❋ Privacy Policy
This document describes the privacy policy of Birch Grove Psychology for the management of your personal information and explains how your personal and health information is collected, held, used, disclosed, stored, and disposed of. The psychological service provided is bound by the legal requirements of the Australian Privacy Principles set out in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Health Privacy Principles set out in the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic).
❋ Types of information collected and held
Patient files are stored securely in electronic form on encrypted cloud-based practice management system Halaxy, which is only accessible to your psychologist and adheres to Australian Privacy laws. Hard copy information may be digitised and securely destroyed. The information stored on each file includes personal information such as but not limited to name, date of birth, address, gender, contact phone numbers, medical history, Medicare and private health fund details, and other relevant personal information collected as part of providing the psychological service including occupation, demographic information, social circumstances, results of psychometric assessments, screening tools, and information received from other providers and services. Personal information will also be collected and held in a secure internet-based appointment scheduling program. Health information is sensitive information and may include reasons for seeking therapy, presenting problems/issues, diagnoses, psychological formulation, session notes, treatment plans, referral letters and GP or other provider reports, information detailing personal health history and circumstances, and information provided by third parties.
❋ How your personal information is collected
Your personal information is collected in a number of ways. These include times when you:
provide information directly to your psychologist during sessions and hardcopy forms;
correspondence via email, phone call, or text message;
when you interact directly with your psychologist;
when third parties provide information to your psychologist; and
when other health practitioners such as GPs, psychiatrists, or other current or former treating professionals provide personal information to your psychologist via referrals, correspondence and medical reports.
Personal information is collected with your consent or as otherwise permitted by law.
❋ Purpose of collecting, holding, using, and disclosing personal information
Your personal information is gathered and used for the purpose of providing psychological services to you, which includes assessing, diagnosing and treating your presenting issue/s. Personal information is retained in order to document what happens during sessions and enables your psychologist to provide a relevant and informed psychological service.
Information is also used to communicate with you about appointments, fees, cancellations, and administrative matters; care coordination with other professionals and services with your consent or as permitted by law; report-writing and provision to your GP and/or other authorised parties; compliance with legal, ethical, and professional obligations such as mandatory reporting, subpoenas, and AHPRA requirements; management of billing, Medicare/private health fund rebates, and other payment processes; and maintenance of clinical records for continuity of care and risk management.
❋ Consequence of not providing personal information
Psychologists are professionally required to maintain accurate patient files. If a you do not wish for your personal information to be collected in a way anticipated by this Privacy Policy, your psychologist may not be in a position to provide the psychological service to you.
❋ Disclosure of personal information
All personal information gathered during the provision of services will remain confidential except when:
failure to disclose the information would in the reasonable belief of your psychologist place you or another person at serious risk to life, health or safety; or
it is subpoenaed by a court, or disclosure is otherwise required or authorised by law; or
there is suspected abuse or neglect of a child, older person, or someone who cannot protect themselves; or
your consent cannot be gained due to a requirement to obtain emergency services for you during a medical crisis; or
if there is unauthorised access to data held by the clinic some limited information may need to be shared with the Office of the Information Ombudsman; or
your prior approval, or consent of a parent or guardian who is legally authorised to act on your behalf, has been obtained to:
a) provide a written report to another agency or professional, e.g., a GP or a lawyer; or
b) discuss the material with another person, e.g. a parent, employer, health provider, or third-party funder; or
c) clinical consultation with another professional is required to provide better clinical services (identifying details will remain confidential); or
d) disclose the information in another way; or
e) disclose to another professional or agency (e.g., your GP) and disclosure of your personal information to that third party is for a purpose which is directly related to the primary purpose for which your personal information was collected.
Your personal information is not knowingly disclosed to overseas recipients unless you consent or such disclosure is otherwise required by law. Your personal information will not be used, sold, rented or disclosed for any other purpose.
❋ Access to, security, and storage of information
All personal information gathered by your psychologist during the provision of psychological service will remain confidential and secure. Only your psychologist will access your file for clinical or administrative purposes. Patient files are held on the clinic’s encrypted practice management software and on secure cloud-based storage system, Halaxy. You may access the information in your file on request, subject to the exceptions in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and exceptions in the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic).
Reasonable steps are taken to protect your personal and health information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure, including: electronic records are stored on password-protected devices and accounts, with unique logins and two-factor authentication where available; data is encrypted in transit and rest; reputable and secure practice management and telehealth systems are used; software is regularly updated and securely backed up where applicable. In the event that unauthorised access, disclosure, or loss of your personal information occurs, your psychologist will activate a data breach plan and use all reasonable endeavours to minimise any risk of consequential serious harm.
❋ Retention and destruction of records
Psychologists are required to keep your file for a minimum of 7 years after your final appointment or, if patients are under the age of 18 at the time of treatment, until they are 25 years of age. After these periods, your records will be securely destroyed or de-identified unless another law or professional requirement requires longer retention. Where records are destroyed or transferred, a minimal log of the destruction or transfer of information is kept.
❋ Requests for access and correction to your information
At any stage you may request to see and correct the personal information about you kept on file. Your psychologist may discuss the contents with you and/or give you a copy, subject to the exceptions in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and exceptions in the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic). If satisfied that personal information is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete, reasonable steps will be taken in the circumstances to ensure that this information is corrected. All requests by you for access to or correction of personal information held about them should be lodged with your psychologist in writing. These requests will be responded to in writing within 30 days where possible, and an appointment will be made if necessary for clarification purposes. If full access cannot be provided, an explanation will be provided as to the reasons. A reasonable fee may be charged to cover administration costs associated with fulfilling the request. Any fees will be communicated to you in advance.
❋ Concerns
If you have a concern about the management of your personal information, you may inform your psychologist. You can obtain a copy of the Australian Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Health Privacy Principles under the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) which describe your rights and how your personal information should be handled. Ultimately, if you wish to lodge a formal complaint about the use of, disclosure of, or access to, your personal information, you may do so with:
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, for complaints about breaches of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the APPs, by phone on 1300 363 992, online at http://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/making-a-privacy-complaint or by post to: Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, GPO Box 5218, Sydney, NSW 2001.
The Health Complaints Commissioner (Victoria), for complaints about health information handling under the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic), by phone 1300 582 113 or website www.hcc.vic.gov.au.
❋ Contact details
For all privacy‑related enquiries, including access and correction requests or complaints, please contact:
Name: Katia Petrusic
Role: Psychologist / Privacy Contact
Email: info@birchgrovepsychology.com.au
This privacy policy may be updated to reflect changes in practice or legislation.