Privacy Statement

This medical practice is committed to providing quality healthcare for patients.  All staff recognise the importance of ensuring that our patients are fully informed and involved in their care.

As a healthcare provider in the private sector, this practice is bound by and adheres to the National Privacy Principles.  These principles set the standards for how we handle your personal information.  The National Privacy Principles can be viewed at www.privacy.gov.au/publications/npps01.html.

This practice needs to maintain personal files for your healthcare.  These contain:

• your personal details (name, address, date of birth etc.)

• your medical history

• referrals from and to other health service providers

• results and reports received from other providers

Your personal information is handled with the utmost respect for your privacy.  Our staff are bound by strict confidentiality agreements as a condition of their employment.

We will not release the contents of your personal file to a third party without your consent.  However, if you accept referral from this practice to another health care provider, it is assumed you consent to correspondence being sent to that provider.

Exceptions to disclosure of information may occur.  If information is sought by subpoena, the practice is legally obliged to provide this without your consent.  Our liability insurers ask to be notified of any unsatisfactory outcomes, and in this event a report would be sent.  Finally, your contact details (but not clinical records) would be sent to a third party collection agency in the event that you fail to pay amounts owing when due.

You have a right of access to any information held in your personal file.  We abide by Australian Medical Association guidelines on the handling of and access to your personal information.  The relevant document can be viewed at www.ama.com.au/web.nsf/tag/privacy-policy.

This practice undertakes secure storage of personal paper files.  Only staff of this practice can access your electronic records, and they are protected by security password systems.