Privacy Policy

Introduction

Psych Medlegal is a health service provider committed to protecting the privacy of patient information and to handling personal information in a responsible manner in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012, the Australian Privacy Principles and relevant State and Territory privacy legislation (referred to as privacy legislation).

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use and disclose your personal information, how you may access that information and how you may seek the correction of any information. It also explains how you may make a complaint about a breach of privacy legislation.

This Privacy Policy is current from 1 July 2022. From time to time we may make changes to our policy, processes and systems in relation to how we handle your personal information. We will update this Privacy Policy to reflect any changes. Those changes will be available on our website and upon request.

Collection

We collect information that is necessary and relevant to provide our medicolegal services. The information may include your name, address, date of birth, gender, health information, family history, and contact details. This information may be stored on our computer medical records system and/or in handwritten medical records.

We collect information from you personally. However, we may also need to view information from other sources such as reports of treating specialists, radiologists, pathologists, hospitals and other health care providers. This information is provided by the organisation which has referred you for assessment.

We may be required by law to retain our medical records for certain periods of time depending on your age at the time we provide services.

Use and Disclosure

We will treat your personal information as strictly private and confidential. We will only use or disclose it for purposes directly related to the service we provide. The following people may view your personal information:

• Our employees
• Our medical consultants
• The person or organisation that referred you to Psych Medlegal

There are circumstances where we may be permitted or required by law to disclose your personal information to third parties. For example, to insurers, solicitors, government regulatory bodies, tribunals, courts of law, or hospitals.

Information Collected

• We will only collect information with your consent
• We will only collect information which is relevant to the medical evaluation

If you do not provide the information requested, a comprehensive and accurate medical evaluation might not be possible.

Direct Marketing

We do not collect information for direct marketing purposes.

Data Quality and Security

We will take reasonable steps to ensure that your personal information is accurate, complete, up to date and relevant. For this purpose our staff may ask you to confirm that your contact details are correct when you attend a consultation. We request that you let us know if any of the information we hold about you is incorrect or out of date.

Personal information that we hold is protected by:

• securing our premises;
• placing passwords and varying access levels on databases to limit access and protect electronic information from unauthorised interference, access, modification and disclosure.

Corrections

If you believe that the information we have about you is not accurate, complete or up-to-date, we ask that you contact us in writing (see details below).

Access

You are entitled to request access to your medical records. We request that you put your request in writing and we will respond to it within a reasonable time. There may be a fee for the administrative costs of retrieving and providing you with copies of your medical records.

We may deny access to your medical records in certain circumstances permitted by law, for example:

the information is subject to legal privilege

the information relates to commercially sensitive decision-making process;

if disclosure may cause a serious threat to your health or safety, or pose a serious threat to the life or health of any individual;

access would have an unreasonable impact on the privacy of others;

a frivolous or vexatious request;

access would be unlawful or denying access is required or authorised by law;

access would prejudice enforcement activities relating to criminal activities and other breaches of law, public revenue, a security function, or negotiations with the individual.

We will always tell you why access is denied and the options you have to respond to our decision.

Complaints

If you have a complaint about the privacy of your personal information, we request that you contact us in writing. Upon receipt of a complaint we will consider the details and attempt to resolve it in accordance with our complaints-handling procedures.

If you are dissatisfied with our handling of a complaint or the outcome you may make an application to the Australian Information Commissioner or the Privacy Commissioner in your State or Territory.

Overseas Transfer of Data

We will not transfer your personal information to an overseas recipient unless we have your consent or we are required to do so by law.

Contact

Please direct any queries, complaints, requests for access to medical records to:

The Privacy Officer, Psych Medlegal, PO Box 5, Erskineville NSW 2043