The short version
You can read the whole thing, and you should if you are about to hand us information about your health. But the parts most people want are these.
- The enquiry form collects health information before you are a client. That is deliberate, because we cannot tell you who can help without knowing what you are asking for. It is stored securely and used only to match you and reply to you.
- Filling in the form does not book anything and does not make you a client. If you decide not to go ahead, tell us and we will delete what you sent.
- We do not sell your information, we do not use it for advertising, and we do not share it with anyone outside the practice except in the narrow circumstances set out below.
- You can ask to see what we hold about you and ask us to correct it.
Who this covers
This policy applies to Anoshe Therapies, our clinicians and our administration staff, and to everyone who visits the website, sends an enquiry, or becomes a client.
We handle personal information under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles. Because we provide health services in Victoria, we also handle health information under the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic).
What we collect
| When | What | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You send an enquiry | Your name, contact details, who the enquiry is for, what you are looking for help with, your preferred language, how you intend to pay, and gender if you choose to answer. | To show you which clinicians can help and to reply to you. Some of this is health information, and some of it is sensitive information. |
| You become a client | Clinical records: history, assessment, notes, correspondence, referrals, reports, and anything you tell a clinician in a session. | To provide care safely and to meet our professional and legal record keeping obligations. |
| You pay | Billing details, Medicare or NDIS details, private health insurance details, and payment records. | To take payment and to claim rebates. Card numbers are handled by our payment provider and are not stored by us. |
| You visit the website | Anonymous, aggregated visit data such as which pages are viewed. No cookies are set for advertising and we do not track you across other websites. | To understand which pages are useful. |
You can contact us without giving your name, but we may not be able to help beyond answering a general question.
Who else sees it
We use third party services to run the practice. Each holds only what it needs, and each is bound by its own obligations.
| Service | What it holds | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Practice management and booking | Client records, appointments, clinical notes | Australia |
| Payments | Transaction records. Card details are handled by the provider, not by us. | Australia and overseas |
| Enquiries and correspondence | Australia | |
| Website hosting | The site itself. Enquiries pass through it and are not stored on it. | Sydney, Australia |
| Interpreters | Only what is said in a session they attend, and only where you have asked for one | Australia |
Some of these providers may store or process information outside Australia. Where that happens we take reasonable steps to ensure comparable protection applies.
When we would share without asking
There are a small number of situations where we may share information without your consent. We will tell you when we can.
- Risk of serious harm. Where there is a serious and imminent risk to your life or safety, or to someone else's.
- Children. Where we are required by law to report a concern about a child's safety.
- Courts and legal obligations. Where we are compelled by a subpoena, court order or law.
- Court ordered work. Where the therapy itself is court ordered, the reporting obligations are explained in the first session, in plain language, before anyone is asked to say anything.
Outside these, we do not discuss you with anyone without your agreement, including with family members and including with the person who referred you.
How long we keep it
- Enquiries that do not become bookings are kept for twelve months, then deleted. Ask us sooner and we will delete them sooner.
- Adult client records are kept for at least seven years from your last appointment, as the law requires.
- Records for anyone seen as a child are kept until they turn twenty five.
What you can ask for
- A copy of what we hold. We will respond within thirty days. There are limited circumstances where we may not be able to give you everything, and if that happens we will explain why.
- A correction. If something is wrong, tell us and we will fix it. If we disagree, you can ask us to note your view on the record.
- Deletion of an enquiry you sent but did not act on.
- To withdraw consent for anything you previously agreed to.
Email admin@anoshetherapies.com.au and it reaches the right person.
If something goes wrong
If information is lost or accessed by someone who should not have it, and it is likely to cause you serious harm, we will tell you and notify the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, as the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme requires.
Complaints
Tell us first. Email admin@anoshetherapies.com.au and we will respond within thirty days.
If you are not satisfied, you can take it further at no cost:
- Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, for privacy complaints. oaic.gov.au or 1300 363 992.
- Health Complaints Commissioner (Victoria), for complaints about health information or health services. hcc.vic.gov.au or 1300 582 113.
You do not have to complain to us first, and doing so does not affect your care.
Changes
If we change this policy we will update the date at the top. If the change materially affects how we handle your information, we will tell current clients directly rather than expecting anyone to re-read the page.