Privacy Policy

1 Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to information we collect about:

• Patients and clients who receive, or enquire about, a Home Medicines Review (HMR) or our other services;
• Carers and family members who contact us or attend an HMR on a patient’s behalf;
• Visitors who use the “Request a Review” contact form on our website; and
• Referring GPs and healthcare professionals we work with.

2 Information we collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with us.

Information you provide through the website

When you submit the “Request a Review” form, we collect your name, phone number, email address, preferred contact time, and any message you choose to include.

Health and medication information

When we conduct a Home Medicines Review, we collect sensitive information, which may include your prescription, over-the-counter and complementary medicines, medical conditions, allergies, medical history, and related details necessary to review your medications safely. Sensitive information is given a higher level of protection under the APPs.

Staff account information

For pharmacists who use our secure staff portal, we hold a name, email address, and a securely hashed password. Patient reports created in the portal contain the information described above.

3 How we collect information

We collect information directly from you (in person, by phone, by email, or through our website form), from your referring GP or hospital (via a referral, with your consent), and, where relevant, from your carer or family members. Where it is reasonable and practicable to do so, we will collect personal information directly from you.

4 How we use your information

We use your information to:

• Respond to your enquiry and arrange your Home Medicines Review;
• Conduct the review and prepare a report with recommendations for your GP;
• Coordinate your care with your GP, specialists, and care team;
• Maintain accurate records of the services we provide; and
• Meet our professional, legal, and accreditation obligations.

We do not use your information for marketing, and we do not sell your information to anyone.

5 Who we share it with

We only disclose your information where necessary to provide our services or where required by law. This may include:

• Your referring GP and, where relevant, other members of your healthcare team, to whom we provide the HMR report and recommendations;
• Service providers who host our website and store enquiry data securely on our behalf (see “Data storage and overseas disclosure” below);
• Government agencies or regulators, where we are required or authorised by law to do so.

We do not disclose your information to third parties for their own marketing purposes.

Computer assistance when writing your report

Your pharmacist may use an artificial-intelligence writing tool to help draft parts of your report — for example, turning their interview notes into clear wording for your doctor, or into the plain-language summary you take home. Where this is used:

• You are not identified to that service. Your name, date of birth, address, Medicare number and your doctor's details are never sent. Only clinical detail is — your medicines, your conditions, and the findings of the review — and any names appearing in the notes are removed beforehand;
• Your pharmacist writes your report, not a computer. A draft is only a starting point. Your accredited pharmacist reviews, corrects and approves every word, and remains fully responsible for the clinical content and recommendations;
• Nothing is sent automatically. The tool is used only when your pharmacist chooses to, and it cannot send, finalise or share your report.

Because no information that identifies you is sent, this is not a disclosure of your personal or health information. If you would prefer your pharmacist did not use this assistance at all when writing your report, just tell us — call 0402 077 548 and we'll note it on your file.

Google Drive (staff portal)

An administrator of our staff portal can choose to connect the practice's own Google account so that finalised reports are saved as a backup copy in that account's Google Drive. This connection is used only by our practice and only for that purpose:

• Limited access. The portal requests only the drive.file permission, which lets it create and manage the files it saves itself. It cannot see, read or change any other files in that Google Drive;
• What is stored. Finalised medication review reports, saved into a "Medsight reports" folder in the practice's own Drive. We do not use Google user data for advertising, do not sell it, and do not transfer it to anyone else;
• Disconnecting. The connection can be removed at any time from the portal's Security page or from the Google account's security settings, after which the portal can no longer access that Drive.

Our use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

6 Data storage and overseas disclosure

Enquiries submitted through our website are stored in a secured database and are accessible only to authorised staff through a password-protected portal. Some of our technology providers (including our website hosting and database provider) may store data on servers located outside Australia, including in the United States. Where information is handled overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure it is protected in a manner consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles.

7 How we protect your information

We take reasonable steps to protect your information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. These steps include restricting access to authorised personnel, using password-protected and encrypted systems, hashing stored passwords, and transmitting website data over secure (HTTPS) connections. When information is no longer required and we are not legally obliged to keep it, we take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it.

8 Cookies and website analytics

Our public website does not use tracking or advertising cookies. Our staff portal uses a single, essential session cookie solely to keep signed-in pharmacists authenticated; it is not used for tracking or advertising.

To understand how our website is used, we may collect anonymous, aggregate visitor statistics (such as page views and the type of device used) through a privacy-friendly analytics service. This service does not use cookies, does not track you across other websites, and does not collect or store any information that identifies you personally.

9 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 it if it is inaccurate, out of date, or incomplete. To make a request, contact us using the details below. We will respond within a reasonable period. In some circumstances we may be unable to provide access (for example, where the law permits or requires us to withhold it), in which case we will explain why.

10 Making a complaint

If you have a concern about how we have handled your personal information, please contact us first using the details below so we can try to resolve it. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au or by calling 1300 363 992.

11 Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal obligations. The current version will always be available on this page, with the “Last updated” date shown at the top.

12 Contact us

If you have any questions about this policy or about how we handle your information, please get in touch: