Hunter Healthcare Group Pty Limited (HHG) (ABN 91 076 966 455) who trades as Home Care Nursing is committed to protecting our clients, employees and suppliers privacy. HHG manages personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 and Australian Privacy Principles (APP). A copy of the Australian Privacy Principles may be obtained from the website of The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at www.oaic.gov.au.

Information Flow

When we collect your personal information:

  • We do so only when it is reasonably necessary for our functions or activities to deliver our services as a community aged care provider;
  • We check that it is current, complete and accurate. This will sometimes mean that we have to cross check or share the information with third parties (for example: ACAT Team, Myaged Care, AHPRA, your doctor or other allied health professional);
  • We will record and hold your information in our Record System and access this information as required to ensure safe and effective delivery of our services;
  • Subject to some exceptions, we permit you to access your personal information in accordance with APP:12 of the Australian Privacy Principles;
  • We destroy or de-identify your personal information when it is no longer needed for any purpose for which it may be used or disclosed provided that it is lawful to do so;
  • We retain home care client records for a period of three (3) years after the 30 June of the year the record was made.

If at any time you believe any information that we hold about you is incorrect, incomplete or out of date, please contact us. We will respond to your request in a prompt manner and take reasonable measures to update your records.

Information Collection

Personal information that we collect and hold is information that is reasonably necessary for the proper performance of our functions and activities as a home care provider and is likely to differ depending if you are:

  • a client;
  • a work seeker;
  • a person enquiring via our website/email and or phone.

Client – Information Collection

The types of information that we typically collect and hold about Clients is information that is necessary to us manage and deliver our services. HHG will endeavor to collect information directly from you. However, from time to time, we may also obtain information from other sources, such as your family or nominated representative(s). If you choose not to provide us with information we request, we may not be able to provide you with the care and services you may require.

The type of information we collect includes, but is not limited to:

  • Your name, gender, address, phone number(s) and other contact information;
  • Your date of birth;
  • Medical and health details;
  • Other personal information you may disclose as part of your home care assessment and care plan development;
  • Emergency contact information;
  • Special needs information and or preferences for particular activities;
  • Financial information for billing purposes (as required)feedback on our services;
  • Ongoing records of our interactions with you such as written notes, either paper based or electronic.

Client – Information Use and Disclosure

HHG uses the personal information it collects for the purposes of providing community aged care services and for the effective operations of its business. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Meeting requirements under the Aged Care Act 1997;
  • Delivery of care services;
  • Providing data to government agencies as described in state and federal law;
  • Providing information in order to receive appropriate entitlements from state and federal agencies;
  • To keep staff or other allied health professionals updated on client requirements;
  • Undertaking employee selection, recruitment and allocation;
  • Performing quality assurance and stakeholder satisfaction activities;
  • Practicing effective risk management; and
  • Resolving concerns.

In order for HHG to manage and provide you with appropriate care your personal information may be disclosed to third parties including but not limited to:

  • Health professionals and services that may be involved in managing or treating you;
  • Any person(s) acting on our behalf, including professional advisers and consultants;
  • Service providers and suppliers engaged by us;
  • State and federal government regulatory bodies; and
  • Any authority, agency or individual, where disclosure is permitted or required by law.

Where third party contractors, service providers or others act on behalf of HHG, we will take reasonable steps to protect the privacy of all information disclosed and require such parties to comply with any relevant privacy law. You have the right to ask these organisations or contractors for access to information held about you.

Work seeker – Information Collection, Use and Disclosure

The types of information that we typically collect and hold about work seekers is information that is necessary for us to select, recruit, manage staff performance and for effective operations of our business. The type of information typically collected includes:

  • Resume;
  • Date of birth;
  • Contact information – address, phone number(s) and email;
  • Referees;
  • Relevant registrations with professional bodies (AHPRA);
  • Training records;
  • Identification;
  • Police checks;
  • Working with children checks;
  • Emergency contact information;
  • Relevant medical information in the event of an emergency;
  • Immunisation records;
  • Financial institution information for the purposes of the payment of wages and salaries;
  • Feedback on your performance and staff reviews.

Work seeker information is used as part of our recruitment and selection processes, ongoing staff management and to ensure effective business operations. Your personal information may be disclosed to third parties for work related purposes including but not limited to:

  • Associated work placement organisations/individuals (our clients);
  • To meet requirements under the Aged Care Act 1997;
  • State and federal regulatory agencies;
  • Any authority, agency or individual, where disclosure is permitted or required by law;
  • Your referees for suitability and screening purposes.

Subject to some exceptions set out in privacy law, you can gain access to your personal information that we hold.

Website/Phone/Email Enquiries – Information Collection, Use and Disclosure

When you make an enquiry regarding our services or products via our website, phone or email the following personal information may be collected:

  • Your name;
  • Your address and contact details (phone number(s) and or email);
  • The reason for your enquiry.

This information is only used and recorded to enable us to address your enquiry within our organization. With your permission we may pass this information onto a third party if we are not able to assist with your enquiry.

Related purpose disclosure

HHG outsources a number of services to contracted suppliers (CSPs) from time to time. Our CSPs may see some of your personal information. Typically, our CSPs would include:

  • Software solution providers;
  • IT contractors and database designers and internet service suppliers;
  • Legal and other professional advisers;
  • Insurance brokers; loss assessors and underwriters;
  • Superannuation fund managers’;
  • Background checking and screening agents.

We take reasonable steps to ensure that terms of service with our CSPs recognise that we are bound by obligations to protect the privacy of your personal information and that they will do not do anything that would cause us to breach those obligations.

Personal Information Security and Protection

HHG will take reasonable steps to ensure your personal information is protected and secure. We hold personal information in a combination of secure electronic and hard copy formats. We take steps to ensure any personal information held by us is protected from misuse, loss and unauthorised modification or disclosure. Such steps include:

  • Secure physical storage of documents;
  • Office security measures;
  • Network and communication security measures, and
  • Quality system procedures.

Website Content

Our website contains a number of useful website links. While we direct you to only recognized professional organisations/companies these sites are not under our control. Therefore, we accept no responsibility for the information contained within these websites or the conduct of the organisations/companies. Before disclosing any personal information on these websites we recommend you read their terms and conditions and privacy statements.

Complaints Procedure

If you are making a complaint about our handling of your personal information, it should first be made to use in writing.

You can make complaints about our handling of your personal information to our Privacy Coordinator, whose contact details are:

  • Catriona Somerville
  • 02 4964 5519

When we receive your complaint:

  • We will take steps to confirm the authenticity of the complaint and the contact details provided to us that we are responding to you or to a person whom you have authorised to receive information about your complaint;
  • Upon confirmation we will write to you to acknowledge receipt and to confirm that we are handling your complaint in accordance with our policy;
  • We may ask for clarification of certain aspects of the complaint and for further detail;
  • We will consider the complaint and may make enquiries of people who can assist us to establish what has happened and why;
  • We will take a reasonable time (usually 30 days) to respond;
  • If the complaint can be resolved by procedures for access and correction we will suggest these to you as possible solutions;
  • If we believe that your complaint may be capable of some other solution we will suggest that solution to you, on a confidential and without prejudice basis in our response.

If the complaint cannot be resolved by means that we propose in our response, we will suggest that you take your complaint to any recognised external dispute resolution scheme to which we belong or to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner by calling 1300 363 992.