When does this policy apply?
This policy sets out the principles that Apollo Care adopt in the conduct of our business in order to protect your personal information
What does this policy deal with?
This policy deals with our collection, use and disclosure of, and your access to, information we may have recorded about you. Apollo Care is committed to protecting your privacy. We aim to maintain a safe and secure system of handling your personal information, while providing access to your personal information when required. For this reason, we aim to ensure that your personal information is handled in strict compliance with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) which are part of the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988.
What is personal information?
Personal information for the purposes of this policy and the APPs is information or an opinion (whether true or not and whether recorded in a material form or not) about an individual whose identity is identified or is reasonably identifiable.
How do we collect personal information?
Whenever it is reasonable and practicable to do so, we collect personal information about you directly from you. In some instances, we may receive information about you from third parties, but if we do so we will use reasonable steps to inform you about this. We may also collect information about you or disclose information about you to a person nominated by you or an authorised substitute decision-maker such as an attorney or legal representative. We ask you to keep us informed of any nominations or appointments in this respect.
What personal information do we collect, hold, use and disclose and why?
We only collect, hold, use and disclose personal information about you that is necessary for us to carry on our business functions. The information we collect, hold, use and disclose depends upon the nature of our dealings with you. This may include information such as your contact details, information to assist in the resolution of complaints and information about payment for services.
Sensitive information (including health information)
We may also collect sensitive information about you where the context requires us to do so. Sensitive information includes information about race, political or religious beliefs, sexual preferences, criminal convictions and health information. We collect health information where we provide or propose to provide aged care services to you. We do not use or share that information for any other purpose or disclose it to any person other than in accordance with the terms of any consent that you provide to us or where we are permitted to do so by the APPs. For example, we may provide health information held by us to a medical practitioner or hospital in a medical emergency.
How do we hold personal information?
We will hold your personal information through a combination of physical records and electronic storage. We will take reasonable steps to protect the information from misuse, loss or unauthorised access, modification or disclosure both physically and through computer security methods. We will keep your personal information for the minimum time required by applicable laws after the end of our relevant dealing with you, for example when you depart one of our villages or close a transaction with us.
Use and Disclosure of Personal Information
We will only use your personal information for the reasons we collected it or for purposes permitted by law. These reasons and the parties to whom we might disclose it will be reasonably apparent to you when we collect your information and our use and disclosure of that information will only be for our business activities. We may disclose information to an external contractor or professional adviser. We will not disclose your personal information to an overseas recipient. Where personal information is disclosed to any third-party we will take reasonable steps to ensure that the person receiving your personal information keeps it confidential and does not misuse it or improperly disclose it to any other person.
Personal information may be shared within Apollo Care but where this occurs the principles contained in this policy will continue to apply to it. We may use personal information to send you information about other Apollo Care products and services which may be of interest to you, but we respect your right to ask us not to do this. If you no longer wish to receive those sorts of communications from us, you should contact our Privacy Officer and we will ensure that this is corrected. If we undertake direct marketing we acknowledge that we are bound by the Spam Act 2003 and the Do Not Call Register Act 2006. Any other use or disclosure we make of your personal information will only be as required by law or permitted by the Privacy Act 1988.
We will not sell your personal information to other organisations.
Data Quality and Security
We will take all reasonable steps to make ure that the personal information we collect, use or disclose is accurate, complete and up to date; to protect the information from misuse, loss or unauthorised access, modification or disclosure both physically and through computer security methods; and to destroy or permanently de-identify the information if it is no longer needed for any purpose.
Cookies
A cookie is a small data file that may be placed on the computer of a web user (usually in the browser software folder) the first time a computer visits a web site which operates cookies. Cookies are necessary to facilitate on-line transactions and ensure security. If you do not wish to receive any cookies you should set your browser to refuse cookies.
Access to and correction of your Information – residents and representatives
If you are a resident of one of our aged care facilities and you want to access, correct or raise a query or
concern about the personal information we hold about you, you should contact your Residential Service Manager in the first instance to make this request. The APPs give rights to access and correct personal information that we hold about you in certain circumstances and we will observe these rights. We will advise you in writing if a correction request is refused and will include in this advice the information required by the APPs.
Access to and correction of your Information (Non–residents/representatives)
If you are not a resident or representative and want to access, correct or raise a query or concern about the personal information we hold about you, you believe any personal information that we have about you is inaccurate or out-of-date, or you are concerned about the way we have handled your personal information then please contact our Privacy Officer. The APPs give rights to access and correct personal information that we hold about you in certain circumstances and we will observe these rights. We will advise you in writing if a correction request is refused and will include in this advice the information required by the APPs.
How can you make a complaint?
If you have a complaint about a suspected breach of the APPs then you should put your complaint in writing and send it to the Privacy Officer. We will review and respond to your complaint within a reasonable timeframe advising if we have accepted your complaint, accepted your complaint in part; or rejected your complaint in full. We will advise you if we need further information in order to make a decision.
If we accept your complaint, and the outcome is that restitution is required to be made to you, we will arrange for the restitution to be made promptly after accepting your complaint.
If we reject your complaint, we will give you written reasons for the rejection, together with notice setting out the rights and options that are available to you should you wish to pursue the complaint further.
If you are not satisfied with our response to your complaint there is a process for complaints to be made to the Australian Federal Privacy Commissioner.
Privacy Officer Details
You can contact the Apollo Care Privacy Officer as follows:
Telephone: 0407 145 150
Email: privacy@apollocare.com.au