Set clear rules for keeping and deleting clinical records

A privacy policy and a retention policy do different jobs. Your privacy policy explains how information is collected, used and shared externally, while a clinical records retention policy gives internal rules for how long records are kept, who can access them, where they are stored and when they can be securely destroyed. For allied health practices, that distinction matters because staff often handle sensitive health information across bookings, treatment notes, reports and communications. A clear retention policy helps create consistent internal handling rules, but it focuses on helping you prepare clearly and understand the practical risks in every scenario.

It will usually deal with the categories of records your practice holds, how long different records should be retained, who is authorised to access them, where records may be stored, and what steps apply when records are archived or securely destroyed. It may also address practical issues such as mixed paper and digital files, former patient records, and staff responsibilities for handling requests or internal access. The document needs to line up with your actual privacy practices, including how information moves through the business, so the policy needs to reflect your actual recordkeeping processes rather than generic wording.

We usually need a practical picture of your recordkeeping setup. That can include the services you provide, the kinds of clinical and administrative records you keep, whether records are paper-based, digital or both, how long you currently retain them, who can access them, and whether third-party systems or storage providers are involved. We may also ask about staff roles and any existing internal procedures. The more closely the policy matches your real workflows, the more useful it is as an internal working document.

A generic template may be too broad to be useful or too thin to deal with health-sector recordkeeping issues. Clinical records raise different concerns from ordinary business files because they involve sensitive information, treatment history and access controls that need careful handling. A template also may not reflect how your practice For Clinical Records Retention Policy, the wording should follow your real information flows. For Clinical Records Retention Policy, collection points and disclosure practices shape the drafting. across appointments, treatment, billing and follow-up communications. This service helps you assess and reduce risk, but it cannot promise that a template-free approach will solve every compliance issue across your wider systems.

No. The fixed-fee is for the legal drafting of the policy document and advice connected to that drafting. It does not include technical implementation in your practice management software, cybersecurity work, security remediation, staff training rollout, ongoing HR management, or representation in disputes. If your practice also needs a broader privacy review, website privacy policy, collection statements or data-sharing documents, those would usually be handled as separate work. Keeping the scope document-focused helps make the deliverables and exclusions clearer from the outset.

Just submit an enquiry via this page or click the 'get started' button on our website to submit an enquiry. After you've submitted an enquiry, one of our legal consultants will review your enquiry within 1 business day and get in touch to get a better idea of exactly what you are looking for.

Then your legal consultant will send through an email with a bit more information about the services you need, along with a fixed fee quote setting out costs, scope of the service and timing. Have a read through it, and if you're happy with the scope, you can accept and sign our engagement letter online - easy!

Once you've formally accepted, we'll connect you with a specialist lawyer and they will work with you to complete your project. They will contact you by email or phone if they need to get in touch.

Sprintlaw works on fixed-fee pricing wherever possible, so you can review the scope and cost before you decide whether to proceed. For the Clinical Records Retention Policy service, pricing starts from $900.00.

After you enquire, a legal consultant will confirm what is included, the expected timing and whether any extra work is needed before you engage us.

We operate completely online, which means we can help you wherever you are in New Zealand. We have office spaces in Sydney, and in Melbourne, but our use of technology allows our team members to work remotely from around the world. Our legal team are mostly based in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. We also have a London office for Sprintlaw UK.

Our legal team is made up of experienced lawyers, who are specialists in various areas of law and hold an Australian legal practising certificate. None of our Sprintlaw lawyers are New Zealand qualified lawyers and they do not currently hold a New Zealand practising certificate.

They provide legal services working remotely from Australia via our 'legal consultancy' model, through which (under section 6 and section 35 of the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006) our Australian legal team are permitted to provide legal services to New Zealand businesses provided they do not provide services in certain 'reserved' areas of law. You can read our FAQ page to learn a bit more about our 'legal consultancy' model.

Given the strong similarities between Australian and New Zealand law, and the areas of law in which we practice (being small business and startup law), we do not view the fact that our lawyers have not qualified in New Zealand as having any substantive impact on the quality of our service. We are committed to ensuring that we provide high quality, affordable legal services to all our New Zealand clients.

Our legal team have all trained at leading firms, but have left the traditional corporate law world to join us on our mission to create a new and better way of delivering legal services. They have specialist expertise in technology law, intellectual property law, contract drafting and review, corporate law and commercial law.