Privacy Policy

Understand the terms for using our website.

Our Commitment to Your Privacy

At Columbia Aged Care (referred to as “we,” “us,” or “our”), we understand how important your privacy is. We are committed to protecting the personal information you share with us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share your personal information, and how we comply with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and relevant NSW health privacy legislation.

This policy applies to everyone whose personal information we handle, including residents, their families, visitors, prospective residents, employees, volunteers, and contractors.

What is Personal Information?

Personal information is any information or opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable, whether the information or opinion is true or not, and whether the information or opinion is recorded in a material form or not. This can include your name, contact details, date of birth, health information, financial information, and more.

What Personal Information Do We Collect?

We collect different types of personal information depending on who you are and your relationship with us.

This may include:

For Residents:

  • Identification Information: Your name, date of birth, gender, address, contact details (phone number, email), Medicare number, and next of kin details.
  • Health Information: Your medical history, current health conditions, medications, allergies, dietary requirements, reports from doctors and specialists, hospital discharge summaries, and details of care provided.
  • Financial Information: Payment details, bank account information (if required for billing), and information related to funding arrangements.
  • Lifestyle and Social Information: Your interests, hobbies, social connections, cultural background, and preferences relevant to your care and well-being.
  • Emergency Contact Information: Details of family members or other individuals to contact in case of an emergency.

For Families and Visitors:

  • Identification Information: Your name, contact details (phone number, email), and relationship to the resident.
  • Visitor Records: Sign-in and sign-out information when you visit our facility.

For Prospective Residents:

  • Enquiry Information: Your name, contact details, and information about your care needs.

For Employees, Volunteers, and Contractors:

  • Identification Information: Your name, date of birth, address, contact details, qualifications, employment history, and identification documents.
  • Background Checks: Information obtained from police checks and other relevant background checks.
  • Employment/Engagement Information: Tax file number, bank account details, performance reviews, and other employment or engagement-related information.

How We Collect Your Personal Information

We collect your personal information in various ways, including:

  • Directly from you: When you provide information to us through application forms, questionnaires, during assessments, conversations with our staff, emails, phone calls, or through our website.
  • From your authorised representatives: Such as family members, guardians, or legal representatives.
  • From other healthcare providers: With your consent, we may collect information from your doctors, hospitals, specialists, and other healthcare professionals involved in your care.
  • From government agencies: Such as Medicare or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, where relevant to your funding or care.
  • Through our website: We may collect information when you use our website, such as through online forms or cookies (see the “Our Website and Cookies” section below).
  • Visitor sign-in sheets: When you visit our facility, we may ask you to sign in, which collects your name and time of arrival.

Why We Collect and Use Your Personal Information

We collect and use your personal information for purposes directly related to providing quality aged care services and managing our operations. These purposes include:

For Residents:

  • Providing Care and Services: Assessing your needs, developing and implementing your care plan, delivering personal care, nursing care, medical care, therapy services, and other services you require.
  • Communication: Communicating with you, your family, and other healthcare providers involved in your care.
  • Managing Your Stay: Managing your accommodation, meals, activities, and other aspects of your residency.
  • Billing and Payments: Processing payments for your care and services.
  • Quality Improvement and Safety: Monitoring the quality and safety of our services, conducting audits, and addressing complaints.
  • Legal and Regulatory Compliance: Complying with our legal and regulatory obligations, including reporting to government agencies.
  • Emergency Situations: Contacting your emergency contacts and providing necessary information in case of an emergency.

For Families and Visitors:

  • Communication: Communicating with you regarding the resident’s well-being and care (with the resident’s consent).
  • Security and Safety: Maintaining a safe and secure environment for our residents and staff.

For Prospective Residents:

  • Responding to Enquiries: Providing information about our services and assessing your suitability for our facility.

For Employees, Volunteers, and Contractors:

  • Recruitment and Onboarding: Assessing applications, conducting background checks, and setting up your employment or engagement.
  • Managing Your Employment/Engagement: Paying your wages, managing your performance, providing training, and fulfilling our legal obligations as an employer or engaging entity.

How We Store and Protect Your Personal Information

We take the security of your personal information seriously. We have implemented various measures to protect it from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. These measures include:

  • Secure Storage: Storing electronic records on secure servers with restricted access and physical records in locked cabinets.
  • Data Encryption: Using encryption technologies to protect sensitive information during transmission and storage.
  • Access Controls: Limiting access to personal information to staff members who need it to perform their duties.
  • Staff Training: Providing regular training to our staff on privacy and data security practices.
  • Regular Audits: Conducting regular audits of our privacy practices and security measures.
  • Physical Security: Implementing security measures to protect our physical premises, such as security cameras and access control systems.

While we strive to protect your personal information, no method of data transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Who We May Share Your Personal Information With

We may share your personal information with certain individuals and organisations for the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy. These may include:

  • Your Authorised Representatives: Such as your family members, guardians, or legal representatives (with your consent or as legally required).
  • Other Healthcare Providers: Your doctors, specialists, hospitals, allied health professionals, and other healthcare providers involved in your care (with your consent)
  • Government Agencies: Medicare, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, and other regulatory bodies as required by law.
  • Service Providers: Third-party service providers who assist us with our operations, such as IT support, billing services, and quality auditing. We ensure these providers are bound by confidentiality obligations and comply with privacy laws.
  • Emergency Services: In emergency situations, we may disclose your information to ambulance services, hospitals, and other emergency responders.

We will only share your personal information for the specific purposes for which it was collected, or as otherwise required or permitted by law. We will not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

Our Website and Cookies

When you visit our website www.columbiaagedcare.com.au we may collect certain information automatically, such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, and browsing activity. We may also use cookies, which are small text files that are stored on your device to help us improve your website experience.

Cookies may be used to:

  • Remember your preferences.
  • Track website usage and traffic.
  • Personalise content.

You can control the use of cookies through your browser settings. However, disabling cookies may affect your ability to use certain features of our website.

Our website may contain links to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party websites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing them with your personal information.

Your Rights Regarding Your Personal Information

You have certain rights regarding your personal information that we hold:

  • Right to Access: You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you. We will generally provide you with access within a reasonable timeframe, subject to any legal restrictions.
  • Right to Correction: You have the right to request that we correct any personal information that is inaccurate, incomplete, or out-of-date.
  • Right to Opt-Out: In some circumstances, you may have the right to opt-out of receiving certain communications from us.
  • Right to Make a Complaint: If you believe we have breached your privacy rights, you have the right to make a complaint (see the “How to Make a Complaint” section below).

To exercise these rights, please contact our Privacy Officer (see contact details below). We may require you to verify your identity before processing your request.

How to Make a Complaint

If you have any concerns about how we have handled your personal information or believe we have breached your privacy, please contact our Privacy Officer in writing or by phone using the contact details below:

Attn: CEO
Address: 64-70 Albert Rd, Strathfield, NSW, 2135
Phone Number: 0297647800
Email Address: privacy@cnh.com.au

We will investigate your complaint and aim to respond to you within a reasonable timeframe, usually within 7 business days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

Website: www.oaic.gov.au
Phone: 1300 363 992
Address: GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001

For matters relating to health information in NSW, you can also contact the NSW Health Privacy Commissioner:

NSW Health Privacy Commissioner Website:

www.ipc.nsw.gov.au
Phone: 1800 472 679
Address: Information and Privacy Commission NSW, GPO Box 7011, Sydney NSW 2001

Changes to Our Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. Any changes will be posted on our website. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact our Privacy Officer using the details provided above.