Privacy Policy

At Spring Farm Village Medical Centre, we collect, use, hold, and share your personal and health information to provide you with safe, high-quality, and coordinated healthcare.

This information supports our clinicians in understanding your medical history, making informed decisions, and maintaining accurate and up-to-date records of your care.

Your information is also used to manage the day-to-day operations of our practice.

This includes activities such as appointment management, billing and Medicare processing, meeting accreditation requirements, and supporting quality improvement and staff training to ensure we continue to deliver a high standard of care.

Where appropriate, we may share your information with other healthcare providers or relevant organisations involved in your care or where required or authorised by law.

At Spring Farm Village Medical Centre, an individual health record is maintained for each patient, containing all relevant health information collected and managed by the practice.

For active patients, these records include identifying and contact information, demographic details, next of kin, and emergency contact information.

• Patient health records also document consultations and all clinically relevant communications related to the patient's care.
• Information recorded in the health record supports continuity of care by ensuring that issues identified in previous consultations are appropriately reviewed and followed up.
• Where appropriate, we record Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status to support culturally appropriate care. Cultural background information may also be recorded when it is relevant to the patient's healthcare.
• Lifestyle and risk factor information is included in patient records to assist in clinical assessment and ongoing management.

At our practice, patient health records are updated as soon as practicable during or following consultations, including home visits and other clinical interactions.

Each entry clearly identifies the member of the clinical team responsible for recording the information.

All patient records, including any scanned reports or correspondence from external providers, are maintained in a clear and accessible format to support continuity of care. This ensures that another healthcare practitioner could safely assume responsibility for the patient if required.

Consultation notes will typically include:

• The date of the consultation
• The clinician involved in the consultation (recorded through initials or electronic audit trail)
• The type of consultation (for example, in-person, telephone, email, or other electronic communication)
• The reason for the patient's visit
• Relevant clinical details, including medical history, examination findings, and investigation results
• Known allergies and adverse reactions
• A diagnosis, where appropriate
• A management plan, including follow-up or review arrangements where necessary
• Details of any medications prescribed, including name, dosage, directions for use, frequency, number of repeats, and any changes made
• Patient consent where a third party arranged by the practice is present (such as a medical student)
• Records of patient correspondence, including emails where applicable
• Use of standardised clinical coding systems where available, to support consistency, quality improvement, and patient outcomes

Additional information may also be recorded in the patient's health record, including:

• Referrals to specialists or other healthcare services
• Medications taken by the patient that were not prescribed by the practice
• Use of complementary or over-the-counter medicines
• Preventive health information, such as immunisation status, blood pressure, weight, height, and body mass index
• Immunisation records
• Advance care planning documentation
• The presence of a third party attending with the patient (such as a carer)
• Any advice, instructions, or recommendations provided to the patient

• Name, date of birth, address and contact details
• Medical history, medications, allergies and immunisations
• Social and family history
• Medicare number and healthcare identifiers
• Health fund details

Dealing with us Anonymously: Where practical and permitted by law, you may choose to interact with our practice anonymously or by using a pseudonym. However, in some circumstances, it may be necessary or legally required for us to confirm your identity.

Our practice collects your personal information in several ways to support the delivery of healthcare services and the effective management of your care.

We may collect your personal and demographic information when you first register as a patient with our practice, including when you attend your initial appointment or complete registration forms.

Additional personal information may be collected during providing medical services. This may occur through clinical consultations, updates to your medical history, use of digital health systems such as My Health Record, and electronic prescribing or prescription transfer services.

We may also collect personal information when you interact with our practice through other channels, including when you:

• Visit our website
• Contact us via email, SMS, or telephone
• Book or manage appointments through online systems
• Communicate with us through digital or social media platforms

In some circumstances, it may not be practical or reasonable to collect your personal information directly from you. In these situations, we may obtain relevant information from other sources to support your care. These sources may include:

• Your parent, guardian, or authorised representative
• Other healthcare providers involved in your care, such as specialists, allied health professionals, hospitals, community health services, and pathology or diagnostic imaging providers
• Government agencies and organisations, including Medicare, your health fund, or the Department of Veterans' Affairs, where applicable

We take reasonable steps to ensure that any personal information collected from third parties is handled in accordance with applicable privacy laws and is relevant to your care.

At our practice, we may share your personal information where it is necessary to support your healthcare or to meet our legal and operational obligations. Any disclosure is limited to what is relevant and required, and we take reasonable steps to ensure your information is handled securely and in accordance with applicable privacy laws.

We may share your personal information in the following circumstances:

• With external service providers engaged by our practice for business purposes, such as information technology providers, secure data storage services, and accreditation bodies. These organisations are required to comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and this Privacy Policy.
• With other healthcare providers involved in your care, including specialists, hospitals, allied health professionals, community health services, pathology laboratories, and diagnostic imaging providers, including through referrals and clinical correspondence.
• Where disclosure is required or authorised by law, including in response to court orders, subpoenas, or other legal processes.
• Where it is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious threat to your life, health, or safety, or to public health or safety, and where it is not practicable to obtain your consent.
• To assist in locating a missing person, where such disclosure is authorised by law.
• For the establishment, exercise, or defence of a legal or equitable claim, or in connection with a confidential dispute resolution process.
• Where there is a statutory requirement to disclose information, including the notification of certain communicable diseases or other reportable conditions as required by law.
• In the provision of medical services, including using electronic prescribing systems and the My Health Record system (for example, Shared Health Summaries and Event Summaries), where applicable to your care.

Access to your personal information within the practice is restricted to authorised staff members who require it to perform their duties. Other than while providing healthcare services or as otherwise described in this policy, we will not disclose your personal information to third parties without your consent.

We do not disclose your personal information to recipients outside Australia unless you have provided consent or such disclosure is otherwise permitted by law.

We will not use your personal information for direct marketing purposes without your express consent.

Where you have provided consent, you may withdraw it at any time by notifying our practice in writing.

Marketing: Your personal information will only be used for direct marketing purposes where your express consent has been obtained in accordance with applicable privacy laws. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by providing written notice to the practice.

Quality Improvement and Research: We may use de-identified information for quality improvement, training, and research purposes. You may request not to participate.

• Your personal information may be stored in various forms, including secure electronic systems and, where necessary, in paper-based or other formats.
• Our practice stores all personal information securely in accordance with applicable privacy laws. We take reasonable steps to protect your information from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. Security measures include password-protected systems, secure clinical software, and restricted access based on staff roles. Physical records, where held, are stored in secure environments with controlled access.
• Access to personal information is limited to authorised staff who require it to perform their duties. All staff and contractors are bound by confidentiality obligations and are required to comply with privacy and data protection requirements.
• We ensure that any third-party service providers engaged by our practice maintain appropriate security measures to protect your personal information.

You have the right to request access to your personal information and to request corrections if the information we hold is inaccurate, incomplete, or not up to date.

Our practice acknowledges that patients may request access to their medical records. Requests for access or correction should be made in writing to our practice. This can be done by email, post, or in person using the contact details provided below.

We will respond to all requests within a reasonable timeframe, generally within 30 days, in accordance with applicable privacy laws.

Where applicable, a reasonable administrative fee may be charged to cover the cost of providing access to your information. There is no charge for making a request; however, fees may apply for the preparation, copying, or transfer of records. Any fees will be communicated to you in advance.

We take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information we hold is accurate and current. From time to time, we may ask you to confirm or update your details. If you believe any information we hold about you is incorrect or outdated, you may request that it be amended.

To request access to or correction of your personal information, please contact:
Email: admin@springfarmvillagemedical.com.au

If you have concerns, please contact us in writing. We will investigate and respond. If unresolved, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

Privacy and our Website: We may use cookies and analytics tools to improve our website and services.

Policy Review: This policy is reviewed annually and updated as required.