Our Privacy Policy is regularly reviewed to ensure compliance with privacy laws as they change from time to time.
As part of our most recent review, we have made a number of changes to our Privacy Policy to make it easier to read and understand.
We have added the following:
- Notice that when you register as a patient of our practice you provide consent for our GPs and practice staff to use your personal information (which includes your health information) in a way so that we can provide you with the best possible healthcare. Your consent can be implied by your actions of making an appointment and attending at the practice, and so may not begin only from the date you sign the Privacy Policy form.
- Advice that we may collect information via electronic means such as My Health Record, our website, emails or SMS received from you and when an online appointment is made by you. You may have already experienced making an online booking either from our website or through the HealthEngine app and already understand that this means we receive details of your name, email address and phone number.
- Advice that we share de-identified health information for population health purposes. This information is uploaded by Government departments and their agents periodically through secure electronic channels, patients cannot be identified and it is stored within Australia. You can choose to opt out of this if you let our staff or your doctor know. It is an easy task to mark your record so that your health information is omitted from the de-identified report of data. This data is analysed at a practice by practice scale for community population health purposes rather than at any individual record scale.
- Explanation about when we may be legally required to provide your health information to a third party such as by responding to court subpoenas, assisting police in preventing a serious threat to life or safety or to locate a missing person, for medical defence and dispute matters, or for mandatory reporting (for example communicable diseases).
Our practice will not use personal information for any type of marketing or promotion (unless you first consent to something like a fabulous photo shoot of our influenza clinic patients for example). Nor will we release your health information to an independent third party such as a life insurance company without having on file an authority with your written consent to do so.
Finally it is only fair (and required by the Privacy Act principles) to inform patients that there is a complaints process for concerns about breach of confidentiality and privacy. We take complaints and concerns about privacy seriously. All our staff and doctors sign Confidentiality Agreements to safe guard your privacy and you may speak with any member of our team if you have questions. Our Practice & Business Manager has responsibility for addressing your complaints or feedback and will attempt to resolve the matter through our complaints resolution processes, in discussion with our Practice Principal, Dr Rosanna Capolingua.
There is also the option of writing to the Health & Disability Services Complaints Office, GPO Box B61 Perth or contacting the Office of Australian Information Commissioner to request an investigation if you believe there has been a serious and unresolved privacy breach.
Please read the updated version of our Privacy Policy and don’t hesitate to contact our Practice & Business Manager on 9387 6000 if you have any questions or would like to discuss it. We encourage patients to sign the updated policy at your next consultation visit, which will be saved on your medical record. Just ask at reception and one of our lovely receptionists will be happy to assist.