The Practice at Clem Jones Centre Privacy Policy

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

For enquiries concerning this policy, you can contact The Practice at Clem Jones Centre via email on admin@tpcjc.com.au.

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. Access to your personal information is restricted to practice team members who require it for your care. If we ever use your personal information for purposes other than healthcare provision, we will obtain additional consent from you.

It is important to us that as our patient, you understand why we collect and use your personal information.

By acknowledging this Privacy Policy you consent to us collecting, holding, using, retaining and disclosing your personal information in the manners described below.

The practice collects, uses, stores, and shares your personal information primarily to manage your health safely and effectively. This includes providing healthcare services, managing medical records, and ensuring accurate billing and payments. Additionally, we may utilise your information for internal quality and safety improvement processes such as practice audits, accreditation purposes, and staff training to maintain high-quality service standards.

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 risk factors
  • Medicare number (where available) for identification and claiming purposes
  • healthcare identifier numbers
  • health fund details.

You can 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.

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

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

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.

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.
  • Your health fund, Medicare, or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (if relevant).
  • While providing medical services, further personal information may be collected via:
    • electronic prescribing
    • My Health Record
    • online appointments.

Various types of images may be collected and used, including:

    • CCTV footage: Collected from our premises for security and safety purpose
    • Photos and medical images: These can be taken using personal devices for medical purposes, following the guidelines outlined in our guide on using personal devices for medical images.

We will always comply with privacy obligations when collecting personal information from third-party sources. This includes ensuring transparency with patients, obtaining necessary consents, maintaining data accuracy, securing the information and using it only for specified purposes.

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 APPs 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 it is a statutory requirement to share certain personal information (e.g. some diseases require mandatory notification)
  • When it is provision of medical services, through electronic prescribing, My Health Record (e.g. via Shared Health Summary, Event 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.

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

The practice may use your personal information to improve the quality of the services offered to patients through research, analysis of patient data for quality improvement and for training activities with the practice team

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

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

All users of 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.

The 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 Privacy and managing health information guidance.

The practice uses 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. The practice AI scribe service is Lyrebird.

Lyrebird:

  • does not share information outside of Australia
  • does not store audio recordings from your consultation
  • removes sensitive, personal identifying information as part of the transcription

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

For more information on Lyrebird’s Privacy Policy, please visit their website.

Your personal information is stored electronically and securely via electronic records through Best Practice. This is done by employing password-protected computer systems and utilising secure shredding bins to destroy any printed confidential information once it has been imported into your electronic records.
The practice stores all personal information securely as per Australia’s privacy legislation.

To assist in providing a safe physical environment, a closed circuit television (CCTV) surveillance system has been installed in the practice. The area covered includes the reception desk, waiting area, hallways and tearoom. CCTV is not used in consulting and treatment rooms.

CCTV cameras are clearly visible to people in the area under surveillance whilst still respecting privacy issues.

The practice has procedures to ensure that patients and others attending the practice with disabilities, language or literacy issues can be notified that the practice uses CCTV surveillance.

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

The practice acknowledges patients may request access to their medical records. We require that you make an appointment with your regular GP to discuss this or request in writing, in the form of a signed request of medical records form from your new practice. A response will be provided within 14 days.

The 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 either in person or in writing via email.

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

If you do not feel we have resolved your issue, you may also contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). 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.

The practice’s online booking software, AutoMed Systems, does not collect or store patient data – patients do not register with AutoMed to make online appointments as it uses an authorised real time interface to Best Practice to validate your information in real time, every time an appointment is made via any platform. For further information, AutoMed’s Privacy Policy can be viewed.

This website does not retain or store any patient information. An online feedback form is provided for patients, where they can input a name (or a pseudonym), email address and message. Once the forms are submitted, they are emailed to the Practice Manager and will be promptly deleted after being addressed.

Our privacy policy is regularly reviewed to ensure compliance with current obligations.  

If any changes are made: 

  • They will be reflected on the website.
  • Significant changes may be communicated directly to patients via email or other means.

Please check the policy periodically for updates. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.