Privacy & Confidentiality Policy

Our Commitment to Your Privacy

Pioneer Health Centre is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of your personal and health information. We comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW), and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Standards for General Practices (5th Edition).

This policy outlines how we collect, use, store, and disclose your personal and health information, and how you can access or correct that information.

What Information We Collect

We collect personal and health information that is necessary to provide you with quality healthcare. This may include:

• Your name, date of birth, address, contact details, and Medicare number
• Your medical history, including current and past conditions, medications, allergies, and immunisation records
• Results of examinations, tests, and investigations
• Details of treatments and medications prescribed
• Referral letters and reports from other healthcare providers
• Family and social history relevant to your care
• Health insurance and billing information

How We Collect Your Information

We collect your personal information primarily from you directly, during consultations, when you complete registration forms, or when you communicate with us by phone, email, or online. We may also collect information from:

• Other healthcare providers such as specialists, hospitals, pathology labs, and allied health professionals
• Your authorised representative (e.g. parent, guardian, or carer)
• Government agencies such as Medicare, the Department of Veterans' Affairs, and the Australian Immunisation Register
• My Health Record (if you have one)

How We Use Your Information

Your personal and health information is used for the primary purpose of providing you with medical care. This includes:

• Assessing, diagnosing, and treating your health conditions
• Coordinating your care with other healthcare providers through referrals and correspondence
• Managing your prescriptions and medications
• Sending you appointment reminders and recalls for preventive health activities
• Processing Medicare claims and other billing activities
• Complying with legal and regulatory requirements

Disclosure of Your Information

We will not disclose your personal or health information to third parties without your consent, except where required or authorised by law. Situations where disclosure may occur include:

• Referrals to specialists, allied health professionals, hospitals, or other treating practitioners
• Pathology laboratories and diagnostic imaging services for test requests
• Medicare and the Department of Veterans' Affairs for billing purposes
• Your nominated pharmacy for prescriptions
• When required by law, such as mandatory reporting of notifiable diseases or child protection concerns
• In an emergency where disclosure is necessary to prevent a serious threat to life, health, or safety
• My Health Record, if you have an active record (you can control access to this)

Storage and Security of Your Information

We take all reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. Our security measures include:

• Electronic medical records stored in a secure, password-protected clinical software system with audit trails
• Physical records (where applicable) stored in locked cabinets in secure areas
• Staff are bound by confidentiality agreements and receive regular privacy training
• Access to patient records is restricted to authorised personnel on a need-to-know basis
• Regular data backups and disaster recovery procedures in place
• Secure disposal of records when no longer required, in accordance with NSW Health retention policies

Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access your records — You may request access to the personal and health information we hold about you. We will respond to your request within 30 days. A fee may apply for providing copies of records.
• Request corrections — If you believe any information we hold about you is inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date, you may request that we correct it.
• Withdraw consent — You may withdraw your consent for certain uses or disclosures of your information at any time, though this may affect the quality of care we can provide.
• Make a complaint — If you believe your privacy has been breached, you may lodge a complaint with us directly, or with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) or the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC).
• Remain anonymous — You may choose not to identify yourself when making enquiries, however this may limit the services we can provide.

My Health Record

Pioneer Health Centre participates in the My Health Record system. If you have a My Health Record, clinical information from your consultations may be uploaded to your record. You have the right to set access controls on your My Health Record, remove documents, and restrict which healthcare providers can access your record. For more information, visit www.myhealthrecord.gov.au.

Telehealth Consultations

When consultations are conducted via telehealth (phone or video), we take reasonable steps to ensure the privacy and security of the communication. We use secure platforms and advise patients to be in a private location during the consultation. The same privacy protections apply to telehealth consultations as to in-person visits.

Appointment Reminders and Recalls

We may contact you by phone, SMS, email, or mail to remind you of upcoming appointments or to recall you for preventive health checks (e.g. cervical screening, immunisations, chronic disease reviews). If you do not wish to receive these communications, please inform our reception staff.

Complaints

If you wish to make a complaint about how we have handled your personal information, please contact our practice:

We will investigate your complaint and respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact:

• Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) — Phone: 1300 363 992 | Website: www.oaic.gov.au
• NSW Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) — Phone: 1800 043 159 | Website: www.hccc.nsw.gov.au

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in legislation or practice procedures. The current version will always be available at our practice and on our website.

Last updated: March 2026