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

What personal information do we collect?

The information we will collect about you includes your:

• Name, date of birth, address, 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 Practices 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 form.
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.
   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.
3. 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)

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

We sometimes share your relevant personal information:

• With third parties who work with our practices for business purposes, such as accreditation agencies or information technology providers – these third parties are required to comply with the 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 (such as 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 practices 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 practices 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 the practices in writing.

Our practices 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 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.

Our practices use referral templates that extract your personal information into referral letters through document automation technologies, particularly to ensure relevant medical information is included. We may also electronically send your information to service providers via accepted secure messaging systems.

How do we store and protect your personal information?

Your personal information may be stored in our practices in various forms.

Our practices store all personal information securely, using the Best Practices clinical software.

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

You have the right to request access to and correction of your personal information.

Our practices acknowledge patients may request access to their medical records. We require you to put this request in writing and our practices will respond within 30 days.

Our practices 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 practices is correct and current. You may also request that we correct or update your information, and you should make such requests in writing to:

How to contact us:

• By letter: Customer Service Manager, Wheatbelt Health Network, 25 Holtfreter Avenue, Northam WA 6401
• By email: [email protected]
• By telephone: (08) 9621 4444

Access to printed information may incur a fee of $25.

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

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, or the APP where we will respond within 30 days.

How to contact us

• By letter: Customer Service Manager, Wheatbelt Health Network, 25 Holtfreter Avenue Northam WA 6041
• By email: [email protected]
• By telephone: (08) 9621 4444

You may also contact the OAIC. Generally, the OAIC will require you to give them time to respond before they investigate.

For further information visit www.oaic.gov.au or call the OAIC on 1300 363 992.

Privacy and our Website

Wheatbelt Health Network does not collect or store personal information from our website or social media platforms. Where we may have an independent online appointment booking system accessible via our website, any data that is collected is contained only for the purposes of making an appointment with a clinician.

Policy Review Statement

This privacy policy will be reviewed no later than 30 June each year to ensure it is in accordance with any changes that may occur. If the Policy is amended in any way, it will display the date it was approved by the CEO for publication and displayed on the website.