Privacy Policy

Next Generation Occupational Medicine acknowledges your rights to privacy and respects the importance of protecting your confidentiality. Next Generation Occupational Medicine is committed to ensuring your personal information is professionally managed in accordance with all Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). This privacy policy is to provide information to you, our patient, on how your personal information (which includes your health information) is collected and used within our practice, and the circumstances in which we share it with third parties.

Why and when your consent is necessary

When you register as a patient of Next Generation Occupational Medicine, you provide consent for our Practitioners and the practice staff to access and use your personal information so that they can provide you with the best possible healthcare. Only staff and practitioners who need to see your personal information will have access to it. If we need to use your information for anything else, we will seek additional consent from you to do this.

Why do we collect, use, hold and share your personal information?

Next Generation Occupational Medicine will need to collect your personal information to provide healthcare services to you. Our main purpose for collecting, using, holding and sharing your personal information is to manage your health. We also use it for directly related business activities, such as financial claims and payments, as well as business processes (eg staff training).

What personal information do we collect?

The information that we collect about you includes:

• Name, residential address and contact number
• Age and/or date of birth
• Medicare card number
• Ethnic background
• Profession, occupation and/or job title
• Current medications and/or drugs or treatments used by you
• Information relevant to your medical care; including but not limited to your previous and current medical history and where clinically relevant, your family’s medical history
• Any additional information relating to you that you may provide to us directly through services and/or consultations provided by our medical professionals

How we collect your personal information:

• Directly from you while making appointments
• Disclosed by you during consultations
• Information collected through your access and use of our website
• From your referring doctor
• We may also collect personal information from third parties including information provided on your behalf with your consent

What happens if Next Generation Occupational Medicine cannot collect your personal information

Next Generation Occupational Medicine provides occupational medicine services to help you with your work injury and to ensure that you return to work as soon as is medically possible. If you do not provide us with the requested personal information required for our medical professionals to provide adequate service, they may not be able to provide the requested services to you, either to the same standard or at all.

We collect, hold, use and/or disclose your personal information for the following purposes

• Provide medical services and treatments to you, and to enable you to be attended by medical practitioners and allied health professionals
• For administrative and billing purposes
• For record keeping and to keep your contact details up to date
• Processing and responding to any potential complaints made
• Comply with any laws, rules, regulations, lawful and binding determination, for decision or direction of regulators, or in co-operation with any governmental authority
• To report back to your referring doctor
• To answer enquiries and provide information or advice about existing and new services and all matters relevant to the services we provide to you

Your personal information will not be shared, sold, rented, or disclosed other than as described in this Privacy Policy or as permitted under the Act.

In certain circumstances, if our medical professionals are concerned about your safety or safety of others, your personal information including personal details and relevant sensitive information may be disclosed to the relevant authorities.

How can you access and correct your personal information at Next Generation Occupational Medicine?

You have the right to request access to, and correction of, your personal information. Next Generation Occupational Medicine acknowledges that you may request access to your medical records.

We require that you provide consent and that you put this request in writing to manager@ngom.com.au and our practice will respond within a reasonable time. Please allow 7 business days for a response.

Where access is denied or needs to be limited due to concerns about your health and wellbeing or that of another person, this will be discussed with you.

Next Generation Occupational Medicine will take reasonable steps to correct personal information where it is satisfied to ensure it is accurate and up to date. This is undertaken by our Administration staff who will ask you at each contact what your current phone number, address and date of birth are. You are encouraged to request that Next Generation Occupational Medicine corrects or updates your information each time that you have contact with Next Generation Occupational Medicine.

Security of your personal information

Next Generation Occupational Medicine takes the privacy and security of your personal information seriously. This means that our website and other external software that are used to provide services are password protective, are backed up and there is no public access to confidential information.

We continuously take measures to set the highest standard of security and to deliver services through secure platforms to ensure your privacy is maintained. However, except to the extent liability cannot be excluded due to the operation of statute, we exclude all liability (including negligence) for the consequence of any unauthorised access to, disclosure of, misuse of or loss or corruption of your personal information. You understand and accept that there is a risk of privacy breach due to the use of telehealth facilities, including but not limited to; email, fax, and electronic communications. Please notify us immediately if you become aware of any breach of security.

How you can lodge a privacy related complaint and how it will be handled at Next Generation Occupational Medicine

If you have any concerns about your privacy or wish to make a complaint about a privacy breach, please contact us at manager@ngom.com.au This information will be treated confidentially.

You should provide us with sufficient details regarding your complaint together with any supporting information. We will take steps to investigate the issue and will notify you in writing of the outcome within 30 days from the receipt date of original written complaint.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can lodge a complaint with the Health and

Community Services Complaints Commissioner

Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is in accordance with any changes that may occur. Any changes will be made public via our website.