Terms & conditions

By booking an appointment with Sarah Brooks, you agree to the following terms and conditions: Consent to Treatment You consent to receive acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and/or other Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatments as recommended by your practitioner. You understand that these treatments are generally safe but may carry risks including bruising, temporary soreness, or fatigue. You may withdraw your consent to treatment at any time. Appointments and Punctuality Please arrive on time for your appointment. If you arrive late, your session may be shortened to avoid delaying other clients. The full fee will still apply. Late Cancellations We ask for 48 hours notice if you need to reschedule or cancel your appointment, to give us adequate time to contact another client on the waitlist. If less than 24 hours notice is given when reschedueling or cancelling your appointment, a $50 no-show fee will apply (except in the case of unavoidable illness or emergencies on the day of treatment). No-Shows If you fail to attend a scheduled appointment without prior notice, the full consultation fee may be charged. Payment Payment is due at the time of your appointment unless otherwise arranged. We accept eftpos or cash. Health fund rebates may be available for eligible services — please check with your fund directly. Health Information You agree to provide accurate and complete health information, including current medications, allergies, and relevant medical history. Please inform your practitioner of any changes to your health between appointments. Scope of Practice TCM treatments provided by this practice are complementary in nature and are not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a registered medical practitioner. You are encouraged to maintain your relationship with your GP and other healthcare providers. Communication We may contact you via email, SMS, or phone regarding your appointments, treatment plans, and practice updates. You can update your communication preferences at any time through your practitioner. Changes to These Terms We reserve the right to update these terms from time to time. Any changes will take effect when you next book an appointment.

Privacy policy

Sarah Brooks, The TCM Doula, is committed to protecting your personal and health information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). Collection of Information We collect personal and health information that is necessary to provide you with healthcare services. This includes your name, contact details, date of birth, health history, treatment records, and payment information. We collect this information directly from you, or with your consent, from other healthcare providers. Use and Disclosure Your personal and health information is used for the purpose of providing you with healthcare services, managing your appointments, processing payments, and communicating with you about your care. We will not disclose your information to third parties without your consent, except where required or authorised by law, or where necessary to provide you with treatment (for example, referrals to other healthcare providers). Storage and Security Your information is stored securely using Daobook, a cloud-based practice management system. Your data is protected by industry-standard encryption and security measures. Access to your information is restricted to authorised practitioners and staff involved in your care. Access and Correction You have the right to request access to your personal information and to request corrections if it is inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date. Please contact us to make such a request. Retention We retain your health records in accordance with applicable state and territory health records legislation. In most cases, health records are retained for a minimum of seven years from the date of last entry (or until a minor patient turns 25 years of age). Complaints If you have a concern about how your information has been handled, please contact us directly. You may also lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au. Contact If you have any questions about this privacy policy, please contact us at sarah@tcmdoula.com.au The services our practice software uses We keep your records in Daobook, a practice management system that stores them with Amazon Web Services in Sydney, Australia. The services below handle some of your information for us. Daobook keeps this part of our policy up to date. • Text messages, such as appointment reminders, are sent through Mobile Message in Australia. Messages to overseas numbers, and any Mobile Message cannot deliver, go through Twilio in the United States. • Emails, such as booking confirmations, receipts and forms, are sent through ZeptoMail (Zoho), which may process them in India or elsewhere outside Australia. • Some features of our practice software use AI from Anthropic, in the United States, for example to tidy or translate our notes. We check what the AI drafts before we rely on it, and Anthropic does not use your information to train its AI. • We may write up your treatment as a case report for a professional journal or for other practitioners, using AI from Anthropic to draft it from our notes. The AI is not given your name, date of birth, contact details, address or appointment dates, and we will not publish a case report without your consent. We take reasonable steps to make sure these services handle your information consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles.