Privacy Policy
Hampstead Health privacy policy
Current as of: 14th May 2026
Introduction
This privacy policy provides information to you, our patient, on how your personal information (which includes your health information) is collected, used, held and disclosed within our practice, and the circumstances in which we may share it with third parties.
Why and when your consent is necessary
When you register as a patient of our practice, you provide consent for our GPs and practice staff to access and use your personal information so they can provide you with the best possible healthcare. Only staff who need to see your personal information will have access to it. If we need to use your information for anything else, we will seek additional consent from you to do this.
Why do we collect, use, hold and share your personal information?
Our practice will need to collect your personal information to provide healthcare services to you. Our main purpose for collecting, using, holding and sharing your personal information is to manage your health. We also use it for directly related business activities, such as financial claims and payments, practice audits and accreditation, and business processes (e.g. staff training).
What personal information do we collect?
The information we will collect about you includes your:
- names, date of birth, addresses, contact details
- medical information including medical history, medications, allergies, adverse events, immunisations, social history, family history and risk factors
- Medicare number (where available) for identification and claiming purposes
- healthcare identifiers
- health fund details.
Dealing with us anonymously
You have the right to deal with us anonymously or under a pseudonym unless it is impracticable for us to do so or unless we are required or authorised by law to only deal with identified individuals.
Dealing with us anonymously
You have the right to deal with us anonymously or under a pseudonym unless it is impracticable for us to do so or unless we are required or authorised by law to only deal with identified individuals.
How do we collect your personal information?
Our practice may collect your personal information in several different ways.
- When you make your first appointment our practice staff will collect your personal and demographic information via your registration.
- During the course of providing medical services, we may collect further personal information.
- We may also collect your personal information when you send us an email or SMS, telephone us, make an online appointment or communicate with us using social media.
- In some circumstances personal information may also be collected from other sources. Often this is because it is not practical or reasonable to collect it from you directly. This may include information from:
- your guardian or responsible person
- other involved healthcare providers, such as specialists, allied health professionals, hospitals, community health services and pathology and diagnostic imaging services
- your health fund, Medicare, or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (as necessary).
When, why and with whom do we share your personal information?
We sometimes share your personal information:
- with third parties who work with our practice for business purposes, such as accreditation agencies or information technology providers – these third parties are required to comply with APPs and this policy
- with other healthcare providers
- when it is required or authorised by law (eg court subpoenas)
- when it is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to a patient’s life, health or safety or public health or safety, or it is impractical to obtain the patient’s consent
- to assist in locating a missing person
- to establish, exercise or defend an equitable claim
- for the purpose of confidential dispute resolution process
- when there is a statutory requirement to share certain personal information (eg some diseases require mandatory notification)
- during the course of providing medical services, through My Health Record (eg via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary).
Only people who need to access your information will be able to do so. Other than in the course of providing medical services or as otherwise described in this policy, our practice will not share personal information with any third party without your consent.
We will not share your personal information with anyone outside Australia (unless under exceptional circumstances that are permitted by law) without your consent.
Our practice will not use your personal information for marketing any of our goods or services directly to you without your express consent. If you do consent, you may opt out of direct marketing at any time by notifying our practice in person or in writing.
How do we store and protect your personal information?
Our practice stores all personal information securely in an electronic format. Personal passwords and multi-factor authentication are used for all staff who have access to clinical records. Staff who may need to access your health information have signed a confidentiality agreement. Access limitations are set in accordance with the staff member’s role within the practice. We maintain comprehensive audit logs, use encryption for data at rest and in transit, regularly review and test our security measures (including penetration testing), and have a documented data breach response plan. We will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) in accordance with our legal obligations if a breach occurs.
Use of Artificial Intelligence and Your Data
We use secure artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support high-quality clinical care. These tools are used only under the direct supervision of our clinicians and in accordance with Australian privacy laws.
AI Scribes (Lyrebird Health and Heidi Health)
Our doctors may use Lyrebird Health or Heidi Health AI scribes to assist with real-time transcription of consultations and the drafting of clinical notes. These tools help create accurate, timely medical records. Audio is processed in real time and is not stored permanently. All data is encrypted, processed and stored within Australia, and is never used to train external AI models. Clinicians always review and approve any AI-generated notes before they are finalised in your medical record. Patient consent is obtained before any scribe is used during a consultation.
Risk Stratification Tool (Amazon Bedrock)
We use Amazon Bedrock, a secure AWS service, to support clinical risk stratification. This tool analyses clinical and administrative data (with appropriate safeguards) to help identify patients who may benefit from additional proactive support and care coordination. All processing is configured for Australian data residency requirements. Your data is encrypted, not shared with third-party model providers, and is not used to train public AI models. Outputs are used solely by our clinical team for care planning and are subject to human review.
All AI tools are used only for purposes directly related to your healthcare. You have the right to: • request human review of any automated risk assessment or decision that affects you • opt out of automated outreach or AI-assisted processes at any time • receive information about how a decision was reached (where reasonably practicable).
If you would like more information about how any of these AI tools work or wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact our Practice Manager.
How can you access and correct your personal information at our practice?
You have the right to request access to, and correction of, your personal information. Our practice acknowledges patients may request access to their medical records. We require you to put this request in writing and our practice will respond within a reasonable time, usually within 30 days. Access to your personal health record will incur a fee to cover administration costs; these costs vary depending on the size and complexity of the request. Our practice will take reasonable steps to correct your personal information where the information is not accurate or up to date. You may also request that we correct or update your information, and you should make such requests in writing to the practice.
How can you lodge a privacy-related complaint, and how will the complaint be handled at our practice?
We take complaints and concerns regarding privacy seriously. You should express any privacy concerns you may have in writing to the Practice manager, Hampstead Health, Level 1, 237 Hampstead Road, Lightsview, SA, 5085. We will then attempt to resolve it in accordance with our resolution procedure usually within 30 days.
You may also contact the OAIC. Generally, the OAIC will require you to give them time to respond before they will investigate. For further information visit www.oaic.gov.au or call the OAIC on 1300 363 992.
Policy review statement
This privacy policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is in accordance with any changes that may occur. Any changes to our policy will be published on the practice website and made available at the practice.