What is personal information

Personal information is information about an individual that makes them identifiable. It includes information such as name, date of birth and contact details including telephone numbers, mailing addresses and email addresses.

Why Care Guidance collects personal information

We (Care Guidance) will collect, store, use and disclose your (our clients) personal information for the following purposes:

• To allow us to understand your physical care needs, as well as your priorities and preferences, which we will use to find you an aged care facility or service that suits your needs and preferences,
• To liaise on your behalf with third parties, including but not limited to, the Department of Human Services, your local Aged Care Assessment Team and aged care service providers, with the purpose of helping you to access Commonwealth-subsidised aged care in a facility or a service that meets your needs and preferences,
• To contact you from time to time for marketing purposes,
• To conduct any further functions necessary to provide you the service you have engaged us for.

How we will collect your personal information

We will collect personal information about you directly from you – over the telephone, in face-to meetings, via email, or by way of forms (online or print).

We may also collect your personal information, with your permission, from third parties such as your doctor or other health professional, your nurses or social workers if you are in hospital, the Department of Human Services and any other organisation or person who holds your personal information which we need to provide you the service you have engaged us for.

How we will store your personal information

We will store your personal information in electronic files and paper files. Your information will only be accessed by Care Guidance staff, contractors or volunteers in the course of providing you the service you have engaged us for.

We will seek to ensure as far as possible that your personal information is protected from misuse, unauthorised access or disclosure.

However, due to the inherent risks associated with electronic storage, it is not possible for Care Guidance to ensure that third parties we use such as Cloud providers act according to Australian privacy laws at all times.

How and why we will disclose your personal information

By agreeing to this privacy policy, you give your consent for Care Guidance to disclose personal information to:

• Any organisation or individual as required in providing you the service you have engaged us for, including but not limited to aged care providers, the Department of Human Services and Aged Care Assessment Teams,
• Any third parties we refer you to, with your permission, such as financial or legal advisers,
• Other staff at Care Guidance,
• Contractors providing a service to Care Guidance,
• To your family members and other representatives as required, 
• to any other organisation or individual as necessary in order to provide you with the service you have engaged us for.
  

Care Guidance will endeavour to ensure the personal information we store is accurate, up-to-date and complete, and we will also aim to disclose your personal information only if it is relevant to the third party in question.

Accessing your personal information held by Care Guidance

You may request access to your personal information held by Care Guidance by contacting our Privacy Officer in writing. If access is refused, a written notice will be provided to you explaining the reasons and the recourse available.

It may be necessary to verify your identify and to ask you to specify what information you require. We may charge a fee to recover our costs of verifying the access request, located, retrieving, reviewing, copying and providing access to information requested.

You may also request a correction to the personal information we store by contacting our Privacy Officer in writing. We will make any appropriate corrections, or if we do not agree with the corrections requested, a written notice will be provided to you explaining the reasons and the recourse available.

Contacting us – enquiries, complaints and opting out

If you have any questions, concerns or complaints about Care Guidance’s Privacy Policy, please contact our Privacy Officer.

Privacy Officer
Care Guidance
305-306, 452 Johnston Street
Abbotsford VIC 3067

You can also lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner by calling 1300 363 992 or emailing enquiries@oaic.gov.au.

This privacy policy seeks to meet Care Guidance’s obligations as laid down in the Australian Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) as well as by the Information Privacy Principles in the Information Privacy Act 2000(Vic) and the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic).