Start free assessment
PCO / Allied Health Practice Protection
Allied Health · Practice Protection · South Africa

Allied Health Practice protection when the principal cannot give instructions.

For physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, audiology, biokinetics, podiatry and related practices where treatment plans, notes, referrals and diaries may rest with one or two practitioners.

Start the free Allied Health assessmentView Diagnostic pricing
The practical problem

Trusted people are not the same as tested authority.

PCO looks at what must keep working when the normal decision-maker is unexpectedly unavailable and unable to give instructions — who steps in, what they may do, which systems they can use, what limits apply and what still depends on a professional, provider or formal approval.

Practice structures

The Diagnostic changes with the way the practice is structured.

01 · Structure

Sole practitioner

One practitioner carries the caseload and most operating decisions.

02 · Structure

Small allied-health practice

Two or three practitioners share rooms, staff or systems.

03 · Structure

Multi-disciplinary practice

Several disciplines work with shared administration and referral relationships.

Profession-specific focus

What PCO would examine in a allied health practice.

Treatment handover
Clinical notes
Bookings
Referral relationships
Medical-aid billing
Equipment
Privacy boundaries
Practice payments
Questions that matter

The Diagnostic tests the operating reality, not just whether a document exists.

Examples from the Allied Health pathway:

01Which patients can safely be transferred, postponed or referred if you cannot attend for two weeks?
02Can another clinician access the minimum notes genuinely required without giving reception access to clinical detail?
03Who manages medical-aid authorisations, treatment-plan extensions and referrer communication?
04If specialist equipment is locked, calibrated or licensed to one person, can the fallback use it appropriately?
05Can the diary, billing, payroll and routine suppliers continue while clinical decisions stay with the right practitioner?
Practice Protection Diagnostic fees

Three structures. A defined entry price for each.

The Diagnostic price reflects the amount of work normally created by the profession and structure. Guided Protection Review and Practice Protection Plan fees are scoped only after the Diagnostic.

Sole practitioner
R4,500
excl. VAT · standard published scope

Profession-specific Practice Protection Diagnostic for this structure.

Small allied-health practice
R5,500
excl. VAT · standard published scope

Profession-specific Practice Protection Diagnostic for this structure.

Multi-disciplinary practice
R7,500
excl. VAT · standard published scope

Profession-specific Practice Protection Diagnostic for this structure.

Standard published scope: one legal entity and an ordinary small-to-medium professional practice. Multi-entity groups, more than 10 professionals, or more than two operating locations / branches are confirmed by PCO before payment.
The full Diagnostic

Twelve protection areas have to work together.

01Decision responsibilityWho normally decides, who can step in, and where decisions must escalate.
02Professional eligibilityRegistration, scope, competence, supervision or other eligibility required for regulated work.
03Client / patient / matter handoverWhat is live, urgent, incomplete or at risk if the principal stops giving instructions.
04Records & information custodyWho may see records, what must stay confidential, and how access is controlled.
05Systems & authenticationNamed-user access, portals, MFA, recovery routes and single-person credential dependencies.
06Money & payment limitsBanking, payroll, suppliers, refunds, client money where relevant, approval limits and backups.
07Contracts, mandates & approvalsWho may instruct, approve, sign, vary, renew or escalate commitments.
08Providers & third partiesBanks, SARS, regulators, laboratories, insurers, vendors and other external dependencies.
09Deadlines & renewalsFilings, court dates, project milestones, licence renewals, audits and client promises.
10Staff & operating coordinationWhat managers and staff may do, where their limits sit, and what cannot be casually delegated.
11Escalation & prohibited actionsWhat must not be done without the principal or required professional/provider approval.
12Evidence, testing & reviewWhat proves the arrangement exists, who accepted the role, and whether access and fallbacks were tested.
How it works

From free indication to a controlled plan.

01Free AssessmentFive profession-specific questions and a mini report.
02Practice Protection DiagnosticPCO tests the full 12-area pathway and produces findings.
03Guided Protection ReviewResponsibilities, limits, evidence and fallbacks are worked through.
04PPP + NEXUSApproved arrangements become a managed Practice Protection Plan.
Important boundary: neither the free assessment nor the Diagnostic verifies that a POA, bank mandate, professional registration, provider permission, system entitlement or other arrangement is legally or operationally effective merely because the client says it exists. PCO identifies and tests the dependency; the relevant adviser, institution, regulator or provider confirms what only they can confirm.
Two useful starting questions

Would the practice know what to do tomorrow?

01Which patients can safely be transferred, postponed or referred if you cannot attend for two weeks?
02Can another clinician access the minimum notes genuinely required without giving reception access to clinical detail?
Start the free assessmentAsk PCO privately
Related profession pathways

Explore other professional practices.

Psychology & Mental Health practice protectionPharmacy practice protectionArchitecture practice protectionEngineering practice protection