Patient notice for practices
Last updated 11 November 2026
Each practice that uses Hello is the responsible party for its patients' information and must tell them how it is used (section 18 of POPIA). Practices may copy the wording below into their intake form, website and staff pack, replacing the words in square brackets with their own.
For the intake form
How we keep in touch with you. [Practice name] uses WhatsApp to send appointment reminders, aftercare and exercise links, and to answer your questions, through a secure service called Hello by Kinilo that acts on our behalf. Your name, mobile number, date of birth and appointment details are used for this, and are stored in encrypted form in the European Union. Messages travel through WhatsApp, which is run by Meta.
Our WhatsApp line is not watched around the clock. In an emergency, call 10177 or 112, or go to your nearest emergency unit.
Please tick what you agree to:
☐ I agree to receive appointment and care messages from [practice name] on WhatsApp at the number I have given.
☐ I would also like occasional reminders when I am due for a check-up, birthday greetings, and invitations to share feedback.
For a patient under 18, the parent or guardian signing this form agrees on the patient's behalf, and messages will go to the number they give.
You can change your mind at any time by telling reception or replying STOP to any of our messages. You may ask to see, correct or delete the information we hold about you, though we must keep your clinical record for as long as the law requires. Our Information Officer is [name], at [email or phone]. You may also complain to the Information Regulator at inforeg.org.za.
For the practice's website privacy notice
We use Hello by Kinilo, a South African messaging service, to send appointment reminders and care messages to our patients on WhatsApp and to read and answer their replies. Hello processes our patients' names, mobile numbers, dates of birth, appointment details and messages only on our instructions, under a written operator agreement as POPIA requires. Patients' information is stored in encrypted form in the European Union, backed up nightly, and is never sold, used for advertising or used to train artificial intelligence. Messages are carried by WhatsApp (Meta Platforms). Patients who no longer wish to receive messages can reply STOP or tell us. Hello's own privacy policy is at hello.kinilo.co.za/legal/privacy.
For patients of a practitioner who keeps conversations private
Your WhatsApp conversation with [practitioner] is private: our reception staff cannot read it. It can be read by [practitioner] and by [the practice owner]. When you ask to book, move or cancel an appointment, [practitioner] passes only that request to reception so they can help you.
For staff (new employee or locum pack)
Patient conversations in Hello belong to the practice and are confidential under the National Health Act and our professional rules. Read only the conversations you need for your work, do not copy, screenshot or forward messages outside Hello, keep your sign-in to yourself, and tell [the owner] at once if you think anyone has seen something they should not have.