Sandhurst Plastic Surgery & Dermatology
The client:
Sandhurst Plastic Surgery & Dermatology is a specialist plastic surgery and dermatology clinic located in Bendigo, Victoria. The team of surgeons, nurses and administrative staff are committed to delivering the highest quality care without compromise, and provide surgical procedures to the face, breast, body and hands, as well as a range of dermatological services.
The brief:
The team of plastic surgeons at Sandhurst wanted to revamp their current website to better profile their plastic surgery services, highlight the dermatology service, and to ensure they were complying with AHPRA’s new advertising guidelines for cosmetic surgery, which came into effect on 1 July, 2023.
Sandhurst Plastic Surgery & Dermatology had already engaged a web developer to work on the project, so I collaborated with them to ensure the copy and the design complied with new legislation regarding advertising of cosmetic surgery services.
The outcome:
I wrote brand new web copy for most of the website and edited their existing copy about surgical procedures to ensure it complied with AHPRA’s new advertising guidelines. I also provided feedback and recommendations on the design elements of the website to ensure images also met compliance standards. Sandhurst Plastic Surgery & Dermatology now has a brand-new, fresh website that promotes their services, but more importantly, meets the new advertising guidelines for cosmetic surgery.
“Nerissa’s knowledge and professional approach gave us confidence.”
Having Nerissa oversee our website, especially regarding AHPRA compliance was very reassuring. Nerissa reviewed our site, which included the images and text before the copy was put into the design, to make sure that our content was correct and we were not in breach of the new guidelines (which were at times, a little tricky to navigate). Nerissa was always prompt in her replies and was able to offer suggestions and feedback when required, in a supportive manner.
Nerissa’s knowledge and professional approach gave us confidence to ensure our site was compliant and within the correct guidelines.
“High attention to detail”
Nerissa and I recently worked alongside each other on a client that required strict AHPRA-approved copywriting with great success. She has high attention to detail, very quick at returning email and phone communication and collaborates incredibly well. The website is a beautiful combination of sleek design, user-optimised sales journey and it’s all tied together with quality copywriting. Thank you, Nerissa, and I hope we can work on future projects together.
Anonymous client
(saved from a large fine, protected professional reputation and practitioner registration, and helped launch a TGA investigation)
The client:
My client is an allied health practitioner dedicated to helping people. However, due to legal reasons, I must protect the identity of my client. I therefore can’t divulge all the details of this case.
The brief:
The initial brief was to write web copy to promote health benefits around using a particular medical device as part of a treatment protocol. However, during the course of our work and citing references, it became obvious that the medical company in question was using inappropriate and unacceptable evidence to market their products. When my client questioned their sources of evidence, the client dodged the issue. Once my client asked for a refund on the product he had purchased from them (which wasn’t delivering the results the company promised and was actually harming patients), the company made a complaint to AHPRA about my practitioner. Fortunately, I had done a lot of research into their medical references they were using and wrote a report analysing the quality of their ‘evidence’ against AHPRA’s Advertising Guidelines.
The outcome:
Due to my client keeping impeccable records, along with my report on the quality of the medical evidence being cited to sell this product, AHPRA dismissed the case against my client and passed the information over to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). The TGA then launched an investigation into the company, and banned it from selling any more of these products in Australia until the case has been finalised. You can read further details in my blog/case study “AHPRA: How I saved my client from a large fine, protected his professional reputation and helped launch a TGA investigation”
“More my private investigator than my copywriter.”
You have done some amazing research Nerissa, and thank you again for your help, evidence provided and for your deep understanding health writing in Australia. I feel like you have been more my private investigator than my copywriter.
Focus Osteopathy
The client:
Focus Osteopathy is an osteopath clinic in Melbourne offering a range of osteopathic services to their clients. Their mission is to help people make better decisions about their health. Their particular focus is patients over 50, and mums-to-be.
The brief:
The brief was to review Google Adword campaigns and web copy to ensure it complied with AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) advertising legislation. The objective was to build trust with their audience by speaking directly to them and helping them make an informed decision about their treatment options.
The outcome:
I reviewed Google Adword copy, web copy and video scripts and edited them so they complied with AHPRA advertising legislation. A number of non-compliant issues were rectified by editing and re-writing copy to ensure compliancy. Focus Osteopathy were confident in my abilities and knowledge of AHPRA compliancy and felt comfortable with my advice during the whole project. They had peace of mind at the end of the project that their copy and advertising was AHPRA compliant.
“Nerissa has a great understanding of AHPRA regulations.”
Working with The Melbourne Health Writer has been a real pleasure. Nerissa has a great understanding of AHPRA regulations and is extremely thorough in the way that she reviews content. Communication was excellent and I will have no hesitation in using Nerissa’s services again in the future.
Vortala Digital
The client:
Vortala Digital is a Digital Marketing Agency servicing health professionals with all their Digital Marketing needs including Websites, SEO, Ads, Content Marketing, Social media and so on. Many of their clients were Australian health practitioners.
The brief:
Develop a basic training manual for Vortala Digital, to help their writers gain a greater understanding of AHPRA advertising guidelines. The objective is to help them write more compliant copy for clients, and reduce the amount of non-compliant copy picked up by AHPRA.
The outcome:
I wrote and delivered a 44-page AHPRA Advertising Compliancy Training Manual that Vortala Digital’s writers could use and refer to when writing copy for Australian health practitioners to ensure compliancy with AHPRA legislation. The manual was written specifically for Vortala Digital and included a focus on dental and chiropractic advertising guidelines.
“Exactly what we wanted.”
The highlight of the project was the final training guide that we can use for training our writing and front-line team members. It covers everything that we need, in plain English, and is specific to our clients. We love the ‘words to be wary of’ section with the ‘use instead’ examples. That’s extremely helpful for our writing team.
