Privacy Policy

Newcastle Speech Pathology is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information with respect, transparency and care.

1. About this policy

Newcastle Speech Pathology (“we”, “us”, “our”) is bound by the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). As a health service provider, we are also subject to the additional obligations that apply to the handling of health information under the Privacy Act.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and disclose it, and what your rights are in relation to your information.

By using our services, visiting our website, or providing us with your information, you agree to the collection and handling of your information as described in this policy.

2. What personal information we collect

The types of personal information we collect will depend on the nature of your interaction with us. This may include:

Personal and contact information:

  • Full name, date of birth, gender
  • Home address, phone number, email address
  • Emergency contact details
  • Medicare number, private health fund details, NDIS participant number

Health information:

  • Medical history, diagnoses and conditions relevant to your care
  • Information about your speech, language, voice, swallowing or literacy
  • Assessment results, therapy notes and progress records
  • Referral letters and reports from other health professionals
  • Information provided by parents, carers or guardians in relation to a client

Financial information:

  • Payment details (processed securely through our payment systems, we do not store full card details)
  • Invoicing and billing records
  • NDIS plan and funding details

Website and digital information:

  • Information you provide through our website contact forms or online booking system
  • Technical data such as IP address, browser type and pages visited (collected automatically through cookies, see section 9)

We collect only the information that is necessary for the purposes described in this policy. Where possible, we will give you the option of interacting with us without identifying yourself, however, in most cases we cannot provide clinical services without collecting identifying and health information.

3. How we collect your information

We collect personal information in a few ways, including:

  • Directly from you when you make a booking, complete intake forms, attend an appointment, or contact us by phone, email or through our website
  • From your parent or guardian, where you are a child or do not have capacity to provide information yourself
  • From other health professionals with your consent, we may receive referral letters, reports or clinical information from your GP, specialist, school, NDIS planner or other treating professional
  • From government agencies such as Medicare or the NDIA (National Disability Insurance Agency) in relation to NDIS funding
  • Automatically through our website and online booking system (see section 9)

We will always aim to collect personal information directly from you in the first instance. If we collect information about you from a third party without your direct involvement, we will take reasonable steps to notify you.

4. How we use your information

We use your personal information only for the purposes for which it was collected, or for directly related purposes. These include:

Clinical and service purposes:

  • Providing you with speech pathology assessment and therapy services
  • Communicating with you about appointments, cancellations and your care
  • Preparing clinical reports, discharge summaries and referral letters
  • Coordinating your care with other health professionals involved in your treatment (with your consent)
  • Maintaining clinical records as required by our professional and legal obligations

Administrative and business purposes:

  • Processing payments and managing billing and invoicing
  • Administering Medicare, private health and NDIS claims
  • Managing our appointment scheduling and waitlist
  • Responding to your enquiries and feedback
  • Meeting our legal, regulatory and professional obligations

Quality and safety purposes:

  • Reviewing and improving the quality of our clinical services
  • Training and supervision of clinical staff (using de-identified information where possible)
  • Accreditation, auditing and practice improvement activities

With your consent, we may also use your contact information to send you practice updates, resources or information relevant to your care. You can withdraw this consent at any time by contacting us.

5. Who we share your information with

We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

With your consent:

  • Other health professionals involved in your care (such as your GP, paediatrician, school, or other allied health providers)
  • Your NDIS support coordinator, plan manager or LAC, where relevant to your plan
  • Family members or carers, where you have authorised this

As required for service delivery:

  • Our clinical software and practice management system providers, who process data on our behalf under strict confidentiality agreements
  • Our secure online booking and telehealth platform providers
  • Payment processing providers (who handle financial data securely and do not retain full card details)

As required by law:

  • Government agencies such as Medicare, the NDIA or the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) where required
  • In response to a court order, subpoena or other legal obligation
  • Where we are required to report information under mandatory reporting obligations (for example, in relation to child protection)

In an emergency:

  • Where disclosure is necessary to prevent a serious and imminent threat to the life, health or safety of you or another person, and it is unreasonable or impractical to obtain your consent

We do not disclose personal information to parties overseas unless we have your consent or are required to do so by law. Our practice management systems are hosted in Australia or in jurisdictions with equivalent privacy protections.

6. Health records and how long we keep them

As a health service provider, we are required to retain clinical records for a minimum period set out under relevant state and federal legislation. In New South Wales, health records must generally be retained for:

  • A minimum of 7 years from the date of the last entry for adult clients
  • Until the client turns 25 years of age (or 7 years from the date of last entry, whichever is longer) for records relating to clients who were children when treated

After the required retention period, records are destroyed securely. We may retain de-identified data for quality improvement or research purposes beyond this period.

During the retention period, your records are stored securely, paper records are kept in locked storage and electronic records are protected by access controls, encryption and regular security review.

7. How we protect your information

We take the security of your personal information seriously. Our security measures include:

  • Secure, password-protected clinical software with role-based access controls
  • Encrypted electronic communications for sensitive information
  • Locked storage for any paper records
  • Staff training on privacy obligations and confidentiality
  • Regular review of our security practices and systems

In the event of an eligible data breach, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

No data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure. While we take all reasonable steps to protect your information, we cannot guarantee the security of information transmitted to us electronically. If you have concerns about transmitting sensitive information, please contact us by phone.

8. Accessing and correcting your information

You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you, and to ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date.

To make a request, please contact us using the details at the end of this policy. We will respond to your request within 30 days. In most cases, we will provide access free of charge, however, in some circumstances we may charge a reasonable fee to cover the cost of providing access (for example, preparing a copy of your clinical records).

There are limited circumstances in which we may decline to provide access to some or all of your records, for example, where providing access would pose a serious threat to the health or safety of another person, or where the information is subject to legal professional privilege. If we decline access, we will tell you why and advise you of any available complaints mechanisms.

If you believe information we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, please contact us and we will take reasonable steps to correct it. If we disagree with your correction request, we will note your request alongside the record.

9. Our website and cookies

Our website may collect certain information automatically when you visit, including your IP address, browser type, the pages you visit and the time and date of your visit. This information is used for website analytics and to improve the user experience, it is not used to identify you personally.

Our website may use cookies, small text files stored on your device, to remember your preferences and improve your browsing experience. You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect some functionality of the website.

Our website may include links to third-party sites (such as our online booking system). This Privacy Policy does not apply to those sites, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies separately.

Our online booking system is provided by a third-party platform. Any personal information you submit through that system is handled in accordance with that provider’s privacy policy, as well as our own obligations under the Australian Privacy Principles.

10. Information about children

Where a client is a child, personal and health information will generally be provided by and shared with the child’s parent or legal guardian. In some circumstances, and with appropriate consideration for the child’s age and maturity, we may also engage directly with older children in relation to their own information.

We take particular care with the handling of health information relating to children and comply with all relevant obligations under NSW child protection legislation.

11. Telehealth and online services

Where we deliver services via telehealth, sessions are conducted through a secure, encrypted video platform. We do not record telehealth sessions without your explicit prior consent. Where a recording is made with consent, it is stored securely and handled in accordance with this policy and our clinical records obligations.

12. Complaints and concerns

If you have a concern about the way we have handled your personal information, we encourage you to contact us in the first instance so we can try to resolve the matter directly.

You can make a complaint by contacting our Privacy Officer using the details below. We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 business days and aim to resolve it within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

  • Website: www.oaic.gov.au
  • Phone: 1300 363 992
  • Post: GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology or legal obligations. The current version will always be available on our website and in our clinics. Where changes are material, we will take reasonable steps to notify existing clients.

14. Contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to access or correct your personal information, or want to make a complaint, please contact us:

Newcastle Speech Pathology Privacy Officer Email: info@newcastlespeechpathology.com.au Phone: (02) 4948 9800 Cooks Hill Clinic: 95 Union Street, Cooks Hill NSW 2300 Kurri Kurri Clinic: 19 Victoria Street, Kurri Kurri NSW 2327

This policy is effective from June 2026 and was prepared in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles.