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Introduction

This privacy policy is to provide information to you, our patient, on how your personal information (which includes your health information) is collected and used within our practice, and the circumstances in which we may share it with third parties.

Why and when your consent is necessary

When you register as a patient of our practice, you provide consent for our practitioners and practice staff to access and use your personal information so they can provide you with the best possible healthcare. Only staff who need to see your personal information will have access to it. If we need to use your information for anything else, we will seek additional consent from you to do this.

Why do we collect, use, hold and share your personal information?

Our practice will need to collect your personal information to provide healthcare services to you. Our main purpose for collecting, using, holding and sharing your personal information is to manage your health. We also use it for directly related business activities, such as financial claims and payments, practice audits and accreditation, and business processes (e.g. staff training).

What personal information do we collect?

The information we will collect about you includes your:

  • names, date of birth, addresses, contact details
  • medical information including medical history, medications, allergies, adverse events, immunisations, social history, family history and risk factors
  • Medicare number (where available) for identification and claiming purposes
  • healthcare identifiers
  • health fund details.

Dealing with us anonymously

You have the right to deal with us anonymously or under a pseudonym unless it is impracticable for us to do so or unless we are required or authorised by law to only deal with identified individuals.

How do we collect your personal information?

Our practice may collect your personal information in several different ways.

  1. When you make your first appointment our practice staff will collect your personal and demographic information via your registration.
  2. During the course of providing medical services, we may collect further personal information. Information can also be collected through electronic transfer of prescriptions (eTP), My Health Record, e.g. via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary.
  3. We may also collect your personal information when you visit our website, send us an email or SMS, telephone us, make an online appointment or communicate with us using social media.
  4. In some circumstances personal information may also be collected from other sources. Often this is because it is not practical or reasonable to collect it from you directly. This may include information from:
    • your guardian or responsible person
    • other involved healthcare providers, such as specialists, allied health professionals, hospitals, community health services and pathology and diagnostic imaging services
    • your health fund, Medicare, or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (as necessary).

Consent for Collection via Third Parties

When personal information is collected from third parties, such as other healthcare providers, Medicare, or your health fund, it is done so with your implied consent as part of the provision of healthcare services. By engaging with our practice, you consent to the collection and use of your personal information from these third parties, in line with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). This ensures that your healthcare can be managed effectively across the providers and services involved in your care.

In addition, third parties may collect and use de-identified data from our practice for statistical, research, and reporting purposes, such as population health analysis. This data cannot be used to identify you, and it is shared to improve healthcare outcomes across the broader community. If you do not wish for your de-identified data to be used in this way, please notify our reception staff.

When, why and with whom do we share your personal information?

We sometimes share your personal information:

  • with third parties who work with our practice for business purposes, such as accreditation agencies or information technology providers – these third parties are required to comply with APPs and this policy
  • with other healthcare providers
  • when it is required or authorised by law (e.g. court subpoenas)
  • when it is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to a patient’s life, health or safety or public health or safety, or it is impractical to obtain the patient’s consent
  • to assist in locating a missing person
  • to establish, exercise or defend an equitable claim
  • for the purpose of confidential dispute resolution process
  • when there is a statutory requirement to share certain personal information (e.g. some diseases require mandatory notification)
  • during the course of providing medical services, through eTP, My Health Record (e.g. via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary).


Only people who need to access your information will be able to do so. Other than in the course of providing medical services or as otherwise described in this policy, our practice will not share personal information with any third party without your consent.

We will not share your personal information with anyone outside Australia (unless under exceptional circumstances that are permitted by law) without your consent.

Our practice will not use your personal information for marketing any of our goods or services directly to you without your express consent. If you do consent, you may opt out of direct marketing at any time by notifying our practice in writing.

Our practice may use your personal information to improve the quality of the services we offer to our patients through research and analysis of our patient data.

We may provide de-identified data to other organisations, for example the Adelaide Primary Health Network, to improve population health outcomes. The information is secure, patients cannot be identified, and the information is stored within Australia. You can let our reception staff know if you do not want your information included.

How do we store and protect your personal information?

Your information is stored electronically using secure health records software, which is password-protected and accessible only to authorised staff. Our systems ensure that your data is protected from unauthorised access and breaches.

All servers, data storage, and processing are conducted within Australia to comply with national standards for privacy and data protection. We do not store any personal information outside of Australia, ensuring that your data is managed under Australian laws.

We also partner with an external IT provider that holds ISO 27001 certification, the internationally recognized standard for best practices in information and cyber security. This certification means that our data protection measures are aligned with global best practices to safeguard your personal information.

Some of the key measures in place include:

  • Cybersecurity training for our staff to ensure they understand how to recognize and respond to potential threats.
  • Regular security reviews to identify and address any vulnerabilities in our systems.
  • Real-time monitoring of potential security incidents to detect and respond promptly to any risks.

Our IT provider embeds security practices directly into our day-to-day operations, ensuring continuous protection. They also update these measures regularly to reflect any new risks or changes.

How can you access and correct your personal information at our practice?

You have the right to request access to, and correction of, your personal information. Our practice acknowledges patients may request access to their medical records. We require you to put this request in writing and deliver the request to the receptionist or practice nurse. Our practice team will respond within 30 days. There is no fee for requesting access to patient medical records, however, fees may apply for the provision of information/reports – these will be clearly communicated to you at the time of the request.

Our practice will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information where the information is not accurate or up to date. From time to time, we will ask you to verify that your personal information held by our practice is correct and current. You may also request that we correct or update your information, and you should make such requests in writing to the receptionist or practice nurse.

Retention and Disposal of Records

We retain personal and health information in accordance with relevant South Australian and federal laws, as well as best practices outlined by the RACGP. While there is no dedicated legislation in South Australia governing the retention of private medical records, we adhere to a general retention period of at least seven years from the date of the last consultation for adult patients, or until a minor turns 25 years of age.

If medical records may be relevant to legal proceedings or subject to certain state or federal regulations, such as the Coroner’s Act 2003 (SA) or the My Health Records Act 2012 (Cth), records will be retained for extended periods as required.

Once the legally required retention period has passed, we take reasonable steps to either securely destroy or permanently de-identify your personal information. In accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), we ensure that health information that is no longer required for any authorised use or disclosure is handled appropriately.

If we opt to de-identify health information rather than destroy it, we ensure that all identifying information—such as names, dates of birth, postcodes, and medical conditions—is thoroughly removed. Care is taken to prevent re-identification, particularly when data is stored or used in aggregate form.
Additionally, if records are likely to be involved in legal proceedings, their destruction is prevented in line with the relevant state and territory legislation.

Ownership of medical records remains with the practice. However, patients own the information contained within those records, and upon request, we will promptly facilitate the transfer of health information to another healthcare provider, as required by the Medical Board of Australia’s Good medical practice: A code of conduct for doctors in Australia.

How can you lodge a privacy-related complaint, and how will the complaint be handled at our practice?

We take complaints and concerns regarding privacy seriously. You should express any privacy concerns you may have in writing. We will then attempt to resolve it in accordance with our resolution procedure.

Concerns about privacy can be addressed to:

PO Box 221, Brooklyn Park, SA 5032
Phone: (08) 7118 7782

Concerns about privacy will be responded to within 30 days.

You may also contact the OAIC. Generally, the OAIC will require you to give them time to respond before they will investigate. For further information visit www.oaic.gov.au or call the OAIC on 1300 363 992.
Complaints can also be directed to the South Australia Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner. For further information visit hcscc.sa.gov.au or call the SAHCSCC on (08) 8226 8666.

Email and Secure Messaging

Our preferred method of communication with other healthcare providers is via secure messaging services, which offer a higher level of security for transferring sensitive health information. While we occasionally use email to communicate with patients, please be aware that email is not a secure method of communication. As such, we limit the use of email for sensitive matters.

When email is used to send sensitive information, we take steps to secure any attachments by encrypting them and protecting them with a password. Patients are advised of the risks associated with using email and are encouraged to carefully consider these risks before choosing this method of communication. Patient must acknowledge these risks before we send any sensitive information via email.

Privacy and our website

Our website is hosted in Australia, and we ensure that any personal information collected through the site is protected in accordance with Australian privacy laws. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your experience on our website, monitor usage patterns, and optimise the content and services we provide. You can adjust your browser settings to refuse cookies if you prefer not to allow their use, though this may affect your browsing experience.

For online bookings, we use a third-party provider, HotDoc. When you make a booking via our website, you will be directed to the HotDoc platform. Please note that HotDoc has its own privacy policy, which can be reviewed on the HotDoc website. We recommend that you read their privacy policy to understand how they manage and protect your personal information.

We may also collect personal information when you interact with us via social media, email, or other digital platforms. This information is treated in the same way as all personal information we collect, in line with the privacy principles outlined in this policy.

Policy review statement

This privacy policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is in accordance with any changes that may occur. Patients will be notified when the policy is updated by written notices that will be displayed in the waiting room/reception areas of the practice.