Terms of Use

UpDoc (Pty) Ltd(Registration No. 2026/344997/07) — Version 3.1, effective 1 June 2026. Please read these Terms and Conditions carefully before using the UpDoc platform. By registering for or accessing the Platform, you agree to be legally bound by these Terms in their entirety. If you do not agree, you must not use the Platform. These Terms must be read with our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

1. Definitions

• “UpDoc”, “we”, “us” — UpDoc (Pty) Ltd, a private company incorporated in South Africa, owner and operator of the Platform.
• “Platform” — the UpDoc website and all related web-based tools, portals, features, and email-notification services, including the separate Agency Portal.
• “User”, “you” — any person or entity that registers for or accesses the Platform, including Health Facilities, Health Professionals, and Locum Agencies.
• “Health Facility” — any hospital, clinic, practice, or healthcare institution, or any department thereof, that registers to advertise Shifts.
• “Health Professional” — any registered healthcare worker who registers (or is registered by a Locum Agency) to apply for or accept Shifts.
• “Locum Agency” — a staffing or placement entity that registers to manage, verify, and place Health Professionals via the Agency Portal.
• “Agency-Managed Professional” — a Health Professional whose account is linked to and administered by a Locum Agency.
• “Shift” — a time-bound period of work advertised by a Health Facility. “Booking” — confirmation of a Shift by a Health Professional through the Platform.
• “POPIA”, “Personal Information”, “Processing”, “Responsible Party” — as defined in the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013. “ECT Act” — the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002.

2. Legal basis and acceptance

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, including the ECT Act, POPIA, the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (where applicable), and the common law of contract. In accordance with section 11 of the ECT Act, this agreement is concluded electronically and is as enforceable as a written, signed agreement. By creating an account you confirm that you are at least 18 and legally competent to contract; that you have read, understood, and agree to these Terms; and, where you register on behalf of an entity, that you are authorised to bind it. A Locum Agency that registers an Agency-Managed Professional confirms it has that professional’s consent and has made them aware of these Terms and the Privacy Policy.

3. Amendments

We may amend these Terms at any time. Where an amendment is material, we will give registered Users not less than 14 days’ prior notice by email and/or a prominent notice on the Platform. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance. Keep your registered email address current.

4. Nature of the Platform

UpDoc is an online shift-matching and booking platform that lets Health Facilities advertise Shifts and Health Professionals book them, and provides an Agency Portal through which Locum Agencies verify and manage their practitioners and oversee bookings. UpDoc is a technology intermediary only. It is not a healthcare staffing agency, employer, recruiter, labour broker, or healthcare provider, and does not participate in, endorse, or take responsibility for the rendering of healthcare services or any clinical or administrative decisions at any Health Facility.

5. No verification of users, credentials, or facilities by UpDoc

UpDoc does not verify the identity, qualifications, professional registration, fitness to practise, or indemnity cover of any Health Professional, nor accredit any Health Facility, nor vet any Locum Agency. Verification responsibilities rest with Users:

• each Health Facility must independently verify the qualifications, registration (HPCSA, SANC, SAPC, or other body), indemnity cover, and suitability of any Health Professional before permitting them to work;
• each Health Professional must verify the legitimacy and suitability of any Health Facility before attending a Shift; and
• each Locum Agency is solely responsible for verifying the credentials, registration, and fitness to practise of every Agency-Managed Professional it registers and places. Marking a practitioner as “verified” in the Agency Portal is the Agency’s own verification — it does not constitute verification by UpDoc.

UpDoc disclaims all liability arising from any User’s failure to conduct its own verification.

6. Locum Agencies and the Agency Portal

A Locum Agency registers a separate account to access the Agency Portal and is responsible for all actions taken through it, including verification, approvals, and booking confirmations. By registering a Health Professional, the Agency warrants that it has the professional’s informed consent, has provided them with these Terms and the Privacy Policy, that all information submitted is accurate, and that the professional holds current registration and indemnity cover. The Agency must treat practitioners’ Personal Information as confidential, use it only to manage their Shift activity, and comply independently with POPIA.

7. Professional indemnity and medical liability

UpDoc does not provide or arrange professional indemnity insurance. Each Health Professional is solely responsible for holding adequate, valid indemnity cover for every Shift. Health Facilities remain exclusively responsible for clinical governance, patient safety, and employer obligations in respect of any person working at their facility, regardless of how that person was sourced. UpDoc shall not be liable for any claim, loss, or harm arising from the provision of (or failure to provide) healthcare services.

8. Bookings, attendance, and disputes

A confirmed Booking is a direct arrangement between the Health Facility and the Health Professional; UpDoc is not a party to it. UpDoc does not guarantee the attendance, punctuality, competence, or conduct of any Health Professional, nor the availability or accuracy of any Shift. Disputes arising from non-attendance, cancellation, or performance are resolved directly between the parties concerned; where a Locum Agency placed the professional, it is responsible for managing the dispute.

9. No employment or agency relationship

Nothing in these Terms creates any employment, contractor, agency, partnership, or joint-venture relationship between UpDoc and any User, between a Health Facility and a Health Professional, or alters the relationship between a Locum Agency and its professionals. UpDoc bears no obligation under the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, the Labour Relations Act, or other employment legislation in connection with any User’s activities.

10. Accounts and account security

Each User category registers a separate account and must provide accurate, complete, current information. You are responsible for keeping your credentials confidential and for all activity under your account, and must notify UpDoc immediately of any unauthorised use. UpDoc may suspend or terminate an account, without prior notice, for breach of these Terms; fraudulent, false, or misleading information; impersonation; registering a professional without consent; harmful or abusive conduct; non-payment of any applicable Fees; misuse of the Platform; or at the direction of a regulator, law enforcement, or court. Accounts terminated for fraud or impersonation may be reported to the relevant regulatory body and/or authorities.

11. Prohibited conduct

You agree not to: provide false or misleading information about qualifications, credentials, identity, or affiliation; impersonate any person, institution, or authority; create false or duplicate accounts; register Agency-Managed Professionals without their consent; advertise Shifts that do not exist or that you have no authority to fill; harass or threaten others; attempt unauthorised access to the Platform or another User’s account; introduce malicious code; circumvent security or access controls; scrape or use automated tools without consent; or violate any applicable law or professional code.

12. Intellectual property

All intellectual property in the Platform and Agency Portal — design, source code, software, databases, interfaces, content, trade marks, and branding — vests exclusively in UpDoc (Pty) Ltd, protected under the Trade Marks Act 194 of 1993, the Copyright Act 98 of 1978, and the ECT Act. Users are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to use the Platform for its intended purpose, and may not copy, frame, scrape, mirror, distribute, or create derivative works from any part of it without UpDoc’s prior written consent. Users warrant that content they submit does not infringe any third party’s rights.

13. Personal information and cookies

UpDoc is a Responsible Party under POPIA and processes Personal Information lawfully, transparently, and proportionately, as set out in our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference (and which prevails in the event of a conflict on a data-privacy matter). The Platform uses strictly necessary authentication cookies only; see our Cookie Policy.

14. Fees

The Platform is provided free of charge during the current pilot phase. UpDoc mayin future introduce fees — for example a Subscription Fee for independent Health Professionals and/or a Per-Shift Fee charged to Locum Agencies for confirmed Bookings of Agency-Managed Professionals. Any such fee, its billing cycle, and any trial period will be published on the Platform and introduced on not less than 30 days’ prior written notice; continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the fee. No payment-card information is collected or stored while no fees are charged.

15. Disclaimers and limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by South African law, the Platform is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis without warranties of any kind. UpDoc makes no warranty as to the accuracy of any Shift listing or User profile, the credentials or conduct of any User, or the continuous, error-free operation of the Platform, and shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages, or for any patient harm, clinical incident, or working relationship arising from use of the Platform. Where liability cannot be excluded by law, UpDoc’s maximum aggregate liability to any User shall not exceed the total Fees paid by that User to UpDoc in the three months preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or R1 000.00, whichever is the lesser.

16. Indemnity by Users

Each User indemnifies and holds harmless UpDoc, its directors, officers, and employees from all claims, losses, and costs (including legal fees) arising from the User’s use of the Platform; any breach of these Terms; any false or misleading information provided; an Agency’s registration or placement of an unqualified or impersonating professional; any clinical, employment, or regulatory claim arising from the User’s conduct; or any infringement of a third party’s rights through content the User submitted.

17. Force majeure

UpDoc is not liable for any failure or delay caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including load-shedding, power or internet outages, cyberattacks, pandemics, civil unrest, or government action. If such an event persists for more than 30 consecutive days, either party may terminate this agreement on written notice.

18. Dispute resolution and governing law

These Terms are governed by South African law. The parties will first attempt resolution by good-faith negotiation within 21 days of written notice of a dispute; failing that, by mediation; and failing that, by binding arbitration under AFSA rules or referral to the High Court of South Africa (Western Cape Division, Cape Town), to whose non-exclusive jurisdiction the parties consent. Nothing prevents either party from seeking urgent relief from any competent court.

19. Termination

You may close your account at any time by contacting UpDoc. UpDoc may suspend or terminate any account or Agency Portal access on the grounds in clause 10 or for any material breach. On termination, your right to access the Platform ceases immediately; any outstanding Fees remain payable; and clauses 12, 13, 15, 16, and 18 survive.

20. General

If any provision is invalid it is severed to the minimum extent necessary and the rest continue in force. These Terms, with the Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy, are the entire agreement between the parties. UpDoc’s failure to exercise a right is not a waiver. UpDoc may assign its rights; Users may not without consent. Notices to Users are sent to the registered email address. These Terms are in English, which prevails over any translation.

21. Contact and Information Officer

Queries, complaints, POPIA data-subject requests, and legal notices: UpDoc (Pty) Ltd, Information Officer Mark Trevor Verryn, mark@updocsa.co.za (or support@updocsa.co.za), 4 Montrose Street, Unit 111, Newlands, Cape Town, 7700, South Africa. You may also contact the Information Regulator (South Africa) at www.inforegulator.org.za.