Service Levels and Availability
What we aim for, what we do not promise, and what you get if we fall short.
Version 1.0 · Effective 6 August 2026 · Last updated 6 August 2026
This document states our position on availability honestly, including where we do not commit. An uptime promise a supplier cannot keep is worth less than a plain account of what happens when things break.
1. Our availability target
We target 99.5% monthly availability of the Service, measured excluding the exclusions below. That is a target, not a warranty, and the Terms of Service make clear the Service is provided on an “as available” basis.
A formal contractual uptime commitment with service credits is available to Enterprise customers by separate written agreement. It is not included by default and is not implied by this document.
2. What is excluded from the measurement
- Scheduled maintenance, notified at least 48 hours in advance, outside 08:00–18:00 UK time on working days.
- Emergency maintenance needed to address a security risk.
- Failure of a third-party provider: hosting, database, email delivery, payments, or the public internet.
- Your own connectivity, equipment, browser or network policy.
- Suspension under the Terms or the Acceptable Use Policy.
- Force majeure.
3. What we do not promise
We do not promise uninterrupted service, and we do not accept liability for loss caused by downtime. Section 10 of the Terms of Service caps our liability and excludes consequential loss. This is deliberate and it is priced in.
4. Because of that, we give you the Downtime Pack
Every subscriber can generate a printable pack containing the documents needed to keep operating without the platform. Print it, keep it where your staff can reach it, and refresh it when policies change.
This matters more in care than in most sectors. Your regulatory duties do not pause because a website is down. A provider whose only route to its own policies is a single supplier's website has a business continuity gap — and it is one you are accountable for, not us.
5. Support response
| Severity | Meaning | We aim to respond within |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | The Service is unavailable, or data is at risk | 4 working hours |
| High | A core feature is unusable with no workaround | 1 working day |
| Normal | A feature is impaired, or a question | 2 working days |
| Low | Cosmetic, or a feature request | 5 working days |
Working hours are 09:00–17:00 UK time, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays. Response is not resolution; we will tell you what we know and what happens next.
6. Status and notification
Significant incidents are notified by email to account administrators. After a critical incident we publish a short account of what happened and what changed.
Care Shield Compliance is a division of Africa Procurement Group Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 10553435. Registered office: Devonshire House, One Mayfair Place, London, England, W1J 8AJ. Questions about this document: hello@careshieldcompliance.co.uk.