Privacy policy

About this policy

This policy applies to Rutledge Family Medical Centre, Unit 2 & 3, 114 Crawford Street, Queanbeyan NSW 2620 (“Rutledge”), the practitioners who consult at Rutledge, and this website. It explains how personal information, including health information, is handled under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles, and the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW) and its Health Privacy Principles.

A copy of this policy is available free of charge at reception. If you need it in another format, please ask.

Why information is collected

Rutledge collects personal information so practitioners can assess, diagnose, treat and care for you, and for directly related activities such as billing, Medicare and health fund claims, appointment reminders, recalls, referrals, practice accreditation and quality improvement.

What information is collected

• Your name, date of birth, address and contact details
• Medical history, medications, allergies, test results, immunisations, family history and other health information
• Medicare, Department of Veterans' Affairs, concession and health fund details
• Next of kin, emergency contact and carer details
• Individual Healthcare Identifiers

You can usually choose not to give your name, or to use a different name, when you ask a general question. For a consultation it is generally not practical to stay anonymous, because accurate identification is needed for safe care and for Medicare billing.

How information is collected

• From you, when you register, book an appointment, fill in forms or attend a consultation
• From online booking systems when you book online
• From others involved in your care, such as specialists, hospitals, pathology and imaging providers, other health services, and your My Health Record
• From a parent, guardian, carer or other representative, where appropriate
• Through electronic prescriptions, eHealth services and telehealth

Online bookings are made through AutoMed. The details you enter when booking are collected by AutoMed and sent to Rutledge to manage your appointment.

When information is used or shared

Your information is used and shared only for the purpose it was collected, for a directly related purpose you would reasonably expect, with your consent, or where the law requires or allows it. This can include sharing with:

• Other health professionals involved in your care, such as specialists, hospitals, pathology, imaging and allied health providers
• Medicare, the Department of Veterans' Affairs and health funds, for billing and claims
• Government registers, such as the Australian Immunisation Register and national cancer screening registers
• Service providers who support the practice, such as IT, clinical software, online booking (AutoMed) and appointment reminder services, under confidentiality obligations
• GP registrars and their supervisors, for training and supervision
• Medical defence organisations and insurers, where needed
• Accreditation surveyors, under strict confidentiality
• Others where required or authorised by law, such as a court subpoena, public health reporting or mandatory reporting, or to lessen or prevent a serious threat to someone's life, health or safety

Rutledge does not sell personal information, and does not use or share health information for marketing.

My Health Record

If you have a My Health Record, practitioners may view it and upload information such as a shared health summary or event summary to support your care. You can ask a practitioner not to upload information, and you can manage your record's access settings at myhealthrecord.gov.au.

Storage and security

Information is held mainly in secure clinical and practice management software used by Australian general practices, and sometimes on paper. Rutledge takes reasonable steps to protect it from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, change or disclosure. These steps include password-protected systems, restricted access for staff, secure storage, and confidentiality agreements for staff and contractors.

Health records are kept for at least the periods required by NSW law: for adults, 7 years from the last occasion of service; for information collected while a patient was under 18, until they turn 25.

If a data breach is likely to cause serious harm, Rutledge will notify the people affected and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, as required by the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.

Information outside Australia

Health records are generally stored in Australia. Some service providers, such as software and IT providers, may store or process information overseas. Where this happens, Rutledge takes reasonable steps to make sure the information is handled consistently with Australian privacy law.

Accessing and correcting your information

You can ask to see or get a copy of your health record, and ask for information to be corrected if it is wrong, out of date or incomplete. Please put your request in writing to the Practice Manager. Rutledge aims to respond within 30 days. There is no charge to make a request, but a reasonable fee may apply for copying or preparing records. Access may be refused only where the law allows, and you will be told why.

This website

This website does not use advertising or analytics tracking. The contact page shows a Google map, and online booking pages show the AutoMed booking form. These services are provided by other companies and have their own privacy policies.

Questions and complaints

If you have a question or concern about privacy, please contact the Practice Manager on 02 6297 2122, email reception@rutledgemc.com.au, or write to Unit 2 & 3, 114 Crawford Street, Queanbeyan NSW 2620. Rutledge aims to respond to complaints within 30 days.

Automated decisions

Rutledge does not use computer programs to make decisions about you that significantly affect your rights or interests without a person being involved.

Changes to this policy

The Practice Manager is responsible for this policy. It is reviewed at least once a year, including a check of all tracking on this website, and updated when practices or the law change. The latest version is always on this page.