Sunnybank Plaza Family Clinic Privacy Policy
Current as of: October 2025

Introduction
This privacy policy is to provide information to you, our patient, on how your personal information (which includes your health information) is collected and used within our practice, and the circumstances in which we may share it with third parties. Our practice complies with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), including the 13 Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), which regulate how we collect, use, disclose and store personal information, and how you may access and correct that information.

Why and when your consent is necessary
When you register as a patient of our practice, you provide consent for our GPs and practice staff to access and use your personal information so they can provide you with the best possible healthcare. 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?
Our practice will need to collect your personal information to provide healthcare services to you. Our main purpose for collecting, using, holding and sharing your personal information is to manage your health. We also use it for directly related business activities, such as financial claims and payments, practice audits and accreditation, and business processes (e.g.staff training).

When you make you first appointment, our practice staff will request to sight your personal information including ID and Medicare card via your registration to verify individual being consulted. Your personal information is kept as an electronic record in the practice secured software system for identification purpose only. The paper containing of your personal information will be shredded and disposed at end of the day.

We may use de-identified patient information for quality improvement, accreditation, research, or audit purposes. No individual will be identifiable in such data. Where re-identification is possible, we will seek your explicit consent before use.

What personal information do we collect?
The information we will collect about you includes your:

• Names, date of birth, addresses, contact details
• Medical information including medical history, medications, allergies, adverse events, immunisations, social history, family history and risk factors
• Medicare number (where available) for identification and claiming purposes
• Healthcare identifiers
• Health fund details.
• Driver licence
• Passport

Dealing with us anonymously
In compliance with The Privacy Act, you have the right to deal with us anonymously or under a pseudonym unless it is impracticable for us to do so or unless we are required or authorized by law to only deal with identified individuals.

How do we collect your personal information?
Our practice may collect your personal information in several different ways.

1. When you make your first appointment our practice staff will collect your personal and demographic information via your registration.
2. During the course of providing medical services, we may collect further personal information. Information can also be collected through Electronic health systems such as My Health Record, electronic prescriptions (eRx / Medisecure), and other secure health-information exchange platforms.
3. We may also collect your personal information when you make appointments or enquiries through our website, send us an email or SMS, telephone us, make an online appointment or communicate with us using social media.
4. 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 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 (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 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
• 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 there is a statutory requirement to share certain personal information (e.g., some diseases require mandatory notification)
• During the course of providing medical services, Electronic health systems such as My Health Record, electronic prescriptions (eRx / Medisecure), and other secure health-information exchange platforms.

Only people who need to access your information will be able to do so. Other than in the course of providing medical services or as otherwise described in this policy, our practice 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 will not use your personal information for marketing any of our goods or services directly to you without your express consent. If you do consent, you may opt out of direct marketing at any time by notifying our practice in writing.

How do we store and protect your personal information?
Your personal information may be stored at our practice in various forms. Our practice stores all personal information securely. Your personal information is kept as electronic records in our Best Practice system in our secured practice computers. All practice computers are protected by passwords, the Best Practice software requires login access, all staff has restricted access to patient information required to fulfill their job description. Paper records of personal information are kept until end of day, then shredded and disposed to protect your personal information. If we use cloud-based services that store data outside Australia, we will ensure those providers comply with APP 8 – Cross-border disclosure of personal information.

All staff and contractors are under the binding contract of confidentiality agreement, the practice also has surveillance cameras and Shopping Centre security in place to ensure your personal information are securely stored and protected in compliance with APP 11.

How can you access and correct your personal information at our practice?
You have the right to request access to, and correction of, your personal information. Our practice acknowledges patients may request access to their medical records. We require you to put this request in writing via incoming facsimile/email/deliver in person, request from receptionist/ practice staff for outgoing requests and our practice will respond within 30 days and follow up as required. Detailed health summary and/or reports to complete incur extra fee, fees will be informed upon request and will not be charged until patient/ related third parties’ written consent and agreement for action.

Our 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 by requesting at reception and complete personal details update form.

How can you lodge a privacy-related complaint, and how will the complaint be handled at our practice?
We take complaints and concerns regarding privacy seriously. You should express any privacy concerns you may have in writing. We will then attempt to resolve it in accordance with our resolution procedure. Our turnaround timeframe is usually 30 days and may subject to circumstances, if it is anticipated to take longer turnaround time, we will give notice in advance.
Should you have any complaint to lodge, please find our practice details are as followed:
Practice address: Shop 29B, 358 Mains Road, Sunnybank Plaza, Sunnybank, QLD 4109
Practice contact number: 07 3344 5885
Practice email: spfclinic@gmail.com

You may also contact the OAIC. Generally, the OAIC will require you to give them time to respond before they will investigate. For further information visit www.oaic.gov.au or call the OAIC on 1300 363 992.
Alternatively, you can contact the Health Quality & Complaints Commission GPO Box 3089, Brisbane Q 4001, Ph: (07) 3120 5999.

The Queensland Office of the Information Commissioner receives privacy complaints under the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld) which covers the Queensland public sector.
Queensland’s Health Ombudsman can also receive and investigate complaints about health services and health service providers.
Queensland | Office of the Health Ombudsman
Telephone: 133 646
Web: www.oho.qld.gov.au

Privacy and our website
Our website does not collect any analytics or cookies data to ensure your privacy is secure. However, our website contains links to websites of other organisations, departments, and agencies. We are not responsible for the content and privacy practices of other websites.

Health Records
Health records are retained for a minimum of seven years after the last patient encounter, or until a child turns 25 years of age, in accordance with the Health Records Act and RACGP C6.4 (e).

Email correspondence
Email correspondence sent to our website/email address are retained as required by the Public Records Act 2002 and other relevant legislation. Email messages may also be monitored by our information technology staff for system troubleshooting and maintenance purpose. Your email address details will not be added to a mailing list (unless you so request) or disclosed to a third party unless required by law. While our practice uses secure systems, electronic communication (email or SMS) may not always be fully secure. By providing your email / mobile number, you consent to us communicating via these channels for clinical and administrative purposes unless you opt out.

Data breach notification
“In the event of a data breach that is likely to cause serious harm, we will take immediate steps to contain the breach and will notify affected individuals and the OAIC in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) Scheme under the Privacy Act 1988.”

Policy review statement
This policy will be reviewed annually or whenever relevant legislation or RACGP standards are updated. The current version and review date are displayed at reception and on our website.
Patients may request a copy of this policy in an alternative format (e.g., print or translated version) to support accessibility.