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Privacy Policy

In order that Life Care may properly attend to your needs we will have to request information from you that may be of a personal nature. This organisation respects your right to privacy and this document has been prepared to advise you of how we deal with information we collect about you.


What information do we collect about you?

Prior to or at the time of admission we will be asking questions about you to assist in the provision of our services to you. The information we need may include but is not necessarily limited to the following:

  • Your name and address details;
  • Your date of birth;
  • Details of your medical practitioner(s);
  •  Information with respect to your current health;
  • Your medical history;
  • Current medications
  • Some financial information and Health Insurance details;
  • A photograph
  • Details of Family members including spouse, next of kin and persons we are to contact in an emergency;

We will only ask for information that we need to provide services to you.  While you are receiving services from us we may also be recording information about you that is necessary in providing ongoing monitoring and changes in services to you.


What do we do with the information we collect?

Any information we collect about you is placed on a file, which is kept secure at all times. We endeavour to ensure that only those who need to read your file has access to it. The information we collect is only used to help us in providing a service.

We may need to collect some information for purposes that are not related to the reason you came to us (secondary purpose). Some of this information may need to be provided to government agencies under particular laws or we may need to use the information ourselves for other purposes.


Example of a secondary purpose:
Medical records may be passed to non-treating medical practitioners when considering the care and welfare of the person, for obtaining specialist advice and/or opinions regarding the person’s care, proposed medical procedures, tests or similar purposes.


Who has access to the information collected?

Only those people who need to refer to your file will have access. This will include staff (paid employees and volunteers) attending to you and others who may from time to time need to refer to your file to assist in providing services to you. This may also include some people who are not staff of our organisation but with whom it is necessary for us to discuss your case in order to properly provide a service to you. For example GP’s and other health practitioners. Information is not released outside of Australia except in extenuating circumstances


How is information about me protected?

All Personal Information held about you will be continually supervised. Written records will be stored in locked filing cabinets or in other locked storage. Information held on computer will be password protected. We will undertake to ensure that information held in electronic form is removed from the data bases before the equipment leaves our control. All written information will be destroyed, using a confidential destruction contractor, when it is no longer needed or after seven years following the last date of service. Only authorised persons will have access to your records while we hold the information.


Can I have access to my records?

You may request access to information we hold about you. That is your right. We will not charge you for access but if you wish to have copies of your record you may be requested to pay the costs in obtaining such copies. If you only wish to see your record this may be arranged with our Managers.

If you wish to have a greater degree of access we have a form we would like you to complete so that we may retrieve your file and keep a record of your request. The forms are available from our staff or the Privacy Officer.

You may wish to correct information held by us about you. That is your right. If you find an error in your records please advise us, in writing, of the error and we will include your advice on our records. Should the record need to be disclosed to others your correction will be forwarded with a copy of the original record.


What if I have a complaint?

In the event that you have any complaints about the way we deal with privacy issues, please contact our Privacy Officer first. The Privacy Officer will work with you under the guidance of the Australian Privacy Principles to resolve your concerns.  If we cannot resolve the issue you have the right to contact the Privacy Commission to address the issue.

You can make a complaint if you are complaining about a breach of your privacy or you are complaining about a breach of somebody else’s privacy on their behalf, and you have their consent to do so. The Privacy Act only applies to the information of a living individual. If you are unsure about anything, please call the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner Enquiries Line during office hours on 1300 363 992 to speak with an Enquiries Officer or email your questions to enquiries@oaic.gov.au.

Questions arising from this Policy can be directed to our Admissions staff, Service
Manager’s or the Privacy Officer.


Our Privacy Officer can be contacted on:
Telephone: 1800 555 990
Fax: (08) 8239 9850
E-Mail: enquire@lifecare.org.au