The User participates in projects through the Platform as an independent contractor and not as an employee, worker, partner or agent of TEL.

Nothing in these Terms, registration with TEL or participation in a project creates an employment relationship between TEL and the User.

The User is responsible for their own tax, National Insurance and any other financial or legal obligations arising from payments received through the Platform, where applicable.

TEL acts as an intermediary Platform provider connecting Users with Organisations and does not guarantee the outcome of any project, engagement or professional opportunity.

Unless expressly stated otherwise in these Terms, TEL is not a party to the individual agreement formed between the User and an Organisation in relation to a project.

Feedback

Where the User provides feedback, reviews, opinions or other professional insight regarding a product or service, that feedback must be honest and based on the User’s genuine experience, knowledge and professional opinion.

The User must not provide misleading or deliberately inaccurate feedback and is not required to provide positive feedback, a recommendation or an endorsement as a condition of participating in a project.

The User acknowledges that feedback may be analysed and used in anonymised or aggregated form for research, reporting, product development, service improvement or other purposes described within the relevant project.

Any use of identifiable User feedback, including the User’s name, image, professional title or attributable quotation, will be subject to the permissions and usage rights agreed for the relevant project.

Data Protection (User)

Independent Controller Status

The User acknowledges that, in relation to their professional practice and any Personal Data they process through the Platform, they act as an independent Controller unless expressly stated otherwise.

The User remains solely responsible for ensuring that their processing activities comply with applicable Data Protection Legislation and their professional obligations.

Patient Information

Users must not upload, share or disclose any information that could identify a patient, client, service user or any other individual through the Platform unless expressly authorised by law and required for the relevant activity.

This includes, but is not limited to, names, addresses, dates of birth, NHS numbers, photographs, videos, medical records, or any combination of information that could reasonably identify an individual.

Where case studies, examples or professional experiences are shared, they must be fully anonymised so that no individual can be identified, directly or indirectly.

Wherever possible, identifiable information must not be uploaded to the Platform. Any information shared should be anonymised or pseudonymised before being submitted.

Users remain responsible for complying with all applicable confidentiality, data protection and professional obligations when using the Platform.

Use of Platform Information

Any information accessed or obtained by the User through the Platform must only be used for legitimate purposes connected with the User’s participation in the Platform or delivery of an agreed project.

The User must not:

• copy or use participant, Organisation or other User information for unrelated purposes;
• create independent databases using information obtained through the Platform;
• disclose confidential or commercially sensitive information to unauthorised third parties;
• use information obtained through the Platform for unsolicited marketing or other unauthorised purposes; or
• attempt to identify individuals from information that has been anonymised or aggregated.

Images and Video

Where the User submits photographs, videos or other visual content through the Platform, the User must ensure that they have the necessary rights, permissions and consents to submit and use that content.

The User must ensure that any photographs or videos created or submitted in a professional or healthcare context comply with applicable law, professional guidance, employer requirements and patient confidentiality obligations.

The User must not upload identifiable patient information, images or recordings unless they have a lawful basis and all necessary permissions or consents to do so.

Data Subject Rights

Where the User processes Personal Data independently in connection with a project, the User remains responsible for complying with applicable data protection requirements and responding appropriately to requests relating to Personal Data for which they are responsible.

Retention

The User must retain Personal Data obtained in connection with a project only for as long as reasonably necessary for the relevant lawful and professional purpose.

Where Personal Data is no longer required, the User should securely delete or appropriately anonymise it in accordance with applicable data protection requirements and any relevant professional or employer policies.

Information Security

The User must take reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect information accessed, received or processed through the Platform.

Depending on the nature and sensitivity of the information, such measures may include:

• using secure devices;
• appropriate password protection;
• multi-factor authentication where available;
• encryption where appropriate;
• secure storage of information;
• appropriate and secure disposal of information; and
• taking reasonable steps to prevent unauthorised access by third parties.

Security Incidents (User)

The User must notify TEL promptly if they become aware of any actual or suspected data breach, security incident or unauthorised access that may affect the Platform or information obtained through it.

The User must provide reasonable cooperation with TEL in relation to the investigation, management or resolution of any such incident.

Confidentiality (User)

The User acknowledges that, through participation in the Platform, they may have access to confidential or commercially sensitive information relating to Organisations, other Users, participants, projects, products and the operation of the Platform.

The User must keep such information confidential and must not disclose, copy, distribute or use it other than as reasonably necessary for their legitimate participation in the Platform or completion of an agreed project.

This obligation does not apply where disclosure is:

• required by law;
• required by a regulatory or professional authority;
• reasonably necessary for the User to comply with their professional obligations; or
• authorised in writing by TEL or, where appropriate, the Organisation to which the confidential information relates.

The User’s confidentiality obligations continue after their participation in a project or use of the Platform has ended.

Promotional Activities

Where the User undertakes promotional or content creation activities through the Platform, they must comply with all applicable advertising requirements, healthcare regulations, professional standards and disclosure requirements.

Where required, the User must clearly disclose that content is paid, sponsored, gifted or otherwise incentivised in accordance with applicable advertising rules and professional guidance.

Intellectual Property (User)

The User retains ownership of any original educational materials, professional materials or other intellectual property they create and submit through the Platform, unless otherwise expressly agreed as part of a specific project.

The User grants TEL a limited, non-exclusive licence to host, store, reproduce and display such content only to the extent reasonably necessary to operate the Platform, administer the relevant project or provide TEL’s services.

Where content is created for an Organisation as part of a paid project, any additional usage rights granted to that Organisation will be governed by the usage rights agreed for that specific project.

Project Fee

The fee, honorarium or other remuneration offered for a project is set by the Organisation. TEL may display a recommended minimum budget based on the deliverables and usage rights required, but the final amount offered is determined by the Organisation, not TEL.

The project fee will be clearly displayed within the project listing before the User applies, and confirmed again at the point of acceptance. The User should review the fee, together with the deliverables, usage rights, deadlines and any other listed requirements, before accepting a project.

By accepting a project, the User confirms that they have read and agreed to the fee offered and that it fairly reflects the work, time and expertise required. Once accepted, the fee forms part of the binding agreement between the User and the Organisation and may not be changed by either party except by mutual agreement, in accordance with the Changes to an Accepted Project section above.

Payment will be released in accordance with the Project Completion and Approval section above.

Non-Delivery and Payment Disputes

Where a User does not deliver the agreed deliverables, or delivers work that materially fails to meet the agreed scope, the Organisation may withhold or refuse the fee for that project, in accordance with the Project Completion and Approval section above.

Where only part of the agreed work has been delivered, payment will be considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the work actually completed and the agreed project fee.

TEL will support both parties in resolving a deliverables dispute as quickly as reasonably possible, including by facilitating communication between the User and the Organisation. TEL is not responsible for resolving the dispute itself and is not liable for any fee withheld, reduced or disputed under this clause.

Insurance (User)

Where required by the nature of the User’s profession or the activities undertaken through the Platform, the User is responsible for maintaining appropriate professional indemnity insurance or other relevant insurance cover.

The User is responsible for ensuring that their insurance provides appropriate cover for the activities they agree to undertake through the Platform.

Indemnity (User)

The User agrees to indemnify TEL against claims arising from their professional conduct, regulatory breaches, breach of these Terms, or any claim brought by an Organisation, Participant or third party relating to the User’s involvement in a Campaign or project.