A Place to Be OT is a sole trader occupational therapy practice owned and operated by Melissa Farley.

We are committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of your personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). A copy of the Australian Privacy Principles is available via the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner website at https://www.oaic.gov.au/

This policy is intended to outline how we collect, store, use and disclose the personal and health information of our clients and other stakeholders.

1. What information we collect
To provide you with high-quality, effective occupational therapy services it is necessary for us to collect personal information. This may include:

• Personal Information such as your name, signature, address, date of birth, contact details (phone, email),
and next of kin details.
• Sensitive Information such as information about your racial, cultural or ethnic background, political opinions
or associations, religious or philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation or criminal record.
• Health Information such as information about your health or disability, treatment notes, assessments or
reports from other health and medical professionals, and NDIS or Medicare information.

2. Why we collect your personal information
We will only collect relevant personal information where it is necessary to provide the services you require.

We collect your personal information for the primary purposes of
• Contacting you to discuss, arrange and provide services.
• Providing occupational therapy assessments and interventions.
• Communicating with your family, carers, referrers and other stakeholders to better understand your needs.
• Managing appointments and completing billing for services provided.
• Completing essential clinical documentation and reporting
• Meeting professional, ethical and legal obligations.
• Reviewing the quality and effectiveness of services to facilitate continued service improvement.
We may also use your Personal Information for secondary purposes closely related to the primary purpose, where
you would reasonably expect such use or where required or authorised by law.

3. How we collect your personal information
We may collect your personal information in a number of ways including

• Intake forms, service agreements and consent documents.
• Assessments and therapy sessions (in person or via telehealth).
• Correspondence via phone, email or letter.
• Via our website.
• From referrers, such as Support Coordinators, (with your consent).

Where reasonable and practicable, we will collect personal information directly from you (or your parent, legal guardian or nominee where appropriate).

In some circumstances, it may be necessary or beneficial for the services we are providing to you for additional
personal information to be collected from other key stakeholders, such as

• Your GP or other medical specialists.
• Family members or carers.
• School or education professionals.
• Other allied health practitioners involved in your care.
• Your Support Coordinator or Plan Manager.
• The NDIA or other relevant funding bodies.

Personal information will only be collected from external parties with your consent. We will also take all reasonable steps to ensure you are made aware of any information that is received from third parties.

4. Use and disclosure of your personal information
We will use or disclose your personal information for the purposes for which it was collected, as outlined in this document. We may also use and disclose personal information for other purposes where you provide consent or where use or disclosure is required or authorised by law.

When providing occupational therapy services to you we may disclose your personal information , with your consent and where appropriate, to:

• Health professionals such as your GP or medical specialists or other health professionals involved in your care.
• Support services such as Support Coordinators, Plan Managers and Support Providers to assist with the provision and coordination of your care.
• Funding bodies such as the NDIS or Medicare, as required for payment for services and to support any relevant requests you make to these funding bodies.
• Suppliers and other contractors such as assistive technology suppliers and building construction
professionals where required to obtain quotes for recommended supports or services.
• Where required or authorised by law. We do not sell or trade your personal information.

Where services are provided under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), personal information may becollected, used, and disclosed in accordance with NDIS requirements, relevant legislation, and service agreements.

This includes information necessary for reporting, billing, audits, and compliance with NDIS Practice Standards.

5. How we store and protect your personal information
We take reasonable steps to protect your information from misuse, loss, unauthorized access, or modification.

We securely store your personal information in a variety of formats including

• Electronic records which are stored in a secure client database (Splose) which is password protected and requires multifactor authentication (MFA) for access.
• Physical Files which are securely stored in a locked filing cabinet until they are uploaded to the electronic database. Paper files are then securely destroyed.

We safeguard your personal information using robust security measures including (but not limited to):
• Use of strong passwords and multifactor authentication when logging into client database, computers and phones.
• Mobile phones and laptops are kept with staff or turned off and secured in a safe place when unattended.
• Use of a secure network protected by data encryption, firewalls and virus scanning and protection.
• Maintaining up-to-date software and security safeguards across all systems.

We do not keep personal and health information any longer than necessary. As a provider of health services, we are required to securely store client records for a minimum of 7 years from the last date of service provision. For clients under the age of 18, we are required to securely store client records until the client is 25 years of age. After the required retention period inactive client records will be securely destroyed or permanently de-identified.

6. Updating or Correcting Your Information
It is important that the information we collect and hold for you is accurate, complete and current. We ask that you contact us if you believe the information we hold is incorrect or out-of-date so this can be reviewed and amended if appropriate. Please also inform us of any changes to your personal information that are relevant to the services we are providing so this can be updated.

7. Accessing Your Information
You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you. All requests to access the information we hold should be made in writing. We may need to confirm your identity before any personal information can be released.

8. Complaints
If you have any questions, concerns or complaints about how your information is handled, please contact:

• Name: Melissa Farley (Occupational Therapist and Owner)
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 0403 769 787

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au to lodge a complaint.