Social Media Policy

Current as of: March 31st, 2026

This policy provides guidance for members of the practice on using social media internally and externally. The policy helps identify and mitigate risks associated with social media use.

Maya Medical Centre aims to respect patient confidentiality, laws relating to medical practice, and to partake in social media with upmost professionalism.

Definition

For the purposes of this policy, ‘social media’ is online social networks used to disseminate information through online interaction.

Purpose

Regardless of whether social media is used for business-related activity or for personal reasons, the following policy requirements apply to all GPs and practice staff of the practice. GPs and practice staff are legally responsible for their online activities, and if found to be in breach of this policy could face one or more of the following depending on the specifics and seriousness of the breach:

  • Disciplinary action
  • Legal action
  • Termination employment/contract
  • Being held personally liable for damages caused by any violations of this policy.

Designated Officer:

Our practice has social media officers with designated responsibility to manage and monitor the practice’s social media accounts. All posts on the practice’s social media website must be approved by Doctor Sunkanapally and the Practice Manager Dr Narendra Gurrapu. The practice reserves the right to remove any content at its own discretion.

 

Staff Conduct

When using the practice’s social media, all members of our practice team will not:

  • Post any material that:
  • Is unlawful, threatening, defamatory, pornographic, inflammatory, menacing, or offensive
  • Infringes or breaches another person’s rights (including intellectual property rights) or privacy, or misuses the practices or another person’s confidential information (e.g., do not submit confidential information relating to our patients, personal information of staff, or information concerning the practice’s business operations that have not been made public)
  • Is materially damaging or could be materially damaging to the practice’s reputation or image, or another individual.
  • Is in breach of any of the practice’s policies or procedures
  • Use social media to send unsolicited commercial electronic messages, or solicit other users to buy or sell products or services or donate money
  • Impersonate another person or entity (for example, by pretending to be someone else or another practice employee or other participant when you submit a contribution to social media) or by using another’s registration identifier without permission
  • Tamper with, hinder the operation of, or make unauthorised changes to the social media sites.
  • Knowingly transmit any virus or other disabling feature to or via the practice’s social media account, or use in any email to a third party, or the social media site
  • Attempt to do or permit another person to do any of the following:
  • Claim or imply that you are speaking on the practice’s behalf, unless you are authorised to do so
  • Disclose any information that is confidential or proprietary to the practice, or to any third party that has disclosed information to the practice
  • Be defamatory, harassing, or in violation of any other applicable law
  • Include confidential or copyrighted information (e.g., music, videos, text belonging to third parties), and
  • Violate any other applicable policy of the practice.

Monitoring

Any social media must be monitored in accordance with the practice’s current polices on the use of internet, email, and computers. The practice’s social media channels are part of our customer service and should be monitored and dealt with regularly.

Maya Medical Centre will endeavour to answer all enquiries and complaints within 48 hours where possible.

 

Testimonials

Our practice complies with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) national law and takes reasonable steps to remove testimonials that advertise our services (which may include comments about the practitioners themselves). Our practice is not responsible for removing (or trying to have removed) unsolicited testimonials published on a website or in social media over which we do not have control.

Personal Use of Social Media

Staff are free to personally engage in social media outside of work hours, provided that their actions do not have the potential to bring the practice into disrepute. Employees may not represent personal views expressed as those of this practice.

Any social media posts by staff on their personal social media platforms must not reveal confidential information about the practice or a person who uses the practice (e.g., staff should not post information relating to patients or other staff, or information concerning the practice’s business operations that have not already been made public).

Staff should respect copyright, privacy, fair use, financial disclosure and other applicable laws when publishing on social media platforms.

Breach of Policy

All social media activities internally and externally of the practice must be in line with this policy.

Policy Review

This Social Medical Policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is up to date with changes in social media or other relevant legislation. All practice staff will be informed should there be any amendments to this policy.

The date for the next review: March 31st 2027

 

 

Social Media Policy – Privacy Policy – Internet & Email Policy