Your privacy
How we protect the information you give us in the pre-operative questionnaire. Please read it alongside our Fees, Terms & Conditions.
Version 1.1 (draft) · 20 October 2026 · subject to legal reviewWhat we collect
- Your name, date of birth, contact details, next of kin and medical-aid details
- Your medical history, medicines, allergies, previous anaesthetics and lifestyle information
- Details of the planned procedure, and any photos or documents you choose to upload
- Your consent declaration
Why we collect it
So that your anaesthetist can plan and give your anaesthetic safely, keep a clinical record, talk to the surgical team and hospital caring for you, bill your medical aid, and meet the legal and professional duties of a healthcare provider in South Africa (POPIA sections 26–33 allow health information to be processed by healthcare providers for these purposes).
Automated checks
When you submit, your answers are checked automatically against standard safety scores (for example, sleep-apnoea risk) and sorted into a priority order, so that the most important questionnaires are read first. No decision about your care is made automatically — every questionnaire is reviewed by your anaesthetist.
Who sees it
- Dr Colin Padoa, your treating anaesthetist
- The surgical team and hospital staff caring for you, where needed for your care
- Your medical-aid scheme and the practice's billing service, for your account
We use these technology providers to run the service on our behalf. They may only use your information to provide that service:
| Provider | What they do | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase | Database, secure login and file storage — where your questionnaire is kept | London, United Kingdom |
| Netlify | Hosts the questionnaire web page (does not store your answers) | Global network (USA-based company) |
| Resend | Sends your login link and your PDF copy by email | USA |
| Twilio | Sends your invitation by WhatsApp | USA |
The United Kingdom has data-protection law comparable to POPIA. Transfers to these providers happen under POPIA section 72, on the basis of written agreements and your consent.
How it reaches you
You may receive your invitation by WhatsApp or email. After you submit, a PDF copy of your answers is emailed to the address you entered. Email is not end-to-end encrypted — if you'd prefer not to receive the copy by email, tell us and we'll stop.
How long we keep it
In line with HPCSA guidelines we keep your record for at least six years after your last consultation; for children, until their 21st birthday or six years after the last consultation, whichever is later. After that it is securely destroyed or de-identified.
If you receive an invitation but don't complete the questionnaire, the invitation and any unsubmitted draft answers are deleted automatically after fourteen (14) days.
How we keep it safe
- Information is encrypted in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest.
- You log in with a single-use link sent to your own email address — there's no password to steal.
- Your unfinished answers are saved to your secure account, not to the browser, so nothing is left behind on a shared computer.
- Database rules mean only you and your treating anaesthetist can read your questionnaire.
- The clinician dashboard requires a password and two-factor authentication.
Your rights
You may ask what information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, ask us to delete it once we're no longer required to keep it, object to processing, or withdraw your consent (this may affect our ability to treat you; it doesn't affect processing already done lawfully). You may also complain to the Information Regulator.
To exercise any of these rights, email copa.anaes@gmail.com.
Your consent
By ticking the consent box and submitting the questionnaire, you confirm that you have read this notice and agree to your health information being processed, shared and stored as described above, including with the providers listed outside South Africa.
If you are completing the form for someone else (for example, your child), you confirm that you are authorised to do so.
Contact
Information Officer: Dr Colin Padoa · copa.anaes@gmail.com
Information Regulator (South Africa)
JD House, 27 Stiemens Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2001
Tel +27 (0)10 023 5200 · complaints.IR@justice.gov.za · inforegulator.org.za