Byford Village Practice is dedicated to patient confidentiality. In some cases, patient information is required to be disclosed to third parties. The reasons disclosure is required are:
- To enable us to refer patients to services
- To enable us to supply services to our patients
- To enable us to communicate with patients
- As required by Australian Law
Byford Village Practice will never, under any circumstances, sell patient’s information. The only time information is disclosed to a third party is when it is related to the provision and/or improvement of services or if we are required to do so by Australian law. In both cases, these entities meet strict guidelines to preserve patient’s privacy.
For our website visitors’ convenience, cookies are used on this site. These pieces of information are applied to our site to enhance its functionality to save you from having to input the same information time and time again.
Our site does not use cookies to store personal information about you or to track your internet usage. This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”). Google Analytics uses “cookies”, which are text files placed on your computer, to help the website analyse how users use the site. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity for website operators and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google’s behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however, please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website. By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.
The data recorded is strictly of a non-personal nature and is used to assist us in improving the content and services offered. The information recorded relates to website traffic and usage statistics.
Email addresses recorded by us for specific requested services and subscriptions are not disclosed to third parties and remain secured by us. Members are able to opt out of receiving such material at any time by unsubscribing through the specified channels.
The purpose of this document is to outline how Byford Village Practice complies with its confidentiality and privacy obligations. Byford Village Practice will make this Privacy Policy available to anyone who asks for it.
The Policy relates to personal information collected by any means and by any technology and assumes that you are an Australian resident.
As an organisation, Byford Village Practice’s primary concern is and always has been the health of our patients. A high level of trust and confidentiality is required to ensure the confidence of the patients we serve. Patients will be assured that their privacy will be protected when visiting our surgery; that the information collected and retained in our records is correct and up-to-date; and that they can access their information for review.
Byford Village Practice has a legal obligation to abide by the provisions of the Federal Privacy Act, administered by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. The rules that an organisation must follow under the Privacy Act are known as the National Privacy Principles, and cover areas including the collection, use, disclosure, quality and security of personal information. Our surgery is also governed by a number of state-specific privacy laws, including the Health Records and Information Privacy Act (NSW), the Health Records Act (VIC) and the Health Records (Privacy and Access) Act (ACT) (and the Health Privacy Principles under these acts).
We are working to ensure ongoing compliance with the privacy regulations and to ensure best practice.
For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, no distinction has been made between the handling of personal information and sensitive information (including health information), therefore all information will be referred to as ‘personal information’ throughout this document.
No exceptions under the Privacy Act apply to personal information that Byford Village Practice holds or to any of its acts or practices.
By using the Byford Village Practice website (http://byfordvillagepractice.com.au, products or services, you consent to Byford Village Practice using your personal information as set out in this Privacy Policy.
Collection of Information
Byford Village Practice recognises that the information we collect is often of a highly sensitive nature and we have adopted the highest privacy compliance standards relevant to Byford Village Practice to ensure personal information is protected.
Byford Village Practice may collect personal information regarding patients for the purpose of providing medical services and treatment to patients. Personal information collected will generally include:
- the patient’s name, address, telephone number and Medicare number;
current drugs or treatments used by the patient; previous and current medical history, including where clinically relevant a family medical history, and the name of any health service provider or medical specialist to whom the patient is referred, copies of any letters of referrals and copies of any reports back.
Byford Village Practice will only collect personal information by lawful and fair means and not in an unreasonably intrusive way. Provided that it is reasonable and practicable to do so; Byford Village Practice will only collect personal information about a patient directly from that patient.
Byford Village Practice may access information:
- provided on the patient’s behalf with the patient’s consent;
- from a health service provider who refers the patient to medical practitioners providing services at or from the Byford Village Practice surgery; or
- from health service providers to whom patients are referred.
Use and Disclosure of Information
Personal information collected by Byford Village Practice may be used or disclosed:
- for the purpose the patient was advised of at the time of collection of the information by us;
- as required for delivery of the health service to the patient;
- as required for the ordinary operation of our services (i.e. to refer the patient to a medical specialist or other health service provider or to receive advice from that provider);
- as required for the conduct of quality assurance and research;
- as required under compulsion of law; or
- where there is a serious and imminent threat to an individual’s life, health, or safety; or a serious threat to public health or public safety.
Byford Village Practice may use or disclose personal information for quality assurance, research, training, advising patients of surgery-based activities, billing, liaising with government offices regarding Medicare entitlements and payments and as may be required by the Byford Village Practice insurers.
If a patient is physically or legally incapable of giving consent to the disclosure of that patient’s information, or cannot communicate consent to the disclosure, Byford Village Practice may disclose that patient’s information to a carer in accordance with the National Privacy Principles and Health Privacy Principles.
Other than as described in this Policy or permitted under the Health Privacy Principles or Health Privacy Principles, Byford Village Practice uses its reasonable endeavours to ensure that identifying personal information is not disclosed to any person.
Our Internet Website
This Privacy Policy applies to the website operated by us under the domain name byfordvillagepractice.com.au
When you use a link from the Byford Village Practice Website to the websites of third parties, those websites are not subject to our privacy standards. Those third parties are responsible for informing you of their own privacy policies.
Data Quality and security are verified and, where necessary, updated.
Because of the sensitive nature of the information collected by Byford Village Practice to provide its services, extra precautions are taken to ensure the security of that information. Information may be stored electronically and/or in hard copy. All electronically stored files are password protected on several levels, and regular backups are performed.
Byford Village Practice requires its employees to observe obligations of confidentiality in the course of their employment.
Byford Village Practice recognises the importance of ensuring that personal information is accurate, and takes all reasonable steps to make sure that the personal information it collects uses or discloses is complete and up to date. Byford Village Practice has implemented various controls to ensure that personal information about patients
Byford Village Practice may contract out the following services:
- nursing services;
- locum general practitioner services; or
- administrative services.
Byford Village Practice keeps health information for a minimum of 7 years from the date of last entry in the patient record (unless the patient was a child in which case the record must be kept until the patient attains or would have attained 25 years of age). After this time, Byford Village Practice ensures that the personal information is either destroyed or permanently de-identified.
Accessing information, complaints and obtaining further information
If an individual wishes to:
- complain to Byford Village Practice about a breach of privacy; or
- access his or her own information held by Byford Village Practice; or
- correct any information held by Byford Village Practice concerning his or her own information; or
- find out more about how Byford Village Practice deals with personal information,
that individual can contact Byford Village Practice at info@byfordvillagepractice.com.au or via phone (08) 9525 6622.