Privacy Policy

Introduction

This privacy policy provides information on how our patient’s personal and medical details are collected and used within our practice at WeCare Health. It also shares various circumstances in which we may share the details with third parties.

Why And When Your Consent is Required?

When you enlist as a patient at our hospital, you consent to our general practitioners & training staff to access and use your data. This way, they can deliver you the best possible healthcare service. Please note that only those who need to see your personal information can access it. If we need to use your details for anything else, we will seek additional consent from you.

Why Do We Collect, Use, Save, And Share Your Personal Data?

Our practice will need to gather your personal information to provide healthcare services. Our primary purpose for collecting, using, holding, and sharing your details is to understand and supervise your health. We also use it for other activities, such as financial claims & payments, practice audits & accreditation, and business processes- such as staff training.

What Personal Information Do We Collect?

At WeCare Health, we will ask for your basic details, such as:

• Full name, date of birth, contact details, and residential address
• Medical information includes medical history, medications, allergies, adverse events, immunisations, family history, social history, and other risk factors.
• Medicare number, if available, for identification and claiming purposes.
• Healthcare identifiers
• Health fund details

How Do We Collect Your Personal Information?

Our practice may gather your personal information in various ways:

1. During your first appointment, our staff will collect your personal and demographic information through your registration.
2. We may collect further confidential data while providing additional 
3. medical services.
4. We may also collect your details when visiting our website. Please reach out to us to make an online appointment, or communicate with us via social media platforms.
5. In some cases, patients’ information is collected from other sources because it is not practical or reasonable to gather directly from you. It may include details from:

• Guardian, family members, or friends
• Other healthcare providers, such as specialists, allied medical professionals, hospitals, community health services, and pathology & diagnostic services
• If necessary, medicare, health fund, or the Department of Veterans Affairs.

When, Why, And With Whom Do We Share Your Information?

Please remember we only share your information if there’s a necessity. Sometimes, we share your data with:-

• Third parties work with our practice for business purposes, such as accreditation agencies or information technology providers. These third parties are needed to comply with APPs and respective policies.
• When it is required or authorised by law, such as a court warrant
• When it is essential to reduce or prevent a serious threat to a patient’s life, health & safety or public health & their security, or it is impractical to obtain the patient’s consent.
• Assist in finding a missing person
• Establish, exercise, or defend an equitable claim
• Purpose of the confidential dispute resolution procedure
• When there is a statutory condition to share certain personal information, e.g., some diseases require a mandatory notification.
• Other healthcare providers

As told earlier, only people who need to access your information will be able to do so. However, our practice will not share personal data with any third party without your consent for those providing medical services or as otherwise described in this policy.

We will not transfer your personal information with anyone outside Australia without your consent under extraordinary circumstances unless permitted by law.

Our practice will not use your private information to directly market our goods or services without your consent. However, if you do support it, you may opt-out of direct marketing at any time by informing our practice in writing.

Our practice may use your information to improve the quality of our patients’ services through research and analysis of the data.

We may deliver de-identified data to other organisations to improve the population’s health outcomes. The data is secure, patients cannot be recognised, and stored within Australia. If you do not want to include your information, let our reception staff know.

How Do We Store And Protect Your Private Information?

Our practice stores every individual’s personal information securely. Your private details may be held at our practice in various forms, such as electronic records, paper records, visual records (CT scans, X-rays, videos, and images), and audio recordings.

How Can You Access And Update Your Personal Data At Our Practice?

You have the right to demand access to and correct your personal information. Our practice acknowledges patients who may request access to their medical histories. Therefore, we require you to put this request in writing, and the team will respond within a reasonable time.

Our practice will take appropriate steps to correct your personal information where the data is inaccurate or not up to date. Periodically, we will ask you to verify that your confidential information held by our practice is correct and current. You may also request us to rectify or update your data, and you should make such requests in writing.

How Can You File a Privacy-Related Complaint, And How Will The Complaint Be Handled At Our Practice?

We take complaints or concerns regarding the confidentiality of a patient seriously. Please express any privacy concerns you may have in writing. We will then try to resolve it by our resolution process. If you have any complaints or questions about this policy or usage or management of your data, please contact:

Address: 355 Durham street,
Bathurst ,NSW 2795

Phone: 02 6324 6688

Email: info@wecarehealth.com.au

Privacy And Our Website

We are determined to protect the privacy of visitors to our website. Information collected via our website is voluntarily shared by you. When you visit the website of WeCare Health, a data file called a ‘cookie’ is by default stored on your mobile or computer device by our server. 

We use cookies to keep user sessions and generate statistics about the number of people who visit our websites. Typically, this information will not identify you, and we do not link it back to your identity or other information you have delivered to us. We endeavour to take all appropriate steps to protect your data, including encryption technology. However, the internet is inherently insecure, and thus we cannot guarantee the security of transmission of information you share with us online. Accordingly, any information you send to us online is transmitted at your own risk.