Terms of Service

Terms of Service

As part of providing a clinical service to you, Viva Equine Pty Ltd as trustee for Oliveira Discretionary Trust (ABN 61 565 829 741) and your practitioner/clinician will need to collect and record personal information from you that is relevant to your current situation.  This information will be a necessary part of your assessment and treatment that is conducted.  We also collect some information for billing purposes. This information may be accessible to our administration or support staff.

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​Purpose of Collecting and Holding Information

The information is gathered as part of the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of your condition, and is seen only by your practitioner/clinician.  The information is retained in order to document what happens during sessions, and enable them to provide a relevant and informed service. We may also store and use your personal information for billing and accounting purposes. 

​Client Information

Client files are held in secure digital databases which are accessible only to authorised employees and agents of Viva Equine Pty Ltd as trustee for Oliveira Discretionary Trust. Hardcopies are securely destroyed. In the event we must keep hardcopies, these are stored securely in a locked cabinet. The information on each file includes personal details such as name, address, contacts, and other information which is relevant to the service we provided and maintenance of any related records for issuing or managing billing and payment.

Access to Client Information

At any stage you as a client are entitled to access information about you kept on file, unless relevant legislation provides otherwise.  Your practitioner/clinician may discuss with you appropriate forms of access. We may charge a small administration fee for this access.

​Concerns

If you have a concern about the management of your personal information, please inform your practitioner/clinician.  Upon request, you can obtain a copy of the National Privacy Principles, which describe your rights and how your information should be handled.  Ultimately, if you wish to lodge a formal complaint about the use of, or access to, your personal information, you may do so with the Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner on 1300 363 992, or GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 1042.

Confidentiality

All personal information gathered by your practitioner/clinician during the provision of our service will remain confidential and secure except where:

1. It is subpoenaed by a court, or

2. Failure to disclose the information would place you or another person at serious and imminent risk; or

3. Your prior approval has been obtained to

   • Provide a written report to another professional or agency. eg. GP or lawyer,

   • Discuss the material with another person. eg. Parent or Employer; or,

4. If disclosure is otherwise required or authorised by law.

Additional information about how we collect, use and store private information is contained within our Privacy Policy and may be viewed here: www.vivaequine.com.au/privacy-policy

Important Information About Fees and Cancellation Policy

Fees

Consultation fees are payable at the time of the session by electronic payment, credit card or cash. Our services are delivered subject to our latest fees available at www.vivaequine.com.au/packages-rates. We reserve the right to change these at any time. Please note report writing is charged at the standard session rate.

If you have been referred through NDIS, the fees will be covered by that agency or scheme.

Please note we may decline to offer you a further service if you miss your appointment without giving at least 24 hours’ notice of cancellation. Where we take electronic payments for services rendered, these payments are subject to the terms and conditions set out by the relevant electronic payments processor. We use Tyro (see: https://www.tyro.com/terms-and-conditions/), Paypal (see: https://www.paypal.com/au/webapps/mpp/ua/legalhub-full) and Stripe (see: https://stripe.com/au/privacy) though may also use other payment processing services at our discretion.

Cancellation Policy

If, for some reason, you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, you will need to provide at least 24 hours’ notice.  If you fail to give 24 hours notice of cancellation, you may be charged the full fee for your session. This is because it is difficult to fill appointments at short notice and overhead costs need to be covered. Payment of the cancellation fee needs to be made prior to any subsequent sessions.  If you are coming through an agency, a late cancellation may mean you lose one of your sessions. Cancellation fees may be reduced or waived at our discretion.

​Telehealth Consultations

Where appropriate the services you receive may be provided by telephone or videoconferencing. You are responsible for the costs associated with setting up the technology needed so you can access telehealth services. Viva Equine Pty Ltd as trustee for Oliveira Discretionary Trust will be responsible for the cost of the call to you and the cost associated with the platform used to conduct telehealth services. 

To access telehealth consultations you will need access to a quiet, private space; and the appropriate device, i.e. smartphone, laptop, iPad, computer, with a camera, microphone and speakers; and a reliable internet connection. 

The privacy of any form of communication via the internet is potentially vulnerable and limited by the security of the technology used. To support the security of your personal information this practice uses Power Diary which is compliant with the Australian standards for online security and encryption. We may elect to use other secure telehealth services as necessary. By agreeing to this you consent to the usage of these services. All care will be taken to ensure these are secure and your data and privacy are protected though you recognise this cannot be guaranteed.

​Limitations of Telehealth

A telehealth consultation may be subject to limitations such as an unstable network connection which may affect the quality of the session provided. In addition, there may be some services for which telehealth is not appropriate or effective. Your practitioner will consider and discuss with you the appropriateness of ongoing telehealth sessions.

Animal-Assisted Therapy

We deliver animal-assisted therapy and learning including equine assisted therapy and/or learning. Session delivery is never guaranteed as it is reliant upon weather and animal health and temperament on the day in addition to client and practitioner/clinician availability. In accepting an animal-assisted service from us, you are aware that we may at times cancel with little notice. We may offer an alternative service though make no guarantees in advance about the specifics of any alternate service that may be offered.

​A Small Request for Clients Using Electronic Bank Payments

We send out invoices via email to many of our clients. This grants a few extra minutes in session where we can do therapy rather than spend those minutes taking payment. All our invoices are issued with an invoice number. When you include this invoice number in your online banking Reference field, it is easy for us to track your payment to us.

When you don't include the invoice number in your bank's reference field, we spend significant additional time on our bookkeeping.

​We have a simple request: Please always include your invoice number in all electronic payments to us. Thank you.

This policy is current as of 01 January 2019. Reviewed 20 February 2022.