Terms of Service.

1. Acceptance of Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of the Altara Clinics website and your engagement with our telehealth consultations and related services. By using our website, completing our assessment, booking a consultation or otherwise engaging us, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use our website or services. Please read these Terms alongside our Privacy Policy.

These Terms form a binding agreement between you and Altara Clinics (ABN 50 697 425 488), trading as Altara Clinics, of 1/77 Doggett Street, Newstead QLD 4006. We may update these Terms from time to time. Continued use of our services after a change constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

Consultations are delivered by practitioners who are individually registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) and provide care in accordance with the codes and guidelines of their National Board.

2. Description of Services

Altara Clinics provides personalised health assessment and care via secure telehealth. Our service is the consultation: a real-time conversation with a qualified Australian healthcare practitioner who reviews your individual circumstances and provides considered clinical guidance.

The intake assessment you complete on our website is not a consultation and does not constitute medical advice. Its purpose is to help our practitioners prepare for your consultation. Final clinical suitability is always determined by your practitioner at the consultation itself.

Where any treatment is recommended, it is recommended only if clinically appropriate. Non-prescribing outcomes are equally common and include advice, referral, monitoring, lifestyle guidance, or no treatment, depending on your circumstances.

3. Eligibility

• Our services are available to adults aged 18 years and over who are physically located in Australia at the time of the consultation;
• You must be able to provide accurate identification and an honest account of your medical history;
• Some services may not be appropriate during pregnancy, breastfeeding, or while trying to conceive, and your practitioner will discuss this with you;
• You are responsible for ensuring you have a private space and a stable internet connection for telehealth consultations.

We may refuse or discontinue services to any person who does not meet these requirements or who provides false or misleading information.

4. Account Responsibilities

You are responsible for the accuracy of the information you give us and for keeping any account or booking details secure. If you create an account or booking, you must keep your login details confidential and tell us promptly of any unauthorised use.

You must give an honest and complete account of your medical history and current circumstances. Providing inaccurate or incomplete health information may affect the quality and safety of your care.

You agree to use our website lawfully and not to:

• Submit false, misleading or impersonating information;
• Attempt to access, scrape or interfere with any part of the website you are not authorised to access;
• Use the website to send unsolicited messages, malware, or anything unlawful.

5. Telehealth Services

Care is provided via secure telehealth video for non-emergency situations. By using our telehealth services, you acknowledge and agree to the following:

• Identity verification: your practitioner will verify your identity and confirm whether anyone else is present with you before discussing your care. You may be asked to provide valid identification. This is a requirement for safe clinical practice and prescribing.
• Data storage: your personal and health information, including clinical records and consultation notes, is stored securely. For details on how we collect, use, disclose and store this information, including any disclosure to service providers, please refer to our Privacy Policy.
• Platform limitations: telehealth is not suitable for every concern. Your practitioner may recommend in-person assessment, GP review, specialist referral, further investigation or no treatment depending on your circumstances. In a medical emergency, call 000.

6. Consultations and Medical Advice

Each consultation is conducted in real time via secure telehealth video. Asynchronous "questionnaire-only" prescribing is not our model: a real-time consultation is required before any prescription, treatment plan or considered protocol is provided.

Your practitioner will verify your identity, confirm whether anyone else is present with you, review the information you have provided, and discuss the considered next steps. They may request additional pathology or other investigations before recommending treatment.

Telehealth consultations are not a substitute for emergency care. If you believe you are experiencing a life-threatening condition, call 000 or attend your nearest emergency department immediately.

7. Prescriptions and Medications

A prescription, treatment plan or considered protocol is one possible outcome of a consultation, only where clinically appropriate. Your practitioner exercises independent clinical judgement and is not obliged to prescribe. Where a prescription is recommended, you retain free choice of pharmacy: you may have the prescription dispensed by any Australian pharmacy authorised under the relevant state and territory pharmacy and medicines laws.

We do not advertise specific prescription medicines to the public in accordance with Australian regulatory requirements.

8. Payments and Refunds

Consultation fees and any programme fees are displayed on our website at the time of booking. Pathology and other diagnostic investigations, where clinically indicated, are billed separately by the accredited Australian laboratory or provider performing the service at their standard rates. Medicare rebates may apply for some services, subject to your individual eligibility. Check with Medicare or your health fund.

Payment is taken at the time of booking unless otherwise agreed. Card payments are processed by our payment provider; we do not store full card details.

You may reschedule or cancel a consultation at any time up to 24 hours before the scheduled start time at no charge. A late cancellation or no-show fee of $50 applies where you cancel less than 24 hours before your scheduled consultation, or do not attend without prior notice. This fee covers the time reserved by your practitioner and is not refundable except where required by law. We may waive this fee in genuine emergencies or where required by applicable consumer protection laws.

Our services come with consumer guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL). You are entitled to a remedy if our services are not provided with due care and skill, do not match their description, or are not fit for their stated purpose.

Where a consultation has not yet been delivered, you may request a refund of the consultation fee (less any administrative cost actually incurred). Where a consultation has been delivered, we do not offer refunds for change of mind, except as required under Australian Consumer Law, including where goods are faulty, not fit for purpose, or do not match their description.

Nothing in these Terms excludes, restricts, or modifies any right or remedy you may have under the Australian Consumer Law.

9. Intellectual Property

All content on the Altara Clinics website, including text, images, video, design, code and trade marks, is owned by us or our licensors and is protected by Australian and international intellectual property laws. You may view and reasonably use content for personal, non-commercial purposes only. You may not reproduce, modify, distribute or commercialise any content without our prior written consent.

10. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, and subject to the refund and Australian Consumer Law provisions in clause 8, we exclude all liability for indirect, incidental or consequential loss arising from your use of our website or services. Where liability cannot be excluded, our liability is limited to either re-supplying the service or refunding the amount you paid, at our election.

Diagnostics are performed by accredited Australian pathology and imaging providers. Prescriptions, where recommended, are dispensed by an Australian pharmacy of your choice. These providers are independent of Altara Clinics. While we take care in selecting partners, we are not responsible for the services provided by independent third parties, except to the extent required by law. Nothing in these Terms operates to reduce the professional duties owed to you by any practitioner, nor to exclude any rights you have under the Australian Consumer Law.

Nothing in these Terms operates to exclude or limit any non-excludable rights or remedies you have under the Australian Consumer Law or any other applicable law.

11. Termination

We may suspend or end your access to our services at any time if we reasonably believe you have breached these Terms, provided false or misleading information, or engaged in conduct that is harmful to other users, our practitioners or our business.

You may stop using our services at any time by contacting us. Any outstanding obligations, including payment for completed consultations, survive the end of these Terms. Nothing in this clause affects your rights under the Australian Consumer Law or the professional duties owed to you by any practitioner.

12. Complaints

If you have a concern about your care or the conduct of a practitioner, please raise it first with us at [email protected]. We will acknowledge your complaint within 7 days and respond substantively within 30 days.

External complaint pathways are available to you at any time:

• Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra): ahpra.gov.au or 1300 419 495 (practitioner conduct);
• The Office of the Health Ombudsman (Qld) or the health complaints commissioner in your state or territory;
• Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC): oaic.gov.au or 1300 363 992 (privacy);
• Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) / your state's consumer-protection office: accc.gov.au (consumer law).

13. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of Queensland, Australia. The courts of Queensland, Australia, have non-exclusive jurisdiction to hear any dispute arising under them, subject to any rights you may have under applicable consumer laws.

14. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The current version is always available on this page, with the "last updated" date at the top. Material changes affecting active clients will be communicated to you. Continued use of our services after a change constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

15. Contact Us

For any matter relating to these Terms, please write to:

Altara Clinics
1/77 Doggett Street, Newstead QLD 4006
[email protected]

Crisis support

If you are in crisis or distress, please reach out for immediate help:

• Emergencies: 000
• Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24/7 crisis support)
• Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636
• 13YARN: 13 92 76 (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander crisis support)

Coordinated care with your GP

Where your practitioner considers it clinically appropriate, they may suggest sharing information with your general practitioner or specialist to support coordinated care. We will only do this with your consent.

Confidentiality and its limits

Information shared with your practitioner during a consultation is confidential and protected under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), applicable state and territory health records legislation, and the professional codes of conduct binding your practitioner.

There are limited circumstances in which we may be required by law to disclose information without your consent, including:

• Where there is a serious and imminent risk to your life, health or safety, or to the life, health or safety of another person;
• Where mandatory reporting obligations apply (for example, child protection laws and notifications under section 140 of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law);
• Where required by a subpoena, court order or other legal process.

Online assessment disclaimer

The online assessment available through our website is an intake tool only. It does not diagnose, treat or guarantee a particular outcome, including the prescription of any medication. Your practitioner will make all clinical decisions during your consultation.

Important notice

The information on our website is general in nature and does not constitute medical advice. Consultations with our qualified Australian healthcare practitioners are for personalised health assessment and care, where any treatment is recommended only if clinically appropriate, with non-prescribing outcomes including advice, referral, monitoring or lifestyle guidance. Individual results vary based on your unique biology and commitment to the programme; assessment findings do not guarantee a particular outcome. We do not advertise specific prescription medicines to the public in accordance with Australian regulatory requirements.