Bathurst General Practice Group (and associated trading entities Busby Medical Practice, Brooke Moore Medical Practice, Bathurst Skin Cancer Clinic) is committed to protecting your privacy and we are bound by the Australian Privacy Principles in the Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012.

1.0 INTRODUCTION TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY 

This Privacy Policy outlines how Bathurst General Practice Group collects, uses, stores, and discloses personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Act 1988, the Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012, and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). 

Bathurst General Practice Group operates under a serviced office arrangement, providing facilities and support services to assist independent practitioners in delivering medical care. 

By contacting us, booking an appointment, or attending a consultation with an independent practitioner (even if the consultation is not completed), you consent to the collection, use, storage, and disclosure of your personal information in line with this Privacy Policy. 

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time. If significant changes are made, we will notify you and provide a prominent link to the updated policy for a reasonable period. By continuing to use our services after changes are made, you are deemed to have accepted the updated Privacy Policy. We encourage you to check our website regularly for the latest version. 

2.0 COLLECTION OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION 

We collect personal information to support the services we provide and to meet our legal and operational obligations. 

 
2.1 Purpose of collecting personal information 

Bathurst General Practice Group collects personal information to carry out its functions as a general practice, employer, and service provider supporting independent practitioners. 

Your personal information may be collected, held, used, or disclosed for purposes including: 

• With your consent, for example when you provide details to schedule an appointment with an independent practitioner. 

• To contact you, including on behalf of the independent practitioner, such as sending appointment reminders, responding to queries, or sharing important updates. 

• To meet legal, regulatory, and licensing requirements. 

• For legitimate business interests, such as improving services, responding to feedback, and supporting independent practitioners in delivering care. These interests will never override your rights or privacy. 

2.2 Type of personal information collected 

This Privacy Policy relates to all information supplied by you to us or to independent practitioners who engage us including: 

• Contact details such as your name, position, organisation, phone number, email, postal address, and emergency contact information. 

• Communication records including information shared when booking or enquiring about appointments. 

• Publicly available information such as details from directories or online sources; 

• Financial information including bank account or third-party payer details, payments, deposits, or cancellation fees). 

• Medical information relevant to your consultation and for processing payments or Medicare rebates. 

• Social media interactions including engagement with our platforms such as posts, likes, and comments. 

• Technical data such as device type, operating system, browser version, and network connection when using our website or technology services. This helps us ensure our services work properly and securely. 

• Online data: We may also collect general information about how you use our website, such as which pages you visit, how long you stay, and how you interact with the site (like clicking or scrolling). This helps us improve your experience and fix any issues; 

• Your Medicare number; and 

• Your Individual Healthcare Identifier, used for managing health information including My Health Record, in accordance with the Healthcare Identifiers Act 2010. 

Under the Privacy Act, You have the right to remain anonymous or use a nickname when interacting with us, unless we are legally required to identify you or it would be too difficult to provide care without knowing who you are. If you choose not to share your personal details, we will respect that choice, but it may limit the practitioner’s ability to treat you or offer a consultation. 

You always have the right to request us to remove your details from our database or reduce the volume of correspondence you receive from us. 

2.3 How we collect information 

There are a number of ways we may collect personal information. These may include (subject to the Australian Privacy Principles): 

• directly from you when you provide information by phone, in person, via our website. 

• from our own records of your transactions and interaction with Bathurst General Practice Group. 

• from publicly available sources of information. 

• in forms filled out either online or in hard copy. 

• face to face or when you speak with us directly. 

• via email. 

• via online surveys. 

• via social media messages or conversations and. 

• in voice or image recordings. 

2.4 Collecting sensitive information 

As part of providing care, we may collect health and other sensitive information about you. 
We take all reasonable steps to handle this information safely and in line with Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). 
We only use your sensitive information when: 

• You have clearly agreed for us to use it for a specific purpose. 

• It’s needed to protect your life or someone else’s in an emergency. 

• You have made the information public (e.g., on social media). 

• It’s required for legal matters, such as court proceedings. 

• It’s important for public safety, like preventing unlawful activity. 

• The law allows us to use it. 

2.5 Collecting information from Other Sources and Email Communication 

Sometimes we may receive information about you from other sources that help us meet legal requirements. We’ll always aim to let you know when this happens, in line with Australian privacy laws. 

You may share personal details with us by phone, email, SMS, in person, or through our website. If you email us, we’ll do our best to keep your information private.  

We may forward emails to others if needed to respond to feedback or complaints, or to help manage our services. 

Email is not a secure method of communication. While we take reasonable steps to protect your privacy, emails can be intercepted, altered, or accessed by unauthorised parties during transmission. For this reason, we recommend avoiding email for sharing sensitive or confidential information. If you have concerns, please contact us by phone, in person, or through other secure written methods. 

3.0 USE AND DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION 
3.1 General 

Your privacy is important to us at Bathurst General Practice Group. We only share your personal information when necessary to support your care or manage our services. We will never sell, rent, or spam your data without your consent. 

We use your personal information to: 

• Help your practitioner provide care and services to you. 

• Match you with the most appropriate practitioner. 

• Send appointment reminders, invoices, and follow-up messages. 

• Respond to feedback, questions, or concerns. 

• Meet legal requirements, including situations where disclosure is needed to protect life or safety. 

• Monitor and maintain our website and technology systems. 

• Protect our systems from security threats like hacking or malware. 

• Improve our services and manage risks. 

We may also remove identifying details from your personal information (called “de-identification”) to help with research and service improvement. This de-identified data is stored securely and only accessed by authorised staff. You can ask us in writing to exclude your data from this process at any time. 

3.2 Who your Personal Information is shared with 

To help provide you with care and manage our services, we may share your personal information with trusted organisations. Sometimes, this includes providers located outside Australia. If your information is stored or handled overseas, we take steps to ensure it’s protected in line with Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). 

There are instances where we will disclose your Personal Information including where it is permitted or required by law, or as follows: 

• Your Practitioner: We may share your information with the practitioner you’re seeing. This helps them provide care, manage your appointments, keep accurate records, and process payments. We support practitioners with the tools and services they need to run their practice smoothly. 

• Support Services and Technology Providers: We may share your information with trusted third-party platforms that help us deliver better care and manage our operations. These partners are required to follow strict privacy and security standards to protect your information. 

•  Financial institutions: for payment processing. 

• Legal and Regulatory Authorities: We may share your information with government bodies or law enforcement agencies when required by law, such as in response to a court order or to help prevent serious harm.  

• Other healthcare professionals: such as hospitals, specialists, or diagnostic services involved in your care.  

• Family or representative:  if you’ve given consent or if required by law. 

• Emergency services: to protect your health or safety in urgent situations. 

• People you’ve authorised: like another doctor, lawyer, insurer or employer. 

• Business Changes and Transitions: If our business is ever reorganised, merged, or transferred, we may need to share your personal information with trusted parties involved in that process. This helps ensure continuity of care and services. We’ll always take steps to protect your privacy during any such changes. 

• Contractors: We may share your information with trusted providers who help us run our services—like website support, mailing services, legal advisors, auditors, and debt collectors; and 

• Government related third parties: including Services Australia in connection with the payment and claim processing on behalf of the independent practitioner. 

4.0 USE OF AI SCRIBING TOOLS 

Practitioners may use AI scribing tools to help document your consultation. These tools use secure speech recognition software to turn spoken interactions into clinical notes. The AI scribe works under the supervision of your treating practitioner and does not replace their clinical judgment. 

All notes created by the AI are reviewed and approved by your practitioner before being saved to your health record. Sensitive health information may be transcribed in real-time, but your practitioner remains responsible for checking and validating these notes. 

Any data processed by AI tools is encrypted and stored securely, with access limited to authorised clinical staff. No audio recordings are kept unless you have given clear consent. 

Bathurst General Practice Group ensures that any third-party AI provider complies with the Australian Privacy Principles and does not use your data for any other purpose. 

You can request access to any notes generated during your consultation from your treating practitioner. These notes are part of your clinical record and can be corrected or updated just like any other health information. 

5.0 SECURITY 

5.1 How we keep your Information secure 

At Bathurst General Practice Group, we are committed to keeping your personal information safe and accurate. 

We take all reasonable steps to protect both electronic and physical records. Your information may be stored in physical or digital formats, or a combination of both, that is in line with the Privacy Act and our legal obligations. We use trusted physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to ensure your data is secure. 

If your information is also held by an independent practitioner, their privacy policy will explain how they manage it. We encourage you to read their policy for more details. 

Please note that while we take precautions to protect your data online, no internet transmission is completely secure. Any information you send via the internet is at your own risk. 

Your personal data is stored on secure servers within controlled facilities. Our staff and data processors are required to maintain confidentiality and follow our privacy policies and procedures. 

5.2 How long your Personal Information is stored for 

We retain personal information for different periods depending on its purpose and how it’s used. 

Generally, we keep your information for as long as it’s needed to support services provided to independent practitioners, meet legal, accounting, or regulatory requirements, or manage any claims. 

By law, we must store your information for at least seven years from your last contact with an independent practitioner. If you are a minor, we are required to retain your information until you turn 25 years of age. 

Once your personal information is no longer needed—such as when you stop seeing an independent practitioner at our premises—it may be securely destroyed. This includes shredding physical documents and permanently deleting electronic records, subject to any backup retention policies. 

6.0 ACCESS TO AND CORRECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION 

We are committed to ensuring your personal information is accurate, up-to-date, and accessible to you. You have the right to request access to your information and to ask for corrections if needed. 

6.1 How you can correct your Personal Information 

If you believe any personal information we hold is inaccurate, outdated, incomplete, irrelevant, or misleading, please contact us in writing via one of the email addresses listed below. 

It’s your responsibility to let us know about any changes to your personal details—such as your residential address, email, or phone number. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe (no more than 30 days) and will take steps to correct the information where appropriate. 

You may also request access to your personal information or ask for it to be deleted. These requests will not be unreasonably withheld. However, in some limited cases, we may be unable to make the requested changes. If that happens, we’ll provide written reasons in line with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). 

6.2 Access to your Personal Information 

You have the right to access your personal information, subject to certain legal exceptions. If you would like to make a request, please contact us in writing. We aim to respond within a reasonable timeframe (no more than 30 days). 

Depending on the volume of information requested, an administration fee may apply to cover the cost of retrieving and supplying the data. 

Access may be refused in specific circumstances, such as if the information relates to anticipated legal proceedings or if the request is considered frivolous or vexatious. If access is denied or restricted, we will provide a written explanation. 

If you have concerns about how your personal information is stored, disclosed, manage, or if you believe your privacy has been breached, please contact us in writing. We will respond as soon as reasonably practicable (and within 30 days). 

If you’re not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) on 1300 363 992 or visit www.oaic.gov.au. 

7.0 COOKIES AND THIRD PARTY WEBSITES 

We use online tools and services to improve your experience, and we want you to understand how your information may be collected and used when interacting with our website. 

 
7.1 Cookies and Google Analytics 

Cookies are small data files stored on your device that help websites remember your preferences and activity. We may use cookies and Google Analytics to better understand how visitors use our website—for example, how long users stay on a page or which pages are most visited. 

This information helps us improve the website and tailor our services to your needs. Data collected by Google may be transmitted to servers outside Australia, including in the United States. 

You can learn more about how Google uses data by visiting: https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites 

Most browsers accept cookies by default, but you can change your browser settings to refuse cookies if you prefer. Please note that disabling cookies may limit your ability to use some features of our website. 

7.2 Links to third party websites 

Our website, emails, and other communications may include links to external websites. Please be aware that once you leave our site, any personal information you provide to those websites is not covered by this Privacy Policy. 

8.0 DEFINITIONS AND CHANGES 

We want to ensure you understand the terms used in this Privacy Policy and how updates may be made over time. 

 
8.1 Definitions within this Policy 

Unless the context requires otherwise, the following terms have the meanings outlined below: 

• APPs: Refers to the Australian Privacy Principles. 

• Privacy Policy: This document, as updated from time to time. It is available on our website and in printed form upon request. 

• Personal Information: As defined in the Privacy Act, this includes any information or opinion about an identified individual, or someone who is reasonably identifiable—whether the information is true or not, and whether it is recorded in material form or not. 

• Privacy Act: Refers to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), including any amendments. 

• Sensitive Information: As defined in the Privacy Act, this includes details about an individual’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or criminal record. 

• Bathurst General Practice Group / we / us / our: Refers to Bathurst General Practice Group Pty Ltd. 

• You / Your: Refers to the individual whose personal information is being collected and managed. 

8.2 Changes to this Privacy Policy 

Bathurst General Practice Group may update this Privacy Policy at any time. If you do not agree with the changes, we recommend that you do not continue to use our website or services. 

We welcome your feedback and questions about this Privacy Policy. If you have any concerns, complaints, or would like more information about how we manage personal information, please contact us using one of the methods listed below. 

Phone and Email:  

• Busby Medical Practice 02 6332 4266  busby@bathurstgp.com.au 

• Brooke Moore Medical Practice (formerly Russell Street Medical Centre) 02 6331 2266    brookemoore@bathurstgp.com.au 

• Bathurst Skin Clinic 02 6324 5866  skin@bathurstgp.com.au