Clinic Policy Center
Our commitment to transparency, privacy, security, and accessibility.
Data Retention Policy
Last Updated: June 14, 2026
Your Spine & Your Wellness maintains a structured schedule for the retention, archiving, and deletion of personal and health data in compliance with the Health Services Act 2016 (WA), general medical records guidelines, and national database archiving regulations.
1. Scope & Policy Objectives
This policy applies to all clinical records, diagnostic files, booking data, audit logs, and employee files. Our primary objective is to hold data only as long as necessary to fulfill healthcare, legal, and operational purposes, while ensuring structured, secure disposal of expired records.
2. Structured Retention Schedules
We retain records in accordance with the following mandatory schedules:
| Record Type | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Adult Patient Health Records | 7 years from the date of the last clinical service or consultation. |
| Minor Patient Health Records | Retained until the patient reaches 25 years of age. |
| Appointment Logs & Intake Sheets | 7 years from creation. |
| System Audit Logs & Security Trails | Minimum of 3 years to support internal security audits. |
3. Archiving & Storage Requirements
Inactive clinical files are moved to encrypted offline/read-only archives after 2 years of inactivity. Active data databases are subject to daily automated backups.
4. Secure Destruction of Expired Records
Once a record exceeds its mandatory retention period:
- Physical Documents: Securely shredded on-site or through certified document destruction companies.
- Digital Database Records: Permanently deleted using cryptographically secure wiping methods, ensuring that files cannot be reconstructed or recovered.
5. Policy Audits
The Clinic Director reviews this policy annually to align with modifications in Australian health records legislation and digital record retention guidelines.