Physiotherapy Service Agreement (Ireland)

A Physiotherapy Service Agreement in Ireland sets the services to be provided, the fees, the timetable, and each side's responsibilities for the engagement, and takes its legal force from the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005.

Physiotherapy is a regulated profession in Ireland under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 (as amended). The Act established CORU (the Health and Social Care Professionals Council) as the statutory regulator for fourteen health and social care professions, including physiotherapy and physical therapy. The Physiotherapists Registration Board (PRB), one of CORU's constituent registration boards, maintains the Register of Physiotherapists and Physical Therapists, sets professional standards, and handles fitness to practise proceedings against registered practitioners who are the subject of complaints.

The title protection provisions of the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 are central to the regulatory framework. Under section 98 of the Act, only persons registered with the PRB may use the protected titles 'physiotherapist' or 'physical therapist'. This protection is enforced by CORU under section 99 of the Act, which makes the unauthorised use of a protected title a criminal offence. The protection of these titles was introduced following the completion of the PRB's grand-parenting registration period for practitioners already practising at the time the register opened.

The professional standards governing registered physiotherapists are set out principally in the Physiotherapists Registration Board Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics Bye-Law 2016 (S.I. No. 497 of 2016), which establishes ethical and professional obligations regarding consent, confidentiality, scope of practice, record-keeping, and relationships with clients. The Physiotherapists Registration Board Standards of Proficiency for Physiotherapists define the knowledge, skills, and professional behaviours required of all registered practitioners.

From a data protection perspective, physiotherapy patient records are 'special category personal data' (health data) under Article 9 of EU Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR). Physiotherapy practitioners and clinics are data controllers under GDPR and must comply with all applicable GDPR obligations — including the duty to provide privacy notices to patients, to process health data on a lawful basis, to maintain records securely, and to respond to patients' data subject rights requests. The Data Protection Act 2018 provides the domestic Irish law framework supplementing GDPR, including the specific conditions for processing health data in a healthcare context (section 53 of the 2018 Act).

A Physiotherapy Service Agreement is needed whenever a physiotherapy practitioner or clinic in Ireland is providing services to a new client on an ongoing or recurring basis, or when commencing a defined course of treatment. A written agreement provides clarity, protects both parties, and confirms compliance with CORU professional standards and GDPR obligations.

You need a physiotherapy service agreement when you are a physiotherapy practice or clinic onboarding a new client. The agreement serves as both the terms of service and the initial data protection notice required by GDPR Articles 13–14, and sets the framework for the entire therapeutic relationship from first assessment through to discharge.

You need a physiotherapy service agreement when you are a self-employed physiotherapist providing services to clients in a private practice, home visit, or workplace setting. As a sole trader, you are the data controller for your clients' health records and the agreement is the primary document establishing your legal obligations and protecting you from disputes about fees, cancellations, and the scope of the treatment provided.

You need a physiotherapy service agreement when you are a physiotherapy practice providing services under a corporate wellness or employee health programme — for example, providing on-site physiotherapy to employees of a corporate client. In this context, the agreement should address both the B2B relationship with the corporate client and the individual therapist-patient relationship with the employees receiving treatment, including the data protection boundaries between the two.

You need a physiotherapy service agreement when providing physiotherapy services via telehealth or video consultation — an increasingly common modality following the growth of remote healthcare delivery. The agreement should address the specific considerations of online treatment: platform security and data protection, the limitations of remote assessment and treatment, emergency procedures if a client experiences a serious adverse event during a remote session, and the jurisdictional implications if the client is located outside Ireland.

You need a physiotherapy service agreement when treating a minor (a client under 18 years). The agreement must be signed by the minor's parent or guardian (as the person with parental responsibility under the Guardianship of Infants Act 1964 as amended) rather than (or in addition to, for older adolescents) the minor themselves, and should include appropriate provisions for communicating with the parent or guardian about the minor's treatment progress consistent with the minor's right to confidentiality.

A thorough Irish Physiotherapy Service Agreement should address the following key provisions.

The parties clause identifies the physiotherapy practitioner or practice (full legal name, CORU PRB registration number, address, and practice insurance details) and the client (full name, date of birth, address, GP contact details, and emergency contact).

The scope of services clause describes the physiotherapy services to be provided — the modalities to be used (manual therapy, exercise prescription, electrotherapy, hydrotherapy, acupuncture, etc.), the setting (clinic, home visit, telehealth), the expected number and duration of sessions, and the specific treatment goals. The clause should clearly state that physiotherapy services are provided within the scope of practice defined by the CORU Physiotherapists Registration Board Standards of Proficiency and the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics Bye-Law 2016 (S.I. No. 497 of 2016).

The CORU registration confirmation clause requires the practitioner to confirm and maintain current registration with the PRB throughout the engagement and to notify the client if registration is suspended or subject to fitness to practise proceedings.

The consent clause confirms that informed consent will be sought before each treatment session, that the client has the right to refuse or withdraw consent at any time, and that the practitioner will explain the proposed treatment, its expected benefits, and its material risks in plain language before proceeding — consistent with the PRB Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics and the HSE National Consent Policy (2022).

The fees and cancellation clause specifies the charge per assessment and treatment session, the accepted payment methods, the billing arrangements, and the cancellation and non-attendance policy — including the minimum notice period for cancellation without charge (typically 24 to 48 hours) and the fee applicable for late cancellations or missed appointments.

The health records and data protection clause identifies the practitioner as data controller under GDPR; specifies the legal basis for processing health data (Article 9(2)(h) GDPR and section 53 of the Data Protection Act 2018); sets out the retention period for clinical records; describes the security measures in place; and summarises the client's data subject rights under GDPR Articles 15–22.

The referral and communication clause addresses the practitioner's right to communicate with the client's GP or other treating clinicians with the client's consent, and the procedure for requesting such consent.

The termination clause specifies the notice required by each party to end the service arrangement and the arrangements for transferring or discharging the client's care on termination. The forms-legal.com Physiotherapy Service Agreement (Ireland) template covers the mandatory elements under Companies Act 2014.

Additional compliance elements for a Physiotherapy Service Agreement (Ireland) used in Ireland include: Data Protection — the Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR Article 6 require a lawful basis for processing personal data; Governing Law — specify Irish law and the jurisdiction of Irish courts; Dispute Resolution — parties may refer disputes to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) for employment matters or initiate proceedings in the Circuit Court or High Court of Ireland for civil claims. Under the Companies Act 2014, the Companies Registration Office (CRO) maintains the register of Irish companies. Section 343 of the Companies Act 2014 sets annual confirmation obligations. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) enforces the Consumer Rights Act 2022. The Central Bank of Ireland regulates financial services under the Central Bank Act 1971. The High Court of Ireland has jurisdiction under Section 212 of the Companies Act 2014. Revenue Commissioners require appropriate tax treatment of payments made under the agreement, including VAT under the Value-Added Tax Consolidation Act 2010 where applicable.