FAQs & Privacy Policy

FAQs

  1. What conditions do you treat at Hawker Place Physiotherapy?
    We treat a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions including back and neck pain, sports injuries, pelvic health concerns, post-surgical rehabilitation, and persistent pain. We also support strength, mobility and long-term injury prevention.

  2. How do I know if physiotherapy is right for me?
    If you’re experiencing pain, stiffness, weakness, recurring injuries, or changes in function, physiotherapy can help. Even if you’re unsure what’s causing your symptoms, we can assess and guide you toward the right plan.

  3. What happens during an initial consultation?
    Your first session includes a detailed discussion about your history, goals and concerns, followed by a physical assessment. We’ll explain what we find, outline a treatment plan, and begin management on the day where appropriate.

  4. How long will I need treatment for?
    This depends on your condition, goals and how your body responds. Some people improve in a few sessions, while others benefit from longer-term rehabilitation or strength programs. We’ll always discuss expectations clearly with you.

  5. Do you offer exercise-based rehabilitation and Pilates?
    Yes. We provide individually tailored rehabilitation programs, including Clinical Pilates and strength-based exercise. Programs are designed around your injury history, goals and current capacity — whether you’re returning to sport or building general resilience.

  6. What is AI notetaking and how does it work in my consultation?
    We are introducing Cliniscribe, an AI-assisted documentation tool that generates clinical notes efficiently based on our sessions. This helps your therapist focus on you, rather than typing.

  7. Will the AI record audio of my consultation?
    Cliniscribe does not store or transcribe audio recordings of live consultations; it creates structured notes based on clinician input.

  8. Does AI make decisions about my treatment?
    No. AI is only used to assist with note-taking and report drafting. All clinical decisions are made by your physiotherapist.

  9. Is my personal health information safe with AI notetaking?
    Yes — the AI system complies with privacy standards including the Australian Privacy Act and other regulations, uses secure encrypted processing, and stores data securely.

  10. How is the data stored and who can access it?
    Data is stored securely within Australia, accessible only by authorised clinical staff, and retained in accordance with legal and professional record-keeping requirements.

  11. What happens if I don’t want AI notes used for my visit?
    We respect patient choice: if you prefer standard documentation without AI assistance, please inform your clinician at the start of your appointment so we can accommodate your preference.

  12. Does this cost extra?
    No. AI-assisted documentation is included as part of your consultation at no additional charge.

Introduction

This privacy policy applies to the collection, storage, use and disclosure of personal information by or on behalf of Hawker Place Physiotherapy & Pilates (referred to in this policy as “Hawker Place Physiotherapy & Pilates”, “Hawker Place Physiotherapy”, “our”, “we” or “us”). Please read it carefully.

We are committed to protecting your personal information, and ensuring its privacy, accuracy and security. We handle your personal information in a responsible manner in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) as stipulated by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

Our intention is always to abide by the legal and regulatory parameters set out by relevant national and state bodies relating to both privacy and the health industry.

By using any of our physiotherapy products or services, visiting our website, or giving us your personal information, you agree to your information being collected, stored, used and disclosed as set out in this Privacy Policy.

Definition of Personal Information

  • Personal information means information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable, whether true or not, and whether or not recorded in a material form.
  • Sensitive information (a type of personal information), means information or an opinion about an individual’s race or ethnic origins, political opinions and associations, religious beliefs or affiliations, philosophical beliefs, sexual preferences or practices, trade or professional associations and memberships, union membership, criminal record, health or genetic information or biometric information.

Collection of Personal Information

We may collect your personal information when you request services at our clinic or communicate with us by any means. We may collect your personal information from a range of sources, including from you, your doctor, allied health individuals and services, insurance companies and government agencies.

Wherever reasonable and practicable, we will collect your personal information from you. If you provide personal information about someone other than yourself, you agree that you have that person’s consent to provide the information for the purposes of treatment and necessary correspondence. You also agree that you have told the person about this Privacy Policy and where to find it.

The types of personal information we collect includes; names, addresses, e-mail addresses, phone numbers, other contact details, payment details, occupation and any other information that assists in conducting our services.

We will also collect patient medical information including; medical history, doctor referrals, pathology notes, insurance company information, medical imaging results and photographs of exercise carried out by the patient.

We will only collect your sensitive information if you have consented to its collection and where permitted by law. We will consider the engagement of our services as sufficient consent for the collection of this information.

We only collect personal information by lawful, regulatory and fair means.

We only collect the personal information necessary for us to provide you with the services for which you have engaged us and to improve those services.

If we receive personal information about you that we have not requested, and we determine that we could not have lawfully collected that information under the APPs had we asked for it, we will destroy or de-identify the information if it is lawful and reasonable to do so.

Where lawful and practicable, we will give you the option of interacting with us anonymously or using a pseudonym. However, this would usually only apply for general enquiries.

Use and Disclosure of Personal Information

We only use your personal information for the purpose for which it was provided to us, for related purposes or as required or permitted by law.

We will disclose your information to third parties only with your authority to do so.

We will only use or disclose your sensitive information for the purpose for which it was initially collected or for a directly related purpose, as required or permitted by law, or where you consent to the use or disclosure.

Use of AI for Clinical Documentation

Hawker Place Physiotherapy & Pilates uses a secure AI-assisted documentation system called CliniScribe to assist clinicians in preparing clinical notes, reports, and correspondence more efficiently.

During consultations, the system may temporarily process parts of the conversation to generate a draft clinical note. The treating physiotherapist reviews and edits all AI-generated documentation before it is finalised or stored in the patient record.

AI tools are used only to assist with documentation. Clinical judgement, diagnosis, and treatment decisions are always made by a registered healthcare professional.

Patient information processed through the system remains subject to the same privacy protections outlined in this policy and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

The system operates within secure infrastructure with safeguards including:

  • Data hosted on Microsoft Azure servers located in Australia
  • Encryption of data in transit and at rest
  • Role-based access controls
  • Two-factor authentication where available

Audio from consultations may be temporarily processed to generate clinical documentation but is not retained by the system by default. Final documentation is stored only within the clinic’s secure practice management system.

Patients may request access to or correction of their records at any time.

If a patient prefers not to have AI-assisted documentation used during their consultation, they may inform their clinician and documentation will be completed manually.

Disclosure of Personal Information Overseas

We do not disclose personal information to third parties outside Australia, unless required or permitted by law.

Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification and disclosure.

Where we no longer require your personal information, including where we are no longer required by law to keep records relating to you, we will ensure that it is de-identified or destroyed. We are required to retain patient records for 7 years, after which we securely destroy the records.

Data quality, access and correction

We take reasonable steps to ensure that your personal information is accurate, complete and up-to-date. We check the accuracy of patient records, including if patients haven’t returned to our practice for more than six months. However, we rely on you to advise us of any changes or corrections to the information we hold about you.

If you consider that the information we hold about you is not accurate, complete or up-to-date, or if your information has changed, please let us know as soon as possible.

You may request access to the personal information we hold about you by contacting us. We will respond to your request within a reasonable time.

Where reasonable and practicable, we will provide access to the information we hold about you in the manner you request.

No fee applies for requesting access to information we hold about you. However, we reserve the right to charge a reasonable fee when the request includes copying clinical notes and documents that are held by Hawker Place Physiotherapy & Pilates.

If you believe that personal information we hold about you is incorrect, incomplete or not current, you may request that we update or correct your information by contacting us.

Identifiers

We do not adopt, use or disclose government related identifiers except as required or permitted by law. 

Complaints

If you have a question or complaint in relation to the collection, storage, use or disclosure of your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer via the contact us.

We will review all complaints received and our Privacy Officer will respond to you.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may discuss your concerns with the Australian Privacy Commissioner on 1300 363 992.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to revise this Privacy Policy or any part of it. Please review this Policy periodically for changes. Any revised policy will be posted here.

Your continued use of our website and services, requesting our assistance, or the provision of further personal information to us after this Privacy Policy has been revised, constitutes your acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.

Last updated: May 2026