Patient guide
What are you agreeing to when you sign a telehealth consent form?
The form you sign before a telehealth consultation records that you understand how the call works, how your information is handled and what you will pay. Agreement to any treatment comes later, in the consultation, after your Clinician has explained it. You can withdraw consent at any time. General information, not medical or legal advice.
Last verified 20 October 2026 against the TGA, Medical Board of Australia and OAIC pages. Rules change; check with your clinic before you rely on this.
The short answer
- A telehealth consent form records that you understood how the consultation works, how your information is handled and what you are paying, before you agree to go ahead. Signing it does not commit you to any treatment.
- Where a Clinician considers an unapproved medicine, the TGA expects them to explain that it is not on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods, what its known risks are, that some risks may be unknown, and what approved alternatives exist. That conversation happens in the consultation, and your consent is recorded in your file.
- Australian privacy guidance lists four elements of valid consent: you are adequately informed, you agree voluntarily, the consent is current and specific, and you have the capacity to understand and communicate it.
- You can withdraw consent at any time. The clinic should tell you what that changes, for example that a prescription cannot be issued or continued without it.
Changing clinics
Moving your care from another clinic?
Our changing clinics page explains what to bring: your current prescription details and, if you have one, a treatment summary. A LeafLine Clinician reviews your history at a first consultation and decides what happens next.
At a glance
What a telehealth consent form covers, section by section
The sections follow the consent form LeafLine patients complete with their intake form. Other clinics order theirs differently, but the official requirements behind them are the same.
| Section | What you are agreeing to | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| How telehealth works | The consultation is by video or phone, what happens if the connection drops, and that you may need to be seen in person if telehealth is not suitable | Medical Board telehealth guidelines |
| Who is on the call | Your identity is confirmed, and so is the identity of anyone with you. You can bring a support person or ask for an interpreter | Medical Board telehealth guidelines |
| Your assessment and record | The Clinician assesses you, decides whether any treatment is appropriate, and keeps notes in your clinical record | LeafLine consent form |
| Unapproved medicines | If one is considered: that it is not on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods, its known and possibly unknown risks, approved alternatives, and the TGA application your Clinician makes | TGA SAS guidance |
| Dispensing | The clinic does not dispense. A prescription is sent electronically to a pharmacy, which receives the details it needs to dispense | LeafLine consent form |
| Privacy and its limits | How your health information is stored and shared, and the narrow cases where the law requires disclosure, such as a serious risk of harm or a court order | OAIC; LeafLine consent form |
| Fees and cancellation | The consultation fee, that it is payable whether or not anything is prescribed, and the cancellation terms. At LeafLine, cancelling inside 48 hours may incur 50% of the fee | Medical Board telehealth guidelines; LeafLine fees page |
| Driving and safety | That some medicines affect driving or work, and that you will follow your Clinician’s advice on both | LeafLine consent form |
| Withdrawal and complaints | That you can withdraw consent at any time, what that changes, and how to raise a concern | OAIC APP guidelines; LeafLine consent form |
Current at 20 October 2026. General information, not medical or legal advice. Sources, all read 20 October 2026: TGA, Special Access Scheme guidance for health practitioners accessing unapproved therapeutic goods (last updated 1 October 2024); Medical Board of Australia, Guidelines: Telehealth consultations with patients (effective 1 September 2023); Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, Australian Privacy Principles guidelines, Chapter B: key concepts (version 1.4, 21 December 2022). Rows marked "LeafLine consent form" describe the form LeafLine patients sign; they are not a legal requirement for every clinic.
Start here
Three rules behind the form
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The form records a conversation
The signature on an intake form covers how the service works. Consent to a specific treatment is given in the consultation, after your Clinician has explained it, and is written into your record.
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Consent has to be current
Consent you gave in March does not cover a new decision in October. When something changes, such as a new treatment or a recording, you are asked again.
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You can say no at any point
Declining part of a form, or withdrawing consent later, is your right. The clinic should explain plainly what it can and cannot do for you as a result.
Valid consent
What makes consent count
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner sets out four elements of consent. You are adequately informed before you agree. You agree voluntarily. The consent is current and specific to what you are agreeing to. And you have the capacity to understand and communicate your decision (OAIC, APP guidelines Chapter B, read 20 October 2026).
Express consent can be given out loud or in writing, and the OAIC lists a handwritten signature and an electronic signature among the ways to give it. LeafLine’s consent form sits inside the intake form and asks for a signature drawn on screen. Your Clinician also records in your notes what was explained in the consultation and what you agreed to.
A tick box you did not read does not meet the first element. If a section is unclear, ask before you sign, through the clinic or at the start of the call.
The TGA does not supply a consent template, so each clinic writes its own.
Unapproved medicines
What the TGA expects your Clinician to explain
Some prescriptions in Australia are for products that are not on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods. When a Clinician considers one, they apply to the TGA under the Special Access Scheme, and the TGA expects them to obtain your informed consent before treatment, given freely and in writing unless you are unable (TGA SAS guidance, read 20 October 2026).
The TGA lists what that consent should rest on. The product is not on the Register and may not have been evaluated by the TGA for quality, safety or efficacy. Its known risks and side effects are explained, along with the possibility of risks that are not yet known. And you are told about any approved alternatives available in Australia.
Your consent is recorded in your clinical file and does not go to the TGA. Using the product "within the context of fully informed consent" is also one of the four standard conditions on every approval, which the approval guide sets out in full.
The call
The telehealth part of the form
The Medical Board of Australia’s telehealth guidelines list what a patient should know before a telehealth consultation starts: what to do if the technology fails, who else might hear or see the call, that support people and interpreters are welcome, what the alternatives to telehealth are, and that an in-person appointment may be needed if telehealth turns out to be unsuitable (effective 1 September 2023, read 20 October 2026).
The same guidelines cover money. Billing arrangements are explained before the consultation, including whether a Medicare rebate applies and any gap, and the patient gives financial consent. LeafLine does not bulk bill, so the fee you agree to is the fee on the fees page, payable whether or not anything is prescribed.
During the call, the Clinician confirms who you are and who is with you. If the consultation were to be recorded, everyone taking part would have to consent, and that consent is noted in your file.
If you change your mind
Withdrawing consent
You can withdraw consent at any time, and the OAIC says the process should be easy and that you should be told what it changes (APP guidelines Chapter B, read 20 October 2026). Withdrawing consent to a treatment may mean your Clinician cannot issue or continue a prescription, so talk it through with them before stopping anything you have been prescribed. LeafLine patients can reach the team through the support page, and the privacy post covers how your information is handled.
Telehealth consent forms: common questions
Does signing the consent form mean I have agreed to treatment?
No. The form records that you understand how the service works and agree to the consultation going ahead. Consent to a specific treatment is given during the consultation, once your Clinician has explained it, and is recorded in your clinical file. This is general information, not medical or legal advice.
Is an electronic signature valid?
Yes. Australian privacy guidance says express consent can be given orally or in writing, including by a handwritten signature or an electronic means. At LeafLine the consent form is part of the intake form and asks for a drawn signature on screen.
What does the TGA require for an unapproved medicine?
The TGA expects the prescriber to obtain informed consent before treatment, given freely and in writing unless the patient is unable. The prescriber explains that the product is not on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods and may not have been evaluated by the TGA, the known risks and side effects, that unknown risks are possible, and any approved alternatives available in Australia.
Does my consent form go to the TGA?
No. The TGA states that consent documentation does not need to be sent to it and should be kept on the patient’s file. The TGA also states that it does not provide a template, so each clinic writes its own form.
Can I withdraw my consent later?
Yes, at any time. Australian privacy guidance says withdrawing should be easy, and that you should be told what it changes, such as no longer being able to use a service. Withdrawing consent to a treatment may mean your Clinician cannot issue or continue a prescription.
Can I bring someone to the consultation?
Yes. National telehealth guidance says patients should be told they can have support people present, including family, friends, carers and interpreters. The Clinician will confirm who is with you at the start of the call.
Will my consultation be recorded?
Not without consent. National telehealth guidance requires a record of consent from everyone taking part if a consultation is digitally recorded. If you are unsure, ask at the start of the call.
Why does the form mention fees?
Because consent includes the money. National telehealth guidance expects billing arrangements to be explained before the consultation, including whether a Medicare rebate applies and any gap, and the patient to give financial consent.
What if I do not understand part of the form?
Ask before you sign. Consent only counts if you were adequately informed and had the capacity to understand it. The clinic can explain any section, and you can ask for a professional interpreter if English is not your first language.
Do I sign it again for follow-up appointments?
Usually not the whole form. Consent has to be current and specific, so you are asked again when something material changes, such as a new treatment or a change to how your information is shared.
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