Privacy Policy

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Youthscope Consulting is committed to best practice in relation to the management of information we collect. We have a policy to protect patient privacy in compliance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) ("the Privacy Act"). Our policy is to inform you of:

• the kinds of information that we collect and hold, which is likely to be "health information" for the purposes of the Privacy Act;
• how we collect and hold personal information;
• the purposes for which we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information;
• how you may access your personal information and seek the correction of that information;
• how you may complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles and how we will deal with such a complaint.

The type of information we may collect and hold includes:

• Your name, address, date of birth, email, phone number and other contact details, including those of parents/guardians or, if appropriate, your next-of-kin (in case of emergencies)
• Your Medicare number (and that of your parent/guardian if they are the claimant for your Medicare benefits)
• Other health information about you, including:
  • information disclosed during your consultation and the treatment given to you
  • communication via email, SMS or telephone calls
  • your assessment reports and test results
  • correspondence with other service providers regarding your care
  • your appointment and billing details
  • your prescriptions
  • your individual healthcare identifier 
  • any other information about your race, gender, sexuality, and family history

We will generally collect personal information:

• from you directly when you provide your details to us
• from a person responsible for you (e.g. your parent if you are under 18)
• from third parties where the Privacy Act or another law allows it – this may include your GP, your psychologist or counsellor, other specialists, pharmacies, hospitals, electronic prescription services, Services Australia (Medicare) and the Ministry or Department of Health in your state.

In general, we collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information for the following purposes:

• to provide health services to you
• to communicate with you in relation to the health service being provided to you
• to comply with our legal obligations, including mandatory reporting under applicable child protection legislation or responding to subpoenas issued by the Court
• to help us manage our accounts and administrative services including billing 
• for consultations with other doctors and allied health professional involved in your healthcare
• to obtain, analyse and discuss test results
• to transfer prescriptions electronically to you or to your pharmacy
• To liaise with government and regulatory bodies such as Services Australia (Medicare), the Ministry or Department of Health in your state, and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

You have a right to seek access to, and correction of the personal information which we hold about you. Please contact Youthscope Consulting directly. We will normally respond to your request within 30 days.

We take reasonable steps to protect information held from misuse and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Youthscope Consulting stores data electronically. Your information is kept securely by Halaxy in protected data centres with multiple back-ups in place. These data are protected by 256-bit bank grade security and encryption, meaning your personal information records and payment information are protected to the same level required by banks.

If you have any questions about privacy-related issues or wish to complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles or the handling of your personal information, you should contact us directly.

If you are dissatisfied with our response, you may lodge a privacy complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). Further information is available on the OAIC's website.

The Privacy Act provides that individuals must have the option of not identifying themselves, or of using a pseudonym, when dealing with our practice, except in certain circumstances, such as where it is impracticable for us to deal with you if you have not identified yourself. However, this may limit the services we can provide. For example, you will need to forego claiming a Medicare benefit for the consultation, and medication prescriptions will not be possible in most instances.

This Policy will be reviewed from time to time to take account of new laws and technology, changes to our operations and other necessary developments. Updates will be published on this website.

Youthscope Consulting uses the Halaxy practice management system. The Privacy and Security Policy of Halaxy is available separately on their website.