WOOLGOOLGA & DISTRICT RETIREMENT VILLAGE LTD PRIVACY POLICY
Our Privacy Policy
We protect your personal information
Woolgoolga & District Retirement Village Ltd, ABN 46 002 711 819, (WDRV, ‘ we’, ‘ us’, ‘ our’) is committed to protecting the privacy of our residents and staff in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 and the associated Privacy Principles.
We understand how important it is to protect your personal information and this policy sets out our commitment in respect of personal information we hold about you and what we do with that information.
WDRV recognises that any personal information we collect about you will only be used for the purposes we have collected it for, or as allowed under the law. It is important to us that you are confident that any personal information we hold about you will be treated in a way which ensures the protection of your personal information.
WDRV is committed to protecting the privacy of all personal information collected from our service users and abiding by the Australian Privacy Principles and Guidelines endorsed by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, and to the Common Care Standards, Standard 3 Expected outcome 3.2.
Personal information we collect and why
In the course of operating our business, we will collect both personal and sensitive information as defined in the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
Personal information refers to information from which your identity is reasonably apparent. This information may include information or an opinion about you. The personal information we hold about you may also include sensitive information.
The kind of information we may collect about you includes, but is not limited to:
Residents
- Name, gender, address, telephone numbers, email address
- Medicare Number, Pension Number and/or DVA Number
- Date of birth
- Health information
- Billing details
- Details of your health care professionals
- Details of your next of kin or responsible person
- Your health fund or insurer
- Records of our interactions with you
- Preference for particular activities and/or events
- Feedback on service
Staff
- Name, date of birth, address,
- Occupation, references, career history
- Application for employment
- Immunisation records
- Tax file number, banking details
- HR/Personnel Records
- Workers compensation or injury information
WDRV will endeavour to collect all information directly from you. However, from time to time, we may also collect information from other sources, such as from your family or nominated person responsible. It is important for us to have this information for the purposes of providing, managing and administering our services. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Providing quality health or aged care services to you
- Identify health risk factors for individuals
- Ongoing health monitoring
- Conducting research and developing our services
- Marketing, research and statistical analysis
- Complying with relevant laws and regulations
- To contact you in relation to any matter relating to you or the services provided to you
- Resolving complaints
- Assisting your treating doctors, nursing staff, other health professionals or carers in providing health or aged care services to you
- Our internal administrative requirements, including information required by our insurers and legal representatives
- Quality review, clinical audit, service-monitoring, planning, evaluation, client satisfaction and accreditation activities.
- Tax office obligations, immigration legislation obligations and industrial requirements
We may also collect your personal information for the purposes of direct marketing and managing our relationship with you. From time to time we may offer you other products and services.
How we collect, hold and secure personal information
Where reasonable and practical, we will collect your personal information directly from you and your family prior to admission, at admission and as an ongoing process. We may also collect your personal information from your health care professionals, pharmacists, government departments and agencies, your family, or your responsible person. We also collect this information from third parties who provide services to you. For our staff, this information will be collected through applications for employment and the subsequent information we need to employ you, meeting all of our legislative and operational requirements.
WDRV holds personal information in a combination of secure electronic and hard copy formats. The information we hold is stored within Australia. We take all reasonable steps to ensure that any personal information held by us is protected from misuse, loss and unauthorised modification or disclosure. Such steps include, but are not limited to:
- Premises Security Measures
- Secure physical storage of documents
- Network and communications security measures including firewalls, password protection and access restrictions
- Quality system procedures
WDRV will keep information for as long as it is required and to meet legal and regulatory requirements. When destroying documents containing personal information that is no longer needed, WDRV will take reasonable steps to permanently de-identify or securely destroy such documents.
Disclosure of Personal Information
To be able to effectively provide and administer our services, we may be required to disclose information to others third parties within Australia. These parties may include, but are not limited to:
- Your general practitioner, or other health care providers
- Contractors or service providers engaged by us
- Your representatives including your guardians, or administrators
- Government and regulatory bodies (e.g. the Department of Health)
- Where disclosure is permitted or required by law
- When another organisation helps us process transactions, store data, access data or provide services to you in order for them to perform their role
Where we engage contractors, service providers or others to act on our behalf, WDRV will take reasonable steps to protect the privacy of all information disclosed and requires such parties to comply with any relevant privacy laws. You have the right to ask these organisations or contractors for access to information they hold about you.
Direct Marketing
From time to time we may use your personal information to provide you with current information about our services, offers you may find of interest, changes to our organisation, or new services being offered by us or any company with whom we are associated.
If you do not wish to receive this information, you may at any time decline to receive such information by telephoning us on (02) 6654 0022, or by writing to us at 49 High Street, Woolgoolga NSW 2456. If the direct marketing is by email, you may send an email response requesting that future material is not sent to you. We will take all reasonable steps to meet your request at the earliest possible opportunity.
Data quality and updating your personal information
In order for WDRV to provide quality services it is important that the personal information we hold about you is accurate and up to date. We will take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information we collect, use and disclose is accurate, correct and up to date. To assist us in this we may ask you to inform us if any of your personal information has changed.
If you believe any information that we hold about you is incorrect, incomplete or out-of-date, please contact us. We will respond to you within a reasonable period and will take reasonable steps to amend your records.
Accessing your personal information
You have a right to reasonable access to any information that WDRV holds about you. To request access to your information, please contact us by telephone or in writing. At the time you make your request, we may ask that you complete relevant forms. We reserve the right to charge for providing access to certain information, as permitted by law and you will be informed of this at the time of your request. We will always endeavour to meet your request for access within a reasonable timeframe and in the manner requested by you if it is reasonable to do so.
However, in some circumstances we may decline a request for access to information such as where we no longer hold the information, or where denying access is permitted or required by law. If we are unable to give you access to the information you have requested, we will give you written reasons for this decision when we respond to your request.
Use of Government Identifiers
As part of the personal information that we collect, we may use government identifiers including, but not limited to, aged care client identification numbers, tax file numbers and Medicare numbers. We will generally not adopt government identifiers for use as our own identifiers. If we are required to collect a government identifier in providing our services, we will not use this number to identify the individual.
Choice of Anonymity
In most circumstances it will be necessary for us to identify you in order to successfully do business with you. However, where it is lawful and practicable to do so, we will offer you the opportunity of doing business with us without providing us with personal information.
Contacting Woolgoolga & District Retirement Village Ltd
about privacy issues
If you have any questions, feedback or concerns about this policy or how your information is handled by WDRV, you can contact our Privacy Officer on (02) 6654 0022 during office hours. You can also contact us by fax, mail or email:
Fax – (02) 6654 7566
Mail – 49 High Street, Woolgoolga NSW 2456
Email – admin@woolgoolgaretirement.org.au
All stakeholders have a right to complain without fear of retribution, and can expect complaints to be dealt with fairly, promptly, and confidentially. If you are dissatisfied with how we have dealt with your information, or you have a complaint about our compliance with the Privacy Act, you may contact our Privacy Officer using the contact details above. We will acknowledge your complaint within 7 days and will provide you with a decision on your complaint within 30 days.
If you are dissatisfied with the response of our Privacy Officer you may make a complaint to the Privacy Commissioner who can be contacted via the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner website (www.oaic.gov.au ) or on 1300 363 992.
