Privacy policy
Introduction
This privacy policy provides information about how your personal information (which includes your health information) is collected and used by Cole Allied Health, and the circumstances under which we may share it with third parties.
Cole Allied Health complies with the Australian Privacy Principles contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and adhere to relevant Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA) Codes of Conduct.
Why and when your consent is necessary
When you register as a patient of Cole Allied Health, 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 support. 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?
Cole Allied Health will need to collect your personal information to provide allied health services to you. Our main purpose for collecting, using, holding and sharing your personal information is to ensure we provide the best possible allied health services to you. We also use it for activities directly related to providing services to you, such as financial claims and payments, audits and accreditation, and business process improvement (e.g. staff training).
What personal information do we collect?
The information we will collect about you includes your:
Names, date of birth, addresses and contact details. These enable us to contact you, provide information, updates or invoices, and process payments for your service.
Information about your health and disability, and social and family situation
NDIS plan details
How do we collect your personal information?
Cole Allied Health may collect your personal information in several different ways.
When you make your first appointment our practice staff will collect your personal and demographic information via your registration.
During the course of providing allied health services, we may collect further personal information.
We may also collect your personal information when you visit our website, send us an email or SMS, telephone us, make an appointment or communicate with us using social media.
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 providers of disability support services or healthcare services, such as specialists, allied health professionals, hospitals, community health services and pathology and diagnostic imaging services
NDIS (as necessary)
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, such as accreditation agencies or information technology providers – these third parties are required to comply with the Australian Privacy Principles and this policy
With other disability support providers or healthcare providers
When it is required or authorised by law (e.g. court subpoenas)
For the purpose of confidential dispute resolution processes
When there is a statutory requirement to share certain personal information
Only people who need to access your information will be able to do so. Other than in the course of providing services or as otherwise described in this policy, Cole Allied Health 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 may use your personal information to improve the quality of the services we offer to our clients through research and analysis of our client data.
We may at times provide de-identified data to other organisations to improve population health outcomes. The information is secure, clients cannot be identified and the information is stored within Australia. You can let us know if you do not want your information included.
How do we store and protect your personal information?
Cole Allied Health is committed to ensuring the security of the personal information you provide to us. We take all reasonable steps to secure your personal information and to keep this information accurate and up-to-date. Your personal information is stored either electronically or in hard copy and we have in place physical (e.g. secure cabinets), electronic (e.g. passwords) and business processes (e.g. confidentiality agreements for staff and contractors) to safeguard against unauthorised access and to prevent loss or misuse.
You have the right to request access to, and correction of, your personal information. If you would like a copy of information we hold about you, please contact us at hello@colealliedhealth.com.au. A small administrative fee may be associated with the provision of information.
We will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information where 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. You can submit such requests in writing to hello@colealliedhealth.com.au.
We reserve the right to refuse access to information that we hold about you under certain conditions set out in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
How can you lodge a privacy-related complaint, and how will the complaint be handled by us?
Cole Allied Health takes complaints and concerns regarding privacy seriously. You should express any privacy concerns you may have in writing to hello@colealliedhealth.com.au. We will attempt to resolve your concern as soon as possible and in accordance with our complaint resolution procedure.
If you are not satisfied with our response or do not wish to talk to Cole Allied Health, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
Privacy and our website
Any personal information submitted through our website is only used for the purposes for which the information was provided. Email addresses provided through website queries will only be used for the purpose of responding to those queries. You will not be added to any mailing lists unless you have elected to subscribe to a mailing list. We will not use or disclose an email address for any other purpose without your consent, unless it is otherwise in accordance with the Privacy Act.
By reading this privacy policy, you understand your information may be used for marketing purposes. Please be advised you can contact us at any time to change your mind and remove yourselves from the marketing contact list.
Cookies
"Cookies" are small data files that are stored by the web browser software on your computer when you access our website. An explanation of cookies can be found at the website of the Australian Information Commissioner. These collect information that may help us to understand how people use our site and thereby improve our website and services. Cookies collect information in a way that does not directly identify anyone. Most browsers allow you to choose whether to accept cookies or not. If you do not wish to have cookies placed on your computer, you can set your browser preferences to reject all cookies before accessing our website.
Third party websites
Our website may at times contain external links and applications operated by certain third parties, such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin and Google. These external third parties may not be subject to the Privacy Act. Cole Allied Health is not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties, or the accuracy, content or security of their websites. You should examine each website's privacy policies and use your own discretion regarding use of their site.
Policy review statement
We review this privacy policy regularly to ensure that it remains in accordance with any changes that may occur.