Armadale Anaesthesia Pty Ltd (ACN 666 393 782) – Privacy Policy

Last updated: 1^st January 2026

Introduction and Scope

Armadale Anaesthesia Pty Ltd (ACN 666 393 782) (Armadale Anaesthesia, we, us, our) is committed to best practice in the management of personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). It applies to all personal information we handle in the course of operating our anaesthesia practice and related administrative activities, including information about patients, carers and family members, referring clinicians, contractors and suppliers, job applicants and our personnel. Where we handle health information, this Policy applies in addition to any obligations under applicable health records laws.

Key terms

Personal information: information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable, whether true or not and whether recorded in a material form or not.

Sensitive information: a subset of personal information that includes health information, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs or affiliations, sexual orientation or practices, criminal record, and membership of professional or trade associations or trade unions.

Health information: personal information about the health or disability of an individual, health services provided to an individual, or other information collected by a health service provider in providing a health service.

For the purposes of this Policy, all of these types of information will be referred to as “personal information”.

What personal information we collect

The personal information we collect and hold will depend on your relationship with us and may include:

• Identification and contact details (e.g. name, address, date of birth, email, phone).
• Government-related identifiers when necessary for billing or identity verification (e.g. Medicare number, DVA number). We do not adopt government-related identifiers as our own.
• Administrative and billing information (e.g. appointment details, invoices, claims, payment details).
• Clinical/health information where relevant to our services (e.g. symptoms, diagnoses, treatment and anaesthesia records, specialist and hospital reports, test results, prescriptions, allergies, next of kin, and healthcare identifiers).
• Communications and preferences (e.g. correspondence, feedback, communication preferences).
• Employment information for job applicants and personnel (e.g. CV, qualifications, referee details, background checks where permitted).
• Website and online interaction data (e.g. IP address, device and browser type, pages visited, and the date/time of access).

How we collect personal information

We collect personal information:

• Directly from you (for example, during consultations, by phone, in forms, online portals or email).
• From a person responsible for you (for example, a parent/guardian or carer), where permitted or required by law.
• From third parties where allowed by law and reasonably necessary for our functions or activities, including: other clinicians involved in your care, hospitals, diagnostic and pathology services, electronic prescription services, the My Health Record system, Medicare, private health insurers, and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
• Automatically from your interactions with our website and digital channels (see Section 12).

Why we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information

In general, we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information to:

• Provide and manage our health services, including pre-operative assessments, anaesthesia services and post-operative care;
• Communicate about care, appointments, results and billing;
• Consult with other health professionals involved in patient care and to obtain, analyse and discuss test results;
• Administer our practice, including scheduling, billing, health fund claiming, debt recovery, quality assurance and training;
• Comply with laws and regulatory requirements (for example, mandatory reporting obligations and responding to lawful requests);
• Maintain and improve our IT systems and information security, and to ensure business continuity;
• Conduct business operations such as engaging suppliers and contractors, conducting marketing activities, informing you about new services and managing our workforce;
• Undertake limited direct communications (such as appointment reminders or service notices).

By engaging with us, you agree that you have a reasonable expectation of us using and disclosing your personal information for these purposes. Should you wish to opt out of non-essential communications at any time, please contact us using the details in part 16 “Contact Details” below.

Who we disclose personal information to

We may disclose personal information to:

• Other health professionals and healthcare providers involved in your care;
• Hospitals, diagnostic and pathology laboratories, and electronic prescription services;
• Government agencies, regulators and statutory bodies (e.g. Medicare, Department of Veterans’ Affairs, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner) where required or authorised by law;
• Our service providers who support our operations (e.g. secure hosting, cloud storage, IT support, transcription, and debt collection), under confidentiality and security arrangements;
• Your authorised representatives or legal advisers, with your consent or as permitted by law;
• Courts, tribunals and dispute resolution bodies when required to establish, exercise or defend legal claims; and
• others where you provide specific consent.

Overseas disclosures

We do not routinely disclose personal information to recipients outside Australia. Some of our technology and cloud service providers may operate or store data overseas. Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure the recipient will handle personal information in a manner consistent with the APPs (for example, through contractual safeguards and risk assessments).

How we protect your personal information

We take reasonable steps to safeguard the confidentiality, integrity and security of personal information. Our personnel are trained to respect privacy and are subject to confidentiality obligations.

Security measures include: holding information in encrypted databases; using secure cloud storage and access controls; restricting access to a need-to-know basis; and implementing technical and organisational measures designed to prevent unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

Important notice: No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. The transmission and exchange of personal information via the internet is at your own risk.

Retention and destruction

We keep personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to provide our services and to comply with our legal and professional obligations. Health records are generally retained for at least 7 years from the date of last entry, and for individuals under 18, until at least their 25th birthday, or longer if required by law.

Accessing and correcting your personal information

You have a right to seek access to, and correction of, the personal information we hold about you (subject to the exceptions in the Privacy Act). To make a request, please contact us using the details in part 16 “Contact Details” below. We will need to verify your identity and may ask you to specify the information you require. We aim to respond within 30 days. If a fee applies to providing access, we will let you know the likely cost in advance.

Anonymity and pseudonyms

Where lawful and practicable, you may interact with us anonymously or by using a pseudonym. However, in many cases we may not be able to provide health services or process claims unless you identify yourself.

Website, cookies and digital interactions

When you visit our website (www.armadaleanaesthesia.com.au) or interact with us via email or other digital channels, we may collect personal information including names, contact details and relevant medical or administrative information for purposes such as scheduling, providing information, responding to enquiries, invoicing and billing.

We may also collect device and usage data (such as IP address, browser type and pages visited) to help operate and secure our website and to understand usage. You can configure your browser to reject cookies, but this may affect site functionality.

Direct communications

We may send you communications related to our services such as appointment reminders, fee estimates or updates about our practice. You can opt out of non-essential communications by contacting us using the details below.

Privacy questions and complaints

If you have questions about this Policy or wish to complain about our handling of your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer in writing using the details in part 16, “contact details”. We will acknowledge and investigate your complaint and aim to respond within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). Contact details are available at www.oaic.gov.au. Phone: 1300 363 992; Email: enquiries@oaic.gov.au; Fax: +61 2 9284 9666; Post: GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001.

Updates to this Policy

We may update this Policy annually to reflect legal, technological or operational changes. The latest version will be published at www.armadaleanaesthesia.com.au.

Contact details

Privacy Officer – Armadale Anaesthesia Pty Ltd (ACN 666 393 782)

PO BOX 8448, Armadale VIC 3143

Email: admin@armadaleanaesthesia.com.au