Home visits are available for specific medical conditions, terminally ill and palliative care patients. Please speak to our reception staff to organise with your GP.

All faxes, phone calls and emails go through our Administration team they will direct your enquiry, book a consult or offer non-medical solutions where able. All non-urgent messages will be passed on to your GP during non-consulting hours. Medical enquiries and emergency situations are not suitable to be addressed via electronic means. We allow up to two business days to action electronic communication.

Your medical record is a confidential document. It is the policy of this practice to maintain the security of personal health information at all times and ensure that this information is only available to authorised members of staff whom adhere to our Practice Privacy Policy. Our privacy policy complies with the Federal Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principals (AAPs). Our Practice Privacy can be found on our website and at Reception (Attach link)

We use My health record, please advise your GP if you do not wish to participate.

Please advise reception staff prior to your appointment if you have any cold and flu symptoms, we may need to reschedule your appointment make it telehealth consult (if eligible). We have been experiencing phone delays and or line have been congested, please be patient, your call is important to us and every effort will be made to accommodate you. Appointments are routinely scheduled at fifteen minute intervals. Longer consultations are available, so please, ask our receptionist if you require the extra time.

Although our Doctor’s do their best at running on time, sometimes urgent matters arise and they may need to spend longer with the patient before you. You are more than welcome to call the practice before your appointment and ask how your Doctor is running for time.

When your Doctor orders pathology or other tests we recommend you book a follow up appointment prior to leaving the Bluff Point Doctor’s Surgery. Should your results need urgent follow up, one of our Doctors, Nurses or Admin team will contact you to book an appointment. Please make sure that that we always have your most up to date contact details to ensure we can always contact you. You will not be contacted if your results are within normal limits, however if you would like to discuss your results please book an appointment with your Doctor.

Our recall system is used to remind our patients that you are due to make a visit or follow up. Recalls are sent out automatically via text message through HotDoc. You are required to put in your surname and date of birth as a measure of privacy before you can see what the recall is for. If the message is not opened, recalls will then be sent via post to patients.

If a patient has any queries, suggestions or complaints, they may be made to the Practice Manager in writing.  However, if you wish to take the matter further and feel you need to discuss the matter outside of the surgery please contact.

Health & Disabilities Service Complaints Office
GPO Box B61
PERTH WA 6001
Phone: (08) 65517600
www.HADSCO.wa.gov.au

Privacy Policy

Introduction

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 may share it with third parties. The Federal Privacy Act incorporates the Australian Privacy Principals (APPs) that set out the rules for the handling of personal information in the private health sector. Bluff Point Doctor’s Surgery’s Privacy Policy complies with the Privacy Act (1998) and the APPs (2014). Full details of the Australian Privacy Principals can be found on the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) website https://www.oaic.gov.au/

A copy of this Privacy Policy is available on request at reception and can also be found on our website.

Why and when your consent is necessary

When you register as a patient of our practice, you provide consent for our GPs and Practice staff to access and use your personal information so they can provide you with the best possible healthcare. Only staff 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?

It is necessary for us to collect personal information from patients and sometimes others associated with their health care in order to attend to their health care needs. We also use it for directly related business activities, such as financial claims and payments, practice audits and accreditation, and business processes (e.g. staff training).

We will use provided contact details where necessary to assist with communication relating to direct HealthCare including:

• Clinical Communications (Recalls for tests, results etc.)
• Preventative/clinical health reminders (Blood tests, immunizations, Chronic Health Assessment reminders)
• Appointment reminders or changes

We use third party service providers who comply with the Privacy Act 1998 to provide technology assistance with communications and online booking. We use HotDoc Online Pty Ltd as our communication platform. Patients can opt out at any time, however this does not mean they will not receive clinical communications and health reminders via other means.

What personal information do we collect?

The information we will collect about you includes:

• names, date of birth, addresses, contact details, and contact details of emergency contacts, ethnicity,
• medical information including medical history, medications, allergies, adverse events, immunisations, social history, family history and risk factors
• Medicare number, Concession card, DVA (where available) for identification and claiming purposes
• The name of any health service provider or medical specialist to whom the patient is referred, copies of any letters of referrals and copies of reports back.

Dealing with us anonymously

You have the right to deal with us anonymously or under a pseudonym unless it is impracticable for us to do so or unless we are required or authorised by law to only deal with identified individuals.

How do we collect your personal information?

Our practice may collect your personal information in several different ways.

1. When you make your first appointment our practice staff will collect your personal, demographic and Health information via your registration on a new patient form.
2. During the course of providing medical services, we may collect further personal information.
3. We may also collect your personal information when you visit our website, send us an email or SMS, telephone us, make an online appointment or communicate with us using social media.
4. In some circumstances personal information may also be collected from other sources. Often this is because it is not practical or reasonable to collect it from you directly. This may include information from:

• your guardian or responsible person
• other involved healthcare providers, such as specialists, allied health professionals, hospitals, community health services and pathology and diagnostic imaging services
• Medicare, or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (as necessary).

When, why and with whom do we share your personal information?

We sometimes share your personal information:

• with third parties who work with our practice for business purposes, such as accreditation agencies or information technology providers – these third parties are required to comply with APPs and this policy
• with other healthcare providers
• when it is required or authorised by law (e.g. court subpoenas)
• when it is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to a patient’s life, health or safety or public health or safety, or it is impractical to obtain the patient’s consent
• to assist in locating a missing person
• to establish, exercise or defend an equitable claim
• for the purpose of confidential dispute resolution process
• when there is a statutory requirement to share certain personal information (e.g. some diseases require mandatory notification)
• During the course of providing medical services, through Electronic transfer of prescriptions (eTP), My Health Record (e.g. via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary).
• Only people who need to access your information will be able to do so. Other than in the course of providing medical services or as otherwise described in this policy, our practice will not share personal information with any third party without your consent.

We will not share your personal information with anyone outside Australia (unless under exceptional circumstances that are permitted by law) without your consent.

How do we store and protect your personal information?

Our practice stores information primarily in our electronic records, with exception to receiving specialist letters or results by mail or fax, these are promptly added to your electronic file and the original securely shredded.

The storage, use and where necessary, transfer of personal health information will be undertaken in a secure manner that protects patient privacy.

All our data is backed up daily. Data will only be accessible to authorised personal involved in patient care or administration of that care. We ensure passwords are secure and we have several levels of access to ensure your records are kept confidential.

Notifiable Data Breaches Scheme. If a breach of personal information (data) occurs in our practice we must notify the individuals involved and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

How can you access and correct your personal information at our practice?

Patients may request access to their personal health information held at this practice or request its transfer to another practice. We require you to put this request in writing and our Practice Privacy Officer or your GP will review, manage and respond to the request within 30 days. The request for your complete record transfer will come with an administration fee of $15.00 (if it is required to be sent via registered post- additional charges may occur.) A designated request form can be completed at reception.

Our practice will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information where the information is not accurate or up to date. Upon appointment check in we will ask you to verify that your personal information held by our practice is correct and current where access is restricted or denied, the reason for this will be explained to the patient by their regular GP.

How can you lodge a privacy-related complaint, and how will the complaint be handled at our practice?

We take complaints and concerns regarding privacy seriously. You should express any privacy concerns you may have in writing and we will then attempt to resolve any concerns within a reasonable time frame which is considered 30 days. Please contact our Privacy Officer:

Practice Manager

Bluff Point Doctor’s Surgery

P.O Box 3333

Bluff Point WA 6530

Email: reception@bluffpointmedical.com.au

Policy review statement

This privacy policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is in accordance with any changes that may occur.

We do appreciate 24 hours’ notice of cancellations so we can accommodate other patients who may require an appointment. If no notice is given your Doctor may charge a no show fee of $15 that must be paid prior to your next consult. (Including prescription requests and phone consults).