Summary Client Privacy Policy
The Victorian Psychology Clinic’s commitment to privacy
The Victorian Psychology Clinic (ACN: 666732805) is committed to managing personal information. This document sets out our policies for managing your personal information, in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and in accordance with other applicable privacy laws. A more detailed Privacy Policy can be obtained by contacting VPC via support@vicpsychclinic.com.au or 03 7018 1716.
What is “personal information”?
The Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) currently defines “personal information” as meaning information or an opinion about an identified individual or an individual who is reasonably identifiable: i. Whether the information or opinion is true or not; and ii. Whether the information or opinion is recorded in a material form or not. If the information does not disclose your identity or enable your identity to be ascertained, it will in most cases not be classified as “personal information” and will not be subject to this Privacy Policy.
How your personal information is collected
Your personal information is collected in a number of ways during psychological consultation with the Victorian Psychology Clinic, including when you provide information directly to us using hardcopy or electronic forms; correspondence via email; when your interact directly with our employees or contracted staff, such as the administration team; and when other health practitioners provide your personal information to us via referrals, correspondence and medical reports.
Consequence of not providing your personal information
If your do not wish for your personal information to be collected in a way anticipated by this Privacy Policy, the Victorian Psychology Clinic may not be in a position to provide a psychological service to you. In some circumstances, you may request to be anonymous or to use a pseudonym, where it is lawful and practicable (for example, when making a general enquiry). Generally, it is not practicable for us to deal with individuals anonymously or pseudonymously on an ongoing basis. If we do not collect personal information about you, you may be unable to utilise our services or participate in our events, programs or activities we manage or deliver.
How your personal information is used and held
The Victorian Psychology Clinic stores information in paper-based files or other electronic record keeping methods, including the secure practice management software, which is accessible only to authorised employees, authorised contractors or service providers, in accordance with the practice’s policies and procedures. The information on your file includes personal information such as your name, address, contact phone numbers, medical history, and other personal information collected as part of providing the psychological service. Purpose of holding personal information Your personal information is gathered and used for the purpose of providing psychological services, which includes assessing, diagnosing and treating your presenting issue/s. Your personal information is retained in order to document what happens during sessions, and enables your psychologist to provide a relevant and informed psychological service.
Disclosure of personal information
- Your personal information will remain confidential except when:
- It is subpoenaed by a court, or disclosure is otherwise required or authorised by law;
Failure to disclose the information would in the reasonable belief of the Victorian Psychology Clinic place you or another person at serious risk to life, health or safety; or - Your prior approval has been obtained to:
- Provide a written report to another agency or professional, e.g., a GP or a lawyer; or
- Discuss the material with another person, e.g., a parent, employer, health provider, or third-party funder; or
- Disclose the information in another way; or
- 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.
A client’s personal information is not disclosed to overseas recipients, unless the client consents or such disclosure is otherwise required by law. Clients’ personal information will not be used, sold, rented or disclosed for any other purpose.
In the event that unauthorised access, disclosure or loss of a client’s personal information occurs, the Victorian Psychology Clinic will activate its data breach plan and use all reasonable endeavours to minimise any risk of consequential serious harm.
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. We may discuss the contents with you and/or give you a copy, subject to the exceptions in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). 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 for access to or correction of personal information held about you should be lodged with the Victorian Psychology Clinic via support@vicpsychclinic.com.au or 03 7018 1716. These requests will be responded to in writing within 30 days and an appointment will be made if necessary for clarification purposes.
Concerns
You may contact the Victorian Psychology Clinic via support@vicpsychclinic.com.au or 03 7018 1716, at any time if you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or about the way in which your personal information has been handled. We will first consider your complaint to determine whether there are simple or immediate steps which can be taken to resolve the complaint. We will generally respond to your complaint within a week. If your complaint requires more detailed consideration or investigation, we will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within a week and endeavour to complete our investigation into your complaint promptly. We may ask you to provide further information about your complaint and the outcome you are seeking. We will then typically gather relevant facts, locate and review relevant documents and speak with individuals involved. In most cases, we will investigate and respond to a complaint within 30 days of receipt of the complaint. If the matter is more complex or our investigation may take longer, we will let you know.
If you are not satisfied with our response to your complaint, or you consider that the Victorian Psychology Clinic may have breached the Australian Privacy Principles or the Privacy Act, a complaint may be made to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner can be contacted by telephone on 1300 363 992 or by using the contact details on the website (www.oaic.gov.au).