Avail Health Pty Ltd trading as Forge Ahead Physiotherapy
ABN 63 692 158 473
Last updated: 29 September 2026

Forge Ahead Physiotherapy is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality and security of the personal and health information entrusted to us.

We manage personal and health information in accordance with applicable Australian and New South Wales privacy legislation, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW), including the Health Privacy Principles (HPPs).

As registered health practitioners, our physiotherapists also maintain health records in accordance with applicable professional and regulatory requirements.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use, store and disclose it, and how you can access or correct your information or raise a privacy concern.

To provide physiotherapy, rehabilitation and related healthcare services, we may collect personal and health information including:

• your name, date of birth, address and contact details;
• emergency contact details;
• parent, guardian or representative details where relevant;
• Medicare, DVA and other relevant healthcare or funding information;
• medical history, diagnoses, injuries, symptoms, medications and relevant health conditions;
• referrals, medical reports, imaging reports and correspondence from other healthcare providers;
• clinical assessments, treatment notes, outcome measures and rehabilitation plans;
• photographs or videos where clinically relevant and appropriately obtained;
• appointment and attendance information;
• information relating to Workers Compensation, CTP, NDIS, DVA or other compensable or funded treatment;
• insurer, employer, rehabilitation provider or claims information where relevant;
• billing, invoicing and payment information; and
• communications between you and our clinic.

We only seek to collect information that is reasonably necessary for providing our services, managing our practice and meeting our professional and legal obligations.

Where practical, we collect personal and health information directly from you.

This may occur when you:

• make an appointment;
• complete a patient registration, intake or consent form;
• use our website or online booking system;
• attend an appointment;
• speak with our physiotherapists or administration team;
• communicate with us by telephone, email, SMS or other means; or
• provide documents or other information to us.

Where appropriate, authorised or required, we may also receive information from third parties such as your:

• GP, specialist or other healthcare provider;
• parent, guardian, carer or authorised representative;
• insurer or claims manager;
• employer;
• rehabilitation provider;
• government agency;
• funding body; or
• other person or organisation involved in your healthcare or claim.

Where we receive personal information about you from another person or organisation, we will take reasonable steps, where required, to ensure you are aware of the circumstances of collection and how that information will be handled.

Where lawful and practicable, you may interact with us anonymously or by using a pseudonym.

For example, you may make a general enquiry without identifying yourself.

However, because we provide healthcare services and are required to maintain appropriate clinical records, it will generally be necessary for us to know your identity when providing physiotherapy treatment, processing claims or undertaking other activities where identification is reasonably required.

We collect, hold, use and disclose personal and health information primarily to provide safe, appropriate and coordinated healthcare.

This may include:

• assessing, treating and managing your condition;
• developing and monitoring rehabilitation and exercise programs;
• maintaining appropriate clinical records;
• communicating with you about your appointments and care;
• communicating with other healthcare professionals involved in your treatment;
• processing payments and accounts;
• processing Medicare, DVA, Workers Compensation, CTP, NDIS and other relevant claims or funding arrangements;
• preparing clinical reports and correspondence;
• managing referrals;
• communicating with insurers, claims managers and rehabilitation providers where relevant and authorised;
• undertaking reasonable clinic administration and quality-improvement activities;
• managing complaints or insurance matters; and
• complying with our professional, regulatory and legal obligations.

Where we wish to use your information for a purpose substantially different from the purpose for which it was collected, we will seek consent where required by law.

We may disclose personal or health information where it is reasonably necessary for your healthcare, where you have consented, where you would reasonably expect the disclosure and it is permitted by law, or where disclosure is otherwise authorised or required by law.

Depending on your circumstances, this may include disclosure to:

• your GP, specialist or other healthcare professionals involved in your care;
• hospitals and other health services;
• insurers and claims managers;
• Workers Compensation or CTP scheme participants;
• the Department of Veterans' Affairs;
• Medicare and Services Australia;
• the National Disability Insurance Scheme and relevant NDIS participants where applicable;
• rehabilitation providers;
• employers where appropriately authorised or required in connection with a compensable claim;
• your authorised representative, parent, guardian or nominated contact;
• our professional advisers, insurers or legal representatives where necessary;
• service providers that assist us to operate our practice, subject to appropriate privacy and confidentiality requirements; and
• government, regulatory or law enforcement bodies where disclosure is authorised or required by law.

We take reasonable steps to limit disclosures to information that is relevant to the purpose for which it is being disclosed.

Forge Ahead Physiotherapy uses reputable third-party systems and service providers to assist us in providing healthcare and operating the clinic.

These currently include:

• Cliniko for practice management, appointments and clinical records;
• HICAPS and HICAPS Digital for eligible payment and claiming services;
• Medicare and PRODA for applicable government claiming and healthcare administration; and
• GoDaddy for our website and email services.

We may also use appropriate professional advisers, IT support providers, payment providers and other service providers necessary for the operation of the practice.

We only provide service providers with information reasonably necessary for the relevant service and take reasonable steps to ensure personal information is appropriately handled.

Patient records are primarily maintained electronically using our practice management and associated business systems.

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

Depending on the information and system involved, safeguards may include:

• appropriate user access controls;
• passwords and authentication;
• secure electronic systems;
• appropriate device and network security;
• staff confidentiality obligations;
• limiting access to those who reasonably require it to perform their role; and
• appropriate administrative and technical safeguards.

All staff and practitioners are expected to respect the confidentiality of patient information.

We retain health information for at least the minimum periods required by applicable New South Wales law.

Generally:

• where health information was collected when a patient was 18 years of age or older, we retain the record for at least 7 years from the last occasion on which a health service was provided; and
• where health information was collected when a patient was under 18 years of age, we retain the record until the patient reaches at least 25 years of age.

Records may be retained for longer where reasonably necessary or where required by another legal, professional, insurance or regulatory obligation.

When personal information is no longer required and we are legally permitted to dispose of it, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it.

In some circumstances, photographs or video recordings may be clinically useful for purposes such as assessment, movement analysis, rehabilitation or monitoring progress.

Where photographs or recordings are identifiable and form part of your healthcare information, they will be handled with appropriate privacy and confidentiality protections.

We will obtain consent where required for the collection or use of photographs or recordings.

We will not use identifiable clinical photographs or recordings for advertising, social media or promotional purposes without appropriate consent.

We may communicate with patients and appropriately authorised third parties by email, SMS, telephone and other electronic means.

Electronic communications can carry privacy and security risks. We take reasonable precautions when communicating personal or health information electronically and endeavour to ensure information is only sent to its intended recipient.

Patients should advise us if they have particular preferences or concerns regarding electronic communication.

When you use our website or online services, certain technical information may be collected automatically, such as your IP address, browser information and website usage information.

Our website and associated service providers may use cookies or similar technologies for website functionality, security, analytics and related purposes.

Information submitted through online forms, online booking systems or email may be processed through third-party technology providers used by the clinic.

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. Forge Ahead Physiotherapy is not responsible for the privacy practices of those external websites, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies where appropriate.

Some technology providers used by Forge Ahead Physiotherapy operate internationally or use service providers or infrastructure located outside Australia.

Where personal information is likely to be disclosed to an overseas recipient, we will manage that disclosure in accordance with applicable Australian privacy requirements and take reasonable steps where required to ensure that the information is appropriately protected.

Some of our service providers may process or support information from locations outside Australia, including the United States.

The locations used by technology providers may change from time to time as their services and subprocessors change.

We will not use or disclose your health information for direct marketing unless we have the consent required by applicable privacy laws.

Where you have consented to receive marketing communications, you may withdraw that consent or unsubscribe at any time.

Opting out of marketing communications will not prevent us from contacting you regarding your healthcare, appointments, accounts, treatment or other necessary administrative matters.

You may request access to personal or health information we hold about you.

Requests can be made by contacting Forge Ahead Physiotherapy using the details below.

We may need to verify your identity before providing access.

Access may be provided in an appropriate format, such as by providing a copy of relevant records.

In some circumstances, access may be limited or refused where permitted or required by law. If this occurs, we will explain the reason where we are legally able to do so.

Reasonable administrative charges may apply where permitted by law, particularly where a request involves substantial copying or administrative work. We will advise you of any applicable charge before proceeding.

We take reasonable steps to ensure the personal and health information we hold is accurate, complete, relevant and up to date.

If you believe information we hold about you is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date, please contact us and request a correction.

Where appropriate, we will take reasonable steps to correct the information.

Forge Ahead Physiotherapy takes privacy and data security incidents seriously.

If we become aware of a suspected data breach involving personal information, we will assess and respond to the incident in accordance with our legal obligations.

Where a breach meets the requirements of an eligible data breach under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner as required by law.

We will also take reasonable steps to contain the incident, minimise potential harm and reduce the likelihood of a similar incident occurring again.

If you have a question or concern about how your personal or health information has been collected, used, stored or disclosed, please contact us using the details below.

We take privacy complaints seriously and will handle them respectfully and confidentially.

We aim to acknowledge a privacy complaint within 7 days and, where reasonably practicable, provide a response or outcome within 30 days.

Some matters may require additional time to investigate. If this occurs, we will endeavour to keep you informed.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may be entitled to contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) or the Information and Privacy Commission NSW (IPC NSW).

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our services, technology, information-handling practices or legal obligations.

The current version will be made available through our website and will show the date on which it was last updated.

For questions about this Privacy Policy, requests to access or correct your information, or privacy complaints, please contact:

Forge Ahead Physiotherapy
Avail Health Pty Ltd
ABN 63 692 158 473

Shop 7/5 Boolwey Street
Bowral NSW 2576

Phone: (02) 4862 4414
Email: admin@forgeaheadphysiotherapy.com.au
Website: www.forgeaheadphysiotherapy.com.au