Privacy notice
This practice processes personal information in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and the HPCSA's rules on records and confidentiality. Dr Charity Mkone is the responsible party.
What is collected
Contact details you provide, the clinical record kept for each consultation, and billing information. The website form collects your name, a contact detail, your preferred method of contact and a short message only.
How it is used and shared
To arrange appointments, provide treatment, and issue invoices. Clinical information is not shared with anyone without your written consent, except where the law requires disclosure. Medical aid claims are submitted by you, not by the practice.
Storage and your rights
Records are kept securely for the period the HPCSA requires and then destroyed. You may ask what information is held about you, ask for corrections, or lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator.
Terms of service
This website provides general information about the practice. It is not a diagnosis, a treatment plan, or a substitute for a consultation, and using it does not create a therapeutic relationship.
Appointments are made through the practice's booking system or by WhatsApp message. Messages are read during practice hours; the practice does not monitor any channel after hours.
Fees are within medical aid rates, are reviewed annually and are confirmed with you before your first appointment. Invoices are payable on the day of the session.
Cancellation policy
Sessions cancelled with more than 24 hours' notice are not charged. Cancellations inside 24 hours, and missed sessions, are charged at the full session fee, which medical aids do not reimburse.
Where illness or an emergency prevents attendance, discuss it with me and the fee may be waived at my discretion.
Informed consent
Before treatment begins we go through the nature of the work, what it may involve, its limits, the fee, and the conditions under which confidentiality may be broken. You may ask questions at any stage and may end therapy at any point.
Therapy can bring up distressing material, and no particular outcome can be guaranteed. Consent is recorded in writing at the first session and can be revisited later.
Telehealth
Online sessions are conducted on a platform with end-to-end encryption, in accordance with HPCSA telehealth guidance. Sessions are not recorded.
You are asked to join from a private space in South Africa and to share a physical address and an emergency contact before the first online session, so that help can be arranged if a crisis arises during a consultation. Where a video connection fails, we agree in advance how to continue.