Parties
Northground Pty Ltd (ABN: 73 693 095 251)

AND -

You are the client, and your details are set out on the Booking Confirmation.
Northground specialises in psychology services tailored to clients’ needs and requirements (the ‘Services’).
You have engaged Northground to provide the Services. By continuing to work with Northground after receiving these terms and conditions, You accept the terms and conditions and agree to the below. This Agreement is read in conjunction with the booking confirmation email provided to You at the time of providing this Agreement (‘Booking Confirmation’).

The Engagement

1. Northground agrees to perform the Services for You, for the Fees, as set out in the Booking Confirmation, on the website, or in your invoice.

2. Northground agrees to commence the Services upon acceptance of the Booking Confirmation and these Terms and Conditions, and upon payment of the required Fees as invoiced to You.

3. Northground will provide the Services by telephone or video conferencing software.

4. Northground will only provide You with a refund of the Fee in the event they are unable to continue to provide the Services (the 'Refund').

Bookings

1. Northground uses Halaxy as client management software to organise bookings, appointments, invoices, etc.

2. If you book an appointment with Northground, you acknowledge and agree to be bound by Our Business Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy and other relevant legal documentation provided by Halaxy.

3. Northground will attempt to accommodate Your preferences in working with a psychologist of your choice. However, if Northground reviews your client file and considers that Your request to see a particular psychologist would not be an appropriate match, You will not be able to book an appointment with that psychologist and You may be referred externally if your needs fall outside Northground’s scope.

4. If you book an appointment with Northground, you acknowledge and agree that having a referral or plan from any other person, organisation, agency or insurance scheme does not provide You with an entitlement to free Services.

5. To book appointments with Northground, You are required to add details of your credit card, debit card, or Paypal account to Halaxy. These details will be stored securely and will not be visible to anyone at Northground. You can read more about Halaxy's card security here: Halaxy Card Security FAQs.

6. You cannot book further Services or appointments if You have outstanding Fees.

7. Northground reserves the right to request payment of Fees prior to undertaking any Services.

8. To book an appointment for an assessment with Northground, You are required to pay a deposit.

9. You will receive a reminder email 3 days prior to your appointment and a reminder text message 1 day prior to your appointment.

Cancellation

1.  You agree to provide at least 48 hours notice to cancel or reschedule an appointment.

2. Short-notice cancellations of less than 48 hours, and appointments not attended, will result in You being charged a cancellation fee of 100% of the appointment fee.

3. If You do not attend your appointment, Northground will make two attempts to contact You by phone or text message in the first 15 minutes of your appointment. If Northground is unable to reach You at this time, Northground will consider this appointment a not attended appointment and will charge You a Cancellation Fee.

Fees and Invoicing

1. The Fees payable for the Services are set out on the Fees and Rebates page of our website and in Your invoice.

2. You agree to pay Northground the full Fee set out in the invoice for the Services.

3. You agree to pay Northground the full Fee set out in the invoice for the Services if You have a Medicare referral or plan. Northground is a private fee clinic and does not offer a 'bulk billing' (i.e. free) service. You agree that a Medicare referral or plan (Mental Health Care Plan, Chronic Disease Management Plan, Eating Disorder Plan) does not provide You with an entitlement to a free service.

4.  You agree to pay Northground the full Fee set out in the invoice for the Services if you have an NDIS plan. You agree that You are responsible for paying the full Fee set out in the invoice for the Services if your self-managed NDIS plan funding is exhausted or if your plan manager declines to pay the invoice. You agree that an NDIS plan does not provide You with an entitlement to a free service.

5.  If Northground is required to undertake assessments, write letters or reports, or undertake any other work, Northground will charge a Fee. The number of hours required for an assessment, written letter or report, or any other work depends on the type of assessment, report, letter or other work, the purpose of such work and the complexity of the assessment or other work required.

6. Northground will advise You of the approximate cost of such work prior to commencing.

7. If Your assessment is more complex than anticipated and/or takes longer than the estimated time on the website, the Fee for the assessment will be higher than initially quoted. Northground will contact You if Your assessment may require more work and provide You with an updated quote.

8. You are required to pay a deposit to book an assessment. Deposits for assessments are not refundable.

9. You are required to pay the full Fee for the assessment prior to the written report or confirmation letter being prepared.

10. For ongoing psychology appointments, the Fees listed on the website are for a standard appointment with a duration of 50 minutes. The appointment Fee is based on units of time. The appointment Fee on Your invoice is a pro-rata fee that is based on the length of Your appointment. If Your appointment exceeds the duration of a standard appointment by 5 minutes or more, you will be charged a pro-rata Fee. This means that the invoice Fee may be higher than the standard appointment Fee listed on the website.

11. The Fee payable to Northground to perform the Services may be adjusted from time to time as advised by Northground.

12. If you receive an invoice to pay from Northground, You agree to pay the Fee on the date You receive the invoice and by the method prescribed by the invoice. The due date for all invoices is the date the invoice was issued.

13. Northground requires You to add a credit card, debit card, or Paypal details to Halaxy to pay the Fees. Your card details will be stored securely by Halaxy and will not be visible to anyone at Northground. You can read more about Halaxy's card security here: Halaxy Card Security FAQs.

14.  Northground will process Your credit card, debit card, or Paypal account stored on Halaxy on the day of your appointment to take payment for the Fees, or issue you with an invoice for the Fees.

15. If Payment is not received on the day of Your Appointment, Northground reserves the right to continue attempting to process Your credit card, debit card, or Paypal account until Payment is received.

16. In the event that any Payment under this Agreement is not made in full on the due date, Northground is entitled to charge You interest at the rate of 5% per annum, calculated daily.

17.  You agree that if You default on any payments due and payable under this Agreement, any costs incurred by Northground for steps taken to enforce payment terms will be recoverable and payable by You.

18. If applicable, unless otherwise stated, all amounts are listed in Australian Dollars (AUD) and are GST exclusive, being goods and services tax as defined in A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999, exclusive amounts. Where the Services are provided outside Australia, GST is inapplicable.

Medicare Rebates and Private Health Insurance Cover

1. If You hold a Medicare Card and book an appointment with one of our eligible psychologist, You may be eligible for Medicare rebates to pay for some of Your ongoing treatment.

2. Provisional Psychologists and Allied Health Assistants are not eligible for Medicare provider numbers so are not able to provide Medicare rebates for their clients.

3. You agree that Northground  is a private fee clinic and does not offer 'bulk billing' i.e. free Services.

4.  If you are diagnosed with an eligible “mental disorder” and book an appointment with a Registered Psychologist, you may be able to access Medicare rebates under the Better Access to Mental Health Care Scheme to pay for part of your ongoing treatment.

5. A referral letter (‘referral letter’) and Mental Health Treatment Plan (‘MHTP’) is required from Your general practitioner (‘GP’), psychiatrist, or paediatrician.

• A MHTP without a referral letter is not considered a valid referral under Medicare rules.

• Under a MHTP, there is funding for 10 Medicare rebated psychology sessions per calendar year.

• You are required to pay the full appointment Fee before a Medicare rebate can be submitted.

• Medicare rules do not permit ‘co-payments’ where the client is only required to pay the gap between the appointment Fee and the Medicare rebate.

• Medicare rebates for MHTPs are available in the format: 6 sessions plus 4 sessions.

• You will need to return to Your GP after the 6th session to obtain another referral letter requesting an additional four (4) psychology sessions.

• You will need to return to Your GP for a referral letter after the 6th session even if Your GP has written a referral stating the initial referral is for 10 sessions.  

• A re-referral letter is not the same as a review of your Mental Health Treatment Plan. You do not need a review of your MHTP after the 6th session or after the 10th session.

6. If you are diagnosed with a chronic illness and book an appointment with a Registered Psychologist, You may be able to access Medicare rebates to pay for some of Your ongoing treatment under the Chronic Disease Management scheme.

• A Chronic Disease Management Plan (‘CDMP’) is required from Your general practitioner ('GP') 

• Under a CDMP, there is funding for 5 Medicare rebated psychology or occupational therapy sessions per calendar year.

• You are required to pay the full appointment Fee before a Medicare rebate can be submitted.

• Medicare rules do not permit ‘co-payments’ where the client is only required to pay the gap between the appointment Fee and the Medicare rebate.

• Five (5) Medicare rebates are available per calendar year under a CDMP.

7. Medicare rebates are only available with a valid referral. Medicare rebates will not be given unless the referral Your GP has given you is considered a valid referral under Medicare rules. Medicare rebates will not be given beyond the number stated on each referral.

8. You are required to check with Northground  before Your appointment to ensure your referral is valid and Your allocated clinician is able to provide Medicare rebates.

9. You are responsible for keeping track of the number of sessions attended under a Medicare MHTP or CDMP referral and obtaining a new referral letter prior to your next appointment.

10. Northground is not responsible for You not being able to obtain a Medicare rebate for your appointment. No full or partial refunds will be given if You are not eligible for a Medicare rebate on the Services.

11. Medicare rebates are generally not available for psychological assessments.

12. Some health insurance policies cover allied health appointments. This depends on Your policy and level of cover. It is Your responsibility to check with Your insurance company as to what rebate Your health fund provides. You generally cannot access Your private health insurance funding and Medicare rebates for the same appointment, this depends on Your health fund's rules.

Crisis Support

1. Northground does not offer a crisis service. We cannot guarantee that we will be available to respond to text messages, voicemail, or emails quickly. This might be because we are with other clients, attending to other work or personal matters, or not at work. Our telephones are placed on ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode when we finish work for the day and during any times we are not working, such as weekends or public holidays. Please know that we do care about you and want you to be okay - so if you do message us about an emergency or crisis, we will get back to you eventually, but this is unlikely to be quick enough to make sure you are safe, or to meet your need for support

2. What to do in an emergency. If you are having strong thoughts or urges of suicide, self-harm, or hurting someone else; or, you have self-harmed, attempted suicide, or hurt someone else; or, you are distressed and having trouble getting back to calm and regulated, we advise you to contact one or more of the following crisis services until you are safe:

• Police or ambulance: 000

• Your General Practitioner (GP).

• Lifeline: 13 11 14

• Suicide call-back service: 1300 659 467

• State-based crisis numbers:

• 1800 011 511 – Mental Health Line

• 1300 651 251 – Suicide Help Line

• 13 43 25 84 – 13 HEALTH

• 13 14 65 - Mental Health Assessment and Crisis Intervention Service

• Mental Health Emergency Response Line: 1800 676 822 (PEEL) or 1300 555 788 (Metro)

• 1800 332 388 – Mental Health Services Helpline

• 1800 682 288 – Mental Health Line. 

• The Mental Health Line is a free and confidential 24-hour hotline for mental health inquiries from anyone experiencing a mental health crisis or concerned about someone's wellbeing.

• 1800 629 354 – Mental Health Triage Service

3. For clients at risk of suicide, self-harm or harming others, Northground will write a safety plan with You. If You have contacted any of the above crisis support services, please let Northground  know during Your next appointment, or by email prior to the appointment.

Communication

1. Northground will communicate with You in the following ways:

   • Appointments are conducted via video conferencing, such as Zoom, Google Meet, or by telephone.

• Reminders for appointments are sent via Halaxy.

• If You have not shown up to Your appointment we will send You a text message and telephone You.

•  If there is an urgent or time-sensitive situation we need to discuss, we will text You or telephone You.

• Outside of urgent or time-sensitive situations, we will only contact you via telephone if You consent to contact via telephone.

2. All other communication with You will be by email or text message.

• Northground will not contact You via social media for any clinical or administrative matters.

• Please do not contact Northground via social media for clinical or administrative matters.

• Northground is generally not able to respond to requests for clinical advice via phone call, email or text outside of Your appointment. Please limit discussions outside of appointment times to administrative matters, such as booking or cancelling appointments.

• For any administrative matters outside of your regular appointment, please send Northground an email or text message

• Northground reserves the right to require communication via email. You acknowledge and agree that requesting a phone call does not entitle You to a phone call.

3.  Abusive, threatening, harassing or intimidating behaviour towards Northground via telephone, email, or social media will result in termination of contact and/or blocking of your communication without further notice.

4. All communication between You and Northground via any medium becomes part of Your client record that Northground is legally required to keep – this includes emails, text messages and social media contact.

Warranty

1. Northground will use its best efforts and take all reasonable steps to help You achieve the desired results. However, Northground makes no warranty that the Services will meet Your requirements or that all clients will achieve the same results.

2. The Services do come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. For major failures with the Service, You are entitled to cancel Your Service contract with Northground, and are entitled to a refund for the unused portion, or to compensation for its reduced value. A major failure with the Service is defined by the Australian Consumer Law and includes but is not limited to severe situations where a service is unfit for the purpose it is sold or creates an unsafe situation.

Liability

1. Northground’s total liability arising out of or in connection with the Services or these Terms, however arising, including under contract, tort (including negligence), in equity, under statute or otherwise, will not exceed the resupply of the Services to You.

Disclosure and Use of Confidential Information

1. All obligations of confidence set out in this Agreement continue in full force and effect after the completion of the Services.

2. You acknowledge and agree that your personal information and health information may be viewed by Northground as required to provide the Services to You.

3. Both parties must not disclose any Confidential Information to any third party without Your prior consent.

4. This Agreement prohibits the disclosure of Confidential Information except under the following circumstances:

• the disclosure is to a professional adviser for it to provide advice in relation to matters arising under or in connection with this Agreement, or the other Party has consented to the disclosure of such information to the professional adviser;

• You have consented to a secondary use or disclosure.

• the disclosure is required or authorised by or under an Australian law or regulation, or under a court/tribunal order

• the disclosure is reasonably necessary for one or more enforcement related activities; or

• a permitted general situation exists in relation to a secondary use or disclosure, and the disclosure could reasonably be expected to occur to facilitate the secondary purpose.​

• if the confidential information is already in the public domain at no fault of the other Party. 

• Other situations as outlined in the Northground Privacy Policy.

Termination Clause

1. Either party may terminate this Agreement for any reason, upon providing 7 days written notice (including by email) to the other party.

Dispute Resolution

1. If a dispute arises out of or relates to the terms of this Agreement, either party may not commence any legal proceedings in relation to the dispute, unless the following clauses have been complied with (except where urgent interlocutory relief is sought).

2. A party to this Agreement claiming a dispute (the Dispute) has arisen under the terms of this Agreement, must give written notice to the other party detailing the nature of the Dispute, the desired outcome and the action required to settle the Dispute (‘the Notice’).

3. On receipt of the Notice by the other party, the parties must within 7 days from the date the Notice was served, attempt in good faith to resolve the Dispute as expeditiously as possible, including by negotiation or such other means upon which they may mutually agree.

4. If for any reason whatsoever, 21 days after the date the Notice was served, the Dispute has not been resolved the parties must either agree upon the selection of a mediator or request that an appropriate mediator be appointed by the President of the Law Society of New South Wales. 

5. It is agreed that mediation will be held in New South Wales, with the venue to be agreed.

6. The parties agree to be equally liable for the fees and reasonable expenses of a mediator and the cost of the venue of the mediation and undertake to pay any amounts requested by the mediator as a pre-condition to the mediation commencing. The parties must each pay their own costs associated with the mediation.

7. All communications concerning negotiations made by the parties arising out of and in connection with this clause are confidential and to the fullest extent possible, must be treated as “without prejudice” negotiations.

8. In the event that the Dispute is not resolved at the conclusion of the mediation, either party may institute legal proceedings concerning the subject matter of the Dispute.

No Partnership or Agency

1. Nothing contained or implied in this Agreement will create or constitute, or be deemed to create or constitute, a partnership between the parties. A party must not act, represent or hold itself out as having authority to act as the agent of or in any way bind or commit the other parties to any obligation.

   Governing Law & Jurisdiction

2. This Agreement is governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia.

3. In the event of any dispute arising out of or in relation to the Services, Northground agrees that the exclusive venue for resolving any dispute shall be in the courts of Australia, situated in New South Wales, Australia.

Severance

1. Any provision of this Agreement that is prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction will, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions of this Agreement or affecting the validity or enforceability of such provisions in any other jurisdiction.

Entire Agreement and Modifications

1. Both You and Northground  confirm and acknowledge that these Terms and Conditions and the Booking Confirmation constitute the entire agreement between You and Northground  and shall supersede and override all previous communications, either oral or written, between the parties.

2. Please be aware that we may change our Business Terms and Conditions in the future. We may modify our Business Terms and Conditions at any time, in our sole discretion and all modifications will be effective immediately upon our posting of the modifications on our website or notice board. Please check back from time to time to review our Business Terms and Conditions.