Our Privacy Policy

Allambie Medical Centre Privacy Policy Updated June 2026

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

1.  Who can I contact about this policy? 

 For enquiries concerning this policy, you can contact our practice manager via email: practice@allambiemedical.com.au 

2.  Why and when is your consent necessary?  

When you register as a patient of this practice, you provide consent for the GPs and practice staff to access and use your personal information to facilitate the delivery of 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. 

3.  Why do we collect, use, store, 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 (eg staff training). 

4.  What personal information do we collected? 

The information we will collect about you includes your: 

·        names, date of birth, addresses, contact details 

·        medical information including medical history, medicines, allergies, and adverse reactions, immunisations, social history, family history and medical risk factors 

·        Medicare number (where available) for identification and claiming purposes 

·        healthcare identifier numbers 

·        health fund details. 

5.  Can you deal 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. Medicare and Private Health Fund rebated and bulk billing are not available in these situations.

6.  How do we collect your personal information? 

The practice may collect your personal information in several different ways: 

a.    When you make your first appointment, the practice team will collect your personal and demographic information via your registration. 

b.    During the course of providing medical services, we may collect further personal information. Information can also be collected through electronic transfer of prescriptions (eTP) and via your eHealth record (My Health Record).

c.    We may also collect your personal information when you visit our website, send us an email or SMS, telephone us or make an appointment online.

d.   In some circumstances, personal information may also be collected from other sources, including: 

·  –   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. 

·  –   Various types of images may be collected and used, including Photos and medical images. These can be taken using personal devices for clinical purposes only.

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

We sometimes share your personal information: 

·  –   with third parties for business purposes, such as accreditation agencies or information technology providers – these third parties are required to comply with Australian Privacy Principles (APP) guidelines and this policy 

·  –  with other healthcare providers (e.g. In referral letters) 

·  –  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 of medical services, through electronic prescribing, eHealth (My Health Record for example via Shared Health Summary). 

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

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

We may disclose your personal information to the following overseas recipients: Any practice or individual who assists us in providing services (such as where you have come from overseas and had your health record transferred from overseas or have ongoing treatment from an overseas provider).

·    –    Anyone else to whom you authorise us to disclose it.

·    –   We do not use an overseas transcription service nor any cloud-based storage.. 

8.  Will your information be used for marketing purposes? 

Our practice will not use your personal information for marketing any 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 practice in writing. 

9.  How is your information used to improve services?  

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

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

At times, general practices are approached by research teams to recruit eligible patients into specific studies which require access to identifiable information. You may be approached by a member of our practice team to participate in research. Researchers will not approach you directly without your express consent having been provided to the practice. If you provide consent, you would then receive specific information on the research project and how your personal health information will be used, at which point you can decide to participate or not participate in the research project.

10.   How are document automation technologies used? 

Document automation is where systems use existing data to generate electronic documents relating to medical conditions and healthcare.  

Our practice uses document automation technologies to create documents such as referrals, which are sent to other healthcare providers. These documents contain only your relevant medical information. 

These document automation technologies are used through secure medical software HealthLink. 

All staff members using the medical software have their own unique user credentials and password and can only access information that is relevant to their role in the practice team. 

Our practice complies with the Australian privacy legislation and APPs to protect your information. 

All data, both electronic and paper are stored and managed in accordance with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners guidelines.

 How are Artificial Intelligence (AI) Scribes used? 

Our practice may use an AI scribe tool to support GPs take notes during their consultations with you. The AI scribe uses an audio recording of your consultation to generate a clinical note for your health record. Your GP will obtain your consent prior to using the AI scribe during a consult.

The practice’s AI scribe services are Heidi and Lyrebird. Both of these are compliant with Australian Privacy Principles. You can access their Privacy Policies – Heidi  https://www.heidihealth.com/en-au/legal/privacy-policy  Lyrebird Health https://www.lyrebirdhealth.com/au/legal/privacy-policy

Our practice will only use data from our digital scribe service to provide healthcare to you. 

11.   How do we store and protect your personal information? 

Your personal information may be stored in various forms including as paper records, electronic records, visual records (x-rays, CT scans, videos and photos) and audio recordings. 

Our practice stores all personal information securely. We have a documented retention and destruction policy. Paper records are located in a secure cabinet location within the practice and any hard copies of the letter, results and other correspondence containing personal information, after being scanned into the relevant patients electronic file within our clinical software system, are subsequently placed in a secure paper destruction bin which is also located within the practice.

·   –  Our clinical software system can only be accessed by an individual with his/her own password.

·   –  All staff and contractors have signed a confidentiality agreement.

·   –  Patient information is held on a server in the practice with firewall and virus protection.

·   –  A backup is made daily and kept secure by a designated staff member.

·   –  We send and receive medical information to other health professionals via fax and encrypted email.

12.   How can you access and correct your personal information at out 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 addressed to your regular GP or the Practice Manager and our practice will respond with the reasonable time eg 30 days. A fee of $15 per 15 minutes may apply, which covers the cost of complying with 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 your personal information held by the practice is correct and current. You may also request we correct or update your information, and you should make such requests in writing to the practice manager via email: practice@allambiemedical.com.au. 

13.   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 to the practice manager via email: practice @allamedical.com.au or via post to Practice Manager, Allambie Medical Centre, Unit 3 44 Kentwell Road, Allambie, NSW, 2100 or by phone on 02 9907-1177. We will then attempt to resolve it in accordance with the resolution procedure and respond to you within 30 days. 

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.  

14.   How is privacy on the website maintained?  

We use a third- party provider – Hotdocs- so that you may book appointments online. This provider requires your name and date of birth so that it can allocate appointments to the correct patient.

The practice does not collect any personal information on its website and does not interact with any social media, website analytics and cookie.

15.   Policy review statement 

Our privacy policy is reviewed from time to time to take account of new laws and technology, changes to our operations and other necessary developments. Updates will be published on the practice’s website.