Terms of Service
Please read these Terms of Service carefully before using the BetterHands (Pvt) Ltd website or engaging our home care services. By accessing our services, you agree to be bound by these terms.
Last updated: 15 August 2026
Agreement to Terms
These Terms of Service constitute a legally binding agreement between you (“Client”, “you”, “your”) and BetterHands (Pvt) Ltd (“BetterHands”, “we”, “our”, “us”), a company incorporated in Sri Lanka.
By accessing our website at betterhands.org, submitting an enquiry, or engaging our home care services, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy.
If you do not agree with any part of these terms, please do not use our website or services.
Where you have signed a Caregiver Service Agreement with BetterHands, that agreement sets out the specific terms of your engagement — service category, rates, dates, and duties. These Terms of Service apply alongside it. If the two ever conflict, the signed Caregiver Service Agreement takes precedence.
Our Services
BetterHands (Pvt) Ltd provides home-based care services in Sri Lanka, including but not limited to:
Personal Care
Daily living assistance including bathing, grooming, mobility support, and meal preparation.
Nursing Care
Clinical nursing services including medication management, wound care, and chronic disease monitoring.
Companion Care
Social engagement, transport, errands, and respite care for family carers.
BetterHands acts as a care service provider, not merely a caregiver placement agency. We are responsible for the training, vetting, and ongoing supervision of caregivers placed with your family.
Eligibility
Our services are available to individuals and families in Sri Lanka. By engaging our services, you represent that:
- You are at least 18 years of age, or acting on behalf of a person requiring care
- You have the legal authority to enter into this agreement
- All information you provide to us is accurate and complete
- You will notify us promptly of any changes to the client's care needs or circumstances
Booking & Placement
Upon completing a care assessment, BetterHands will identify and present a suitable caregiver match. The following conditions apply:
72-Hour Placement Guarantee
We aim to place a matched caregiver within 72 hours of a completed care assessment. This is a service commitment, not a guaranteed outcome in every case: highly specialised clinical requirements, remote locations, unusual language or gender preferences, restricted schedules, and periods of exceptionally high demand can extend the timeline. Where placement will take longer than 72 hours, we will tell you as soon as we know, explain why, give you a revised estimate, and continue working without pause until your caregiver is placed. No additional placement fee is charged for the extra time.
Unlimited Free Replacements
If you are not satisfied with the assigned caregiver, we will arrange a replacement at no additional cost. Members receive unlimited caregiver replacements for the duration of their membership — there is no time limit and no replacement fee.
90-Day No-Quit Guarantee
If a placed caregiver voluntarily discontinues their engagement within 90 days, BetterHands will provide a replacement without additional placement fees.
Care Assessment
A care assessment may be conducted in person or by phone. The accuracy of information provided during the assessment directly affects the quality of caregiver matching.
Live-in Arrangements
Where the service is a live-in arrangement, the caregiver resides at the client’s address for the duration of the agreed service period unless otherwise agreed in writing. For these placements, the client agrees to provide the caregiver with:
- Suitable, private, and safe sleeping accommodation for the duration of the service period
- Three reasonable meals per day, or the means for the caregiver to prepare their own meals
- Access to washing and basic sanitary facilities
- A safe living and working environment, free from abuse, harassment, or unsafe conditions
These are conditions of the placement, not courtesies. Failure to provide adequate food or accommodation may be treated as a breach of the service agreement and is grounds for BetterHands to withdraw the caregiver under our termination terms.
Payment & Fees
All fees are quoted in Sri Lankan Rupees (LKR) unless otherwise stated. Standard daily service rates are:
The applicable rate is confirmed with the client before services commence.
Hospital bystander placements are the one exception to the daily scale. They are priced by shift length rather than by staff role:
The same bystander rate applies at every hospital and in every district — there are no travel supplements.
Half-day home care is booked as a shift rather than a full day:
Regular weekly half-day schedules are quoted monthly at a discounted rate.
Post-operative recovery care is billed per recovery day:
Extended or complex recovery programmes, including IV therapy, are quoted per case.
Visit-based clinical services — clinical nursing procedures, medication management and doorstep lab testing — are charged per procedure or visit, plus nurse transport:
Outstation transport varies with distance and is confirmed before the visit. Placements and shift-based care carry no transport charge.
Payment cycle
Services are billed and paid in 15-day cycles. We issue an invoice for each upcoming cycle five days before that cycle starts, and the full amount must be settled before the cycle begins.
Advance payment
No services will begin, and no caregiver will be deployed or continued, until the applicable cycle payment has been received in full.
Minimum period
The minimum service period is 15 days. Shorter engagements are billed as a full 15-day cycle.
Payment methods
We accept bank transfers, cheques, online payments, and corporate billing arrangements. Cash payments are accepted subject to receipt.
Non-payment
Because cycles are paid in advance, an unsettled invoice pauses the placement rather than accruing interest. Services resume once payment is received, subject to caregiver availability.
Insurance claims
We will assist with documentation for insurance claims but cannot guarantee approval. The client remains responsible for unpaid balances.
Membership & Registration
Engaging BetterHands requires an annual membership and registration fee of LKR 20,000. The membership covers:
- Unlimited caregiver replacements at no additional cost if you are not satisfied
- Payroll management and caregiver administration
- Ongoing coordination and support from the BetterHands team
- Access to all services covered under the BetterHands membership
The annual membership and registration fee is separate from the daily service fees, and is strictly non-refundable under any circumstances once paid — including early termination, cancellation, or dissatisfaction with services.
Cancellation & Refunds
Payments made to BetterHands are non-refundable. Fees are collected in advance so that a caregiver can be reserved, scheduled and paid, and that commitment is made as soon as a cycle is funded. Where an arrangement ends early, any balance is dealt with by review rather than by an automatic refund, as set out below.
Ongoing placements billed in 15-day cycles
Either party may end the arrangement with at least seven days’ written notice. When notice is given, BetterHands reviews the placement and settles it as follows:
- We calculate the fee for the period actually served, including any days worked within the current cycle
- That amount is charged against the payment already made, and is not refundable
- Any remaining balance is then reviewed case by case
- Following that review, BetterHands may offer the balance as a credit toward a future service period, or refund it
- Whether a balance is credited or refunded is decided by BetterHands after review; neither is automatic
- The annual membership and registration fee is non-refundable in all circumstances, without exception
Reviews are carried out promptly once notice is acknowledged, and the outcome is confirmed to the client in writing. Nothing in this section limits any right a client has under applicable Sri Lankan consumer law.
Individual scheduled visits and sessions
For visit-based services that are not part of a continuous placement — such as home nursing visits, physiotherapy sessions, or doorstep lab testing — the following notice periods apply:
No charge. Cancellation at least 48 hours in advance incurs no fee.
50% of the scheduled session fee applies.
100% of the scheduled session fee applies, except in cases of genuine medical emergency.
To cancel or reschedule a service, please contact us via phone or email at least 48 hours in advance wherever possible.
Caregiver Conduct
All BetterHands caregivers are required to:
- Maintain professional conduct and personal boundaries at all times
- Follow the agreed care plan without deviation unless instructed by BetterHands
- Report any concerns about the client's health or safety to BetterHands immediately
- Not accept gifts, loans, or financial transactions from clients or their families
- Maintain strict confidentiality regarding the client and their household
- Not engage in any private care arrangements directly with the client or family
If you experience inappropriate conduct from a caregiver, please contact BetterHands immediately at +94 74 21 21 744.
Caregiver Limitations
A caregiver placement is a non-medical, daily-necessities support service. Caregivers assist with daily living activities, personal care, companionship, general supervision, simple meal preparation, and other agreed non-medical duties within the scope of their training.
Regardless of category, a caregiver is not authorised to:
- Diagnose medical conditions
- Prescribe or change prescribed medication
- Perform medical procedures outside their qualifications
- Provide professional medical or nursing services unless engaged and qualified for that purpose
Medication support at caregiver level means reminders and supervision, not administration of treatment. Administration, injections, wound care and other clinical work require a Nursing Assistant or Professional Nurse engaged specifically for that purpose. Where a care recipient’s condition requires a higher level of professional care, BetterHands may recommend changing the service category.
Medical Emergencies
Caregiver services assist with daily necessities and are not a substitute for emergency medical services, hospital care, or specialist medical treatment.
In a medical emergency, the client or caregiver should seek emergency medical assistance immediately. Sri Lanka’s free national ambulance service can be reached on 1990 (Suwa Seriya).
The client remains responsible for the care recipient’s medical decisions, and for providing BetterHands with accurate medical, emergency, and contact information.
Client Responsibilities
As a client of BetterHands, you agree to:
- Provide accurate and complete information about the care recipient's needs, medical history, mobility, behavioural concerns, medication requirements, and home environment
- Ensure a safe working environment for caregivers, free from hazards and abuse
- Provide suitable accommodation and daily meals where the placement is live-in, as set out above
- Treat the caregiver with respect and dignity
- Safeguard personal belongings and valuables — responsibility for the household's property remains with the client at all times
- Not request caregivers to perform tasks outside the agreed care plan or beyond their qualifications
- Not attempt to privately engage or hire a BetterHands caregiver for a period of 12 months after care ends
- Notify BetterHands of any significant changes to the client's health or living situation
- Settle each 15-day cycle invoice in advance, before that cycle begins
- Inform BetterHands promptly of any concerns about the caregiver or the services provided
- Cooperate with BetterHands on caregiver coordination and replacement arrangements
Liability
BetterHands (Pvt) Ltd carries professional indemnity and public liability insurance for all placed caregivers operating within their care plan. The following limitations apply:
Scope of liability
BetterHands is liable for losses directly caused by our negligence or that of our caregivers acting within their assigned duties. We are not liable for indirect, consequential, or third-party losses.
Limit of liability
Our overall responsibility in connection with the services is limited to the fees paid by the client for the relevant service period. We do not accept responsibility for matters arising from the care recipient's pre-existing condition, the client's premises, or circumstances outside our direct coordination role.
Primary responsibility
Caregiving concerns the day-to-day wellbeing of the care recipient and the client's household. Primary responsibility for their safety, medical care, and property remains with the client at all times.
Client property
Caregivers are instructed to handle client property with care. Safeguarding the care recipient's and household's personal belongings and valuables remains the client's responsibility at all times. BetterHands does not accept responsibility for loss of or damage to client property, and does not operate a claims process for it.
Medical decisions
BetterHands caregivers are not licensed physicians and do not provide medical diagnoses or prescriptions. Any clinical care is delivered within defined nursing protocols.
Force majeure
BetterHands is not liable for delay, failure, or suspension of services caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control — including caregiver illness or unavailability, strikes, transport disruption, civil unrest, natural disasters, epidemic or pandemic conditions, or government restrictions. We may suspend, delay, or reschedule services without penalty, and prepaid fees for the affected period may, at our discretion, be credited toward a future service period rather than refunded.
Caregivers — Nature of Engagement
The sections that follow apply to caregivers who take assignments coordinated by BetterHands. They summarise the Independent Caregiver Service Agreement each caregiver signs; where the two differ, the signed agreement takes precedence.
Every caregiver who works with BetterHands is interviewed and verified by our team before they are offered a single assignment. Nobody reaches a client’s home on an introduction alone.
How we verify a caregiver
- An interview with our team — in person where practical, and by video or phone call where the caregiver is outside Colombo or currently on assignment
- Identity verification against NIC or passport
- Confirmation of caregiving background and previous placements, with references checked where they are available
- A written declaration that the caregiver has no undisclosed criminal convictions relevant to caregiving, and must tell us promptly if that changes
- For every nurse, PHSRC registration verified directly against the Private Health Services Regulatory Council register — not accepted on a certificate alone
Experience levels we place
Our caregivers are not all at the same level, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise. The category set for an assignment reflects the level of person placed, which is why the rates differ:
Junior caregiver
Entry-level, with limited or no formal caregiving experience. Trained and supervised by us, and placed on lower-dependency assignments — companionship, supervision, and help around the house.
Experienced caregiver
A track record of previous placements. Suited to personal care, mobility support and daily living assistance where the routine matters more than clinical skill.
Nursing assistant
Trained for basic clinical support alongside personal care — vital signs, medication support, basic wound and continence care.
Professional nurse
PHSRC-registered and verified. Required for anything clinical: wound care, injections, IV therapy, catheter and NG tube care, post-operative recovery.
A junior caregiver is never placed on an assignment that calls for clinical work, and a nurse is never billed for an assignment that does not need one. The free care assessment is what determines the level — not the enquiry, and not the client’s own estimate.
The engagement itself
Verified caregivers work with us on a contract basis, assignment by assignment — matched to the work rather than held on a roster. Caregivers are free to accept or decline any assignment offered, subject to operational requirements, and BetterHands remains the party that vetted them, coordinates the placement, and answers for it.
The agreement does not guarantee continuous work, minimum earnings, or a fixed number of assignments. Assignments vary by patient condition, location, hours, responsibilities and duration, and BetterHands may offer, reassign, suspend or discontinue them based on client requirements, availability, qualifications and performance.
Because the engagement is a contract for services rather than employment, it does not carry:
- EPF or ETF contributions
- Paid annual leave
- Paid sick leave
- Public holiday pay
- Overtime payments, unless separately agreed in writing
- Gratuity
- Any other statutory benefit applicable to permanent employees
Caregivers — Fees & Payment
Service fees, and any allowances such as weekend or Poya day rates, are set for each assignment and recorded in the caregiver’s individual agreement. They are not published here because they vary by category, arrangement and assignment.
- Fees are processed on 15-day payment cycles, calculated at the close of each cycle
- Work from the 1st to the 15th is paid after that cycle closes; work from the 16th to month-end after the following close
- Payment is made only for assignments completed and approved by BetterHands
- Unpaid absences, incomplete assignments, and any deductions agreed in the caregiver's agreement may be deducted
- Payment is by bank transfer to the account details the caregiver provides, unless agreed otherwise in writing
Caregivers — Obligations
Scope of duties
Depending on the assignment and the caregiver’s qualifications, duties may include personal hygiene and bathing assistance, dressing and mobility support, meal preparation and feeding, medication reminders, companionship and general supervision, and light housekeeping related to patient care.
Caregivers must not perform medical procedures, diagnose conditions, or prescribe or change prescribed medication beyond their qualifications and the agreed service category.
Conduct
- Provide compassionate, respectful and professional care at all times
- Follow all lawful instructions from BetterHands and the client
- Maintain patient dignity and privacy
- Arrive on time and remain for the agreed schedule
- Notify BetterHands immediately if unable to attend an assignment
- Maintain good personal hygiene, professional conduct and appropriate attire on duty
- Respect the client's home, belongings and family members
- Report emergencies, accidents or property damage immediately
- Never consume alcohol or illegal drugs while on assignment
- Do not smoke inside a client's premises unless specifically permitted
- Limit personal mobile phone use so it does not interfere with patient care
- Follow BetterHands procedures and attend mandatory training when required
Caregivers confirm they have no undisclosed criminal convictions relevant to caregiving, and agree to inform BetterHands promptly if that changes.
Confidentiality
Caregivers must keep confidential all information relating to patients, clients, medical conditions, family matters, addresses, contact details and BetterHands business information. This obligation continues after the agreement ends.
Private engagement and company property
Caregivers may not accept engagement or payment directly from a BetterHands client without prior written approval, during the agreement and for twelve months after the last assignment. Any future arrangement with a client must be coordinated through BetterHands.
Uniforms, identification cards, documents and equipment provided by BetterHands remain company property and must be returned on request or on termination.
Suspension and termination
Either party may end the agreement with seven days’ written notice to ask@betterhands.org, considered received once acknowledged. BetterHands may suspend or terminate an agreement and any active assignment immediately and without notice for theft, abuse or negligence, patient endangerment, breach of confidentiality, repeated absenteeism, misrepresentation, criminal conduct, or drug or alcohol use on duty.
Liability
BetterHands coordinates assignments between caregivers and clients. Its responsibility to a caregiver is limited to service fees properly due for completed and approved assignments. It does not accept responsibility for matters arising from a client’s premises, a patient’s pre-existing condition, or circumstances outside its coordination role, except where these arise from its own negligence.
Intellectual Property
All content on betterhands.org — including text, images, logos, graphics, and design — is the property of BetterHands (Pvt) Ltd and is protected by applicable copyright and trademark laws.
You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, or commercially exploit any content from our website without prior written permission. Personal, non-commercial use for informational purposes is permitted.
Termination
Either party may end the care service arrangement by giving the other at least 7 days’ written notice. Notice must be sent to ask@betterhands.org and is considered received once acknowledged by BetterHands.
- Clients may end services at any time with 7 days' written notice, subject to outstanding payment obligations
- BetterHands may terminate services with 7 days' notice if care requirements exceed the scope of what our team can safely provide
- Upon termination, all outstanding invoices become immediately due and payable
- Refunds on termination follow the cancellation terms above
BetterHands reserves the right to suspend or terminate services immediately, without notice, where there is:
- Non-payment of service fees
- Failure to provide agreed food or accommodation to a live-in caregiver
- Unsafe working or living conditions
- Abuse, harassment, or violence toward the caregiver
- Requests for duties outside the caregiver's qualifications or agreed responsibilities
- Any other circumstance that makes it unreasonable or unsafe for the caregiver to continue
Governing Law
These Terms of Service are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Any disputes arising from these terms or the use of our services shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Sri Lanka.
We encourage clients to contact us directly to resolve any concerns before initiating formal legal proceedings. We are committed to addressing complaints fairly and promptly.
Changes to Terms
BetterHands (Pvt) Ltd reserves the right to update these Terms of Service at any time. We will notify active clients of material changes via email. The “last updated” date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of our services after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.
Contact Us
For questions about these Terms of Service or to raise a concern, please contact our team:
Registered Address
200 Narahenpita - Nawala Rd, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte 11222, Sri Lanka
BetterHands (Pvt) Ltd · Incorporated in Sri Lanka
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