Privacy Policy

1. What is personal information?

"Personal information" is information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable. As a health service provider, we also collect "sensitive information", including health information such as your medical history, symptoms, diagnoses, treatment notes and clinical records. Sensitive information is given a higher level of protection under the APPs.

2. Information we collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:

• Identity and contact details — name, date of birth, address, phone number and email address
• Health information — medical and chiropractic history, presenting complaints, examination findings, treatment and progress notes, imaging or reports, referrals, and information from other treating practitioners
• Emergency contact details
• Billing and payment information — Medicare, DVA, private health fund and payment details (we do not store full credit card numbers; these are processed securely by our payment provider)
• Appointment information — booking history, practitioner preferences and attendance records, held in our practice management system, Cliniko
• Website and technical information — IP address, browser and device type, and browsing behaviour, collected through cookies and analytics tools when you visit our website

We only collect sensitive information with your consent, or where otherwise permitted or required by law, and only to the extent reasonably necessary to provide you with safe and effective chiropractic care.

3. How we collect your information

We collect personal information:

• Directly from you — in person, by phone or email, through our website enquiry or contact form, or via new patient and health history forms sent through Cliniko
• From your referring doctor or other treating health practitioners, with your consent, for continuity of care
• From your health fund, Medicare or DVA, where relevant to processing a claim
• Automatically, through cookies and analytics tools when you browse our website

If you provide us with information about another person (for example, a family member or emergency contact), please ensure they are aware of this policy and consent to their information being provided.

4. Why we collect, use and disclose your information

We use your personal information to:

• Assess, diagnose and provide chiropractic treatment and ongoing care
• Book, manage and remind you of appointments
• Maintain accurate clinical records as required by law and by the Chiropractic Board of Australia / AHPRA professional standards
• Process payments, invoices and health fund or Medicare/DVA claims
• Communicate with you about your care, including liaising with other treating practitioners where you have consented to this
• Respond to enquiries submitted through our website
• Comply with our legal, regulatory and professional obligations
• With your consent, send appointment reminders and marketing communications (see section 5)

We do not sell your personal information, and we will only use or disclose it for purposes other than those listed above with your consent or as required or authorised by law.

5. Marketing communications

With your consent, we may send you appointment reminders, newsletters, health tips or clinic updates by email or SMS. You can opt out at any time by using the "unsubscribe" link in our emails, replying "STOP" to SMS messages, or contacting us using the details in section 11. We comply with the Spam Act 2003 (Cth) and the Do Not Call Register Act 2006 (Cth) in all marketing communications. Appointment reminders form part of the clinical service we provide; if you would prefer not to receive these, please let us know and we will discuss alternative arrangements with you.

6. Cookies and website analytics

Our website may use cookies and similar tracking technologies (for example, Google Analytics or social media pixels) to understand how visitors use the site and to help us improve it. These tools may collect information such as your IP address, device and browser type, pages visited and referring site. You can disable cookies through your browser settings, though this may limit some website functionality, including online enquiry or booking forms.

7. Disclosure of your information

We may disclose your personal information to:

• Our clinic staff involved in your care or in the administration of the practice
• Cliniko, our practice management software provider, which securely stores your booking, billing and clinical records
• Other treating practitioners or health service providers, with your consent, for referral or continuity of care
• Your health fund, Medicare or DVA, where you ask us to process a claim
• Our website hosting, payment processing, IT and administrative service providers, who assist us to operate the practice
• Regulators, courts or law enforcement agencies, where required or authorised by law

Some of our service providers (including cloud-based software and analytics tools) may store or process information on servers located outside Australia. Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure the information is handled consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles.

8. Data storage, security and retention

We store personal and health information securely using password-protected and encrypted systems, and restrict access to staff who need it to provide your care or administer the practice. We take reasonable steps to protect your information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

We retain clinical records for the period required under Queensland health records requirements and AHPRA professional guidelines — generally a minimum of seven years from your last consultation for adult patients, and until a patient reaches 25 years of age for records created while they were a minor. Where we no longer need information and are not required by law to retain it, we securely destroy or de-identify it.

9. Access and correction

You may request access to the personal information we hold about you, or ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete or misleading. Please contact us using the details in section 11. We may need to verify your identity before releasing or amending records. There is no charge to make a request, though a reasonable fee may apply to cover the cost of providing copies. In limited circumstances permitted by law, for example where access could pose a risk to your health or safety, or to the safety of others, we may need to provide access through a third party, such as your treating chiropractor, or may be entitled to refuse access.

10. Complaints

If you believe we have breached your privacy or mishandled your personal information, please contact us using the details below. We will acknowledge your complaint and aim to investigate and respond within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

• Website: www.oaic.gov.au
• Phone: 1300 363 992
• Post: GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001

11. Contact us

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology or legal obligations. The current version will always be available on our website, with the "last updated" date shown at the top of this page.