Privacy Policy

We value your privacy and your medical record is a confidential document.  McCrae Village Clinic maintains the security of patient files to ensure information is only available to authorized staff members.

The practice complies with the Health Records Act (Victoria 2001) and the Privacy Act (Commonwealth 1988).

Please DO NOT SEND ANY PATIENT RELATED INFORMATION OR MEDICAL REQUESTS on this email or website.

We cannot accept responsibility for any information sent via this email which contains identifiable medical details.

Due to our practice's privacy and confidentiality policy, we will not reply or respond to any email requests.

If you would like more information about privacy, or how to access your health record, please ask your doctor or see reception. Or click the link below to download your own copy of our Patient Privacy Policy Pamphlet.

Privacy Policy

Purpose
This pamphlet explains how personal information
about you and your health is recorded and
managed in our practice. We also have a written
privacy policy describing how we manage personal
information. You can receive a copy of our policy
free of charge upon request or access it via our
practice website.
Personal information
The ‘personal information’ we collect includes
your name, date of birth, address/es, contact
details, Medicare number, healthcare identifiers
and health fund details. Medical information may
include medical history and any care you may
need. GPs need information about your past and
present health in order to provide you with high-
quality care.
Our practice follows the guidelines of the
RACGP’s Handbook for the management of
health information in general practice, 3rd edition
(the Handbook). The Handbook incorporates
federal and state privacy legislation, and the
Australian Privacy Principles, which requires that
your personal information is kept private and
secure.
Your medical records
This practice takes steps to ensure that your
medical records:
 are accurate, complete, well-organised and
legible
 are up-to-date
 contain enough information to allow another
GP to care for you
 contain a summary of your care
 can be used to remind you, with your
permission, to return for follow up, check-ups
and reviews.
If you are uncertain why information is being
requested, please ask your GP or the practice
staff.
If you wish to remain anonymous while accessing
healthcare services, please talk to the practice
staff.

Providing your information to other GPs
In this practice, it is normal for all GPs to have
access to your medical records. If you have any
concerns about this please discuss them with
your GP or practice staff.
It is important that other people involved in your
care, such as medical specialists and other
healthcare professionals, are informed of the
relevant parts of your medical history, so they can
provide the best care for you. Your GP will let you
know when this is necessary.
Providing your information to others
GPs respect your right to decide how your
personal information is used or shared. For
example, this may be sharing your health
information with specialist doctors. Personal
information that identifies you will only be sent to
other people with your consent, unless there are
exceptional circumstances. Gaining your consent
is the guiding principle used by this practice in
using and sharing your information.
Our practice will not share your personal health
information with anyone else or another
organisation unless:
 you have consented to this sharing, or
 they are legally obliged to disclose the
information, in which case your GP will first
discuss with you the information that she or he
is legally obliged to disclose, or
 the information is necessary for you to obtain
Medicare payments or other health insurance
rebates, or
 there is an overriding public health and safety
interest in the release of the information.
In the above cases, only information necessary to
meet the requirements will be provided. Your
health information will not ordinarily be sent
overseas unless:
 you are informed and provide consent for this
to occur, and
 the overseas country receiving the information
has privacy laws that are very similar to the
Australian Privacy Principles.

Using health information for quality
improvement and research
This practice may use patient health information
to assist in improving the quality of care we give
to all our patients, by reviewing the treatments
used in the practice.
Your information held by the practice may be
used in research projects to improve healthcare
in the community; however, this information will
not include data that can identify you.
The information used for research, including the
publication of research results, will not be in a
form that would allow you to be identified, unless
the research serves an important public interest.
In such cases, identifiable medical records can be
used for medical research without your consent
under guidelines issued by the Australian
Government. Before providing such identified
information, your GP will discuss with you the
information that she or he is obliged to disclose.
Security of information in the practice
Australian privacy legislation applies to all
personal health information recorded in electronic
and paper records. All records must be kept
secure to protect against unauthorised access.
This practice complies with these requirements to
protect your information.

Access to your health information
You may ask practice staff about any aspect of
your healthcare, including information contained in
your record. You can request access to your
medical record and any other information the
practice records about you.
If you request access to your medical record, your
GP will need to consider if there may be a risk of
physical or mental harm to you or any other person
that may result from disclosure of your health
information. Your GP may need to remove any
information that will affect the privacy of other
individuals.
Sharing information is important for good
communication between you and practice staff.
Your GP is able to provide a full explanation of the
health summary or medical record you are
provided access to.
Depending on what is involved, you may be asked
to contribute to the cost of providing the
information.
Direct marketing
This practice does not engage in direct marketing.
Resolving concerns regarding the privacy of
your health information
If you have any concerns regarding the privacy of
your personal health information or the accuracy of
the information held by the practice, you should
discuss these with practice staff. Inaccurate
information can be corrected or your concerns
noted in your record. For legal reasons, the original
notes will be retained.

Contacts
If you have questions or a complaint about the privacy
of your personal information, please ask to speak to the
privacy contact officer at the practice.
Further information on privacy legislation is
available from:
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
1300 363 992
www.oaic.gov.au
ACT Health Services Commissioner
02 6205 2222
www.hrc.act.gov.au/health
Health and Disability Services Complaints Office
Western Australia – 1800 813 583
www.hadsco.wa.gov.au/home/index.cfm
Information and Privacy Commission
New South Wales – 1800 472 679
www.ipc.nsw.gov.au/privacy/ipc_index.html
Office of the Health Services Commissioner
Victoria – 1300 582 113
www.health.vic.gov.au/hsc/index.htm
Office of the Information Commissioner
Northern Territory – 1800 005 610
https://infocomm.nt.gov.au
Office of the Information Commissioner
Queensland – 07 3234 7373
www.oic.qld.gov.au
Ombudsman Tasmania
1800 001 170
www.ombudsman.tas.gov.au
Health and Community Services Complaints
Commissioner (HCSCC)
South Australia – 08 8226 8666
www.hcscc.sa.gov.au
Privacy Officer – Dr Manmeet Sekhon
695 Point Nepean Rd, McCrae VIC 3938

Keeping your
personal
information
private in our
practice

695 Point Nepean Rd, McCrae VIC 3938