1. Introduction

South Coast Ophthalmology is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of the personal information we collect and hold. We recognise the importance of safeguarding your personal and health information and managing it in accordance with our obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

As a specialist ophthalmology practice, we collect and manage sensitive health information to provide appropriate, safe and effective eye care.

This Privacy Policy explains:

  • The types of personal and health information we collect and hold.
  • How we collect, store, use and disclose your information.
  • The purposes for which your information is collected and used.
  • How you can access and request corrections to your personal information.
  • How you can make a privacy complaint and how we will respond.
  • How we protect the confidentiality and security of your information.

2. What Types of Personal Information Do We Collect?

The types of personal information we may collect and hold include:

Personal and contact information

  • Your name, residential address, date of birth, email address and telephone numbers.
  • Your Medicare number, Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) details and private health insurance information.
  • Your healthcare identifiers, where applicable.

Health and medical information

  • Your medical history, symptoms, diagnoses and treatment plans.
  • Information relating to your eye health, vision, ophthalmic examinations and clinical assessments.
  • Results of eye examinations, diagnostic imaging, scans, visual field tests and other relevant investigations.
  • Referral letters, specialist reports, correspondence and information received from other healthcare providers.
  • Information about medications, prescriptions, allergies and other relevant medical conditions.
  • Appointment records, clinical notes, billing information and payment records. We do not store your bank account details unless required for a specific and appropriately disclosed purpose.

Other relevant information

Where necessary for your care, we may collect information about your cultural background, language, sex, religion or other personal circumstances to help us provide appropriate, respectful and culturally sensitive care.

We only collect information that is reasonably necessary for our functions and activities, or as otherwise permitted or required by law.

3. How Do We Collect and Hold Personal Information?

We generally collect personal information directly from you, including when you:

  • Contact our practice by telephone, email or other communication channels.
  • Complete registration forms, medical history questionnaires or other paper-based or electronic forms.
  • Attend an appointment or consultation with one of our ophthalmologists or other healthcare professionals.
  • Provide information through SMS links or online forms.

We may also collect information from other sources where appropriate and permitted by law, including:

  • Your referring general practitioner, optometrist or other treating healthcare professional.
  • Hospitals, other specialists, diagnostic imaging providers and pathology services.
  • A parent, guardian, carer or other person responsible for you, where appropriate.
  • Medicare, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and your private health insurer.
  • The My Health Record system, electronic prescribing services and other authorised healthcare information systems.

Use of AI-assisted clinical documentation

During consultations, our ophthalmologists may use an artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted clinical documentation or scribe application, where applicable. Depending on the application, this may involve recording or processing consultation audio, transcribing discussions and assisting with the preparation of clinical notes, referral letters and correspondence to your referring doctor.

Any use of such technology will be managed in accordance with applicable privacy and confidentiality obligations. Where required, we will provide appropriate information and obtain consent before using the technology. Information will only be handled and disclosed for authorised purposes.

We take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information collected from you or other sources is accurate, complete and up to date.

4. Why Do We Collect, Hold, Use and Disclose Personal Information?

South Coast Ophthalmology collects, holds, uses and discloses personal information for purposes related to providing specialist ophthalmology services and managing our practice.

These purposes include:

  • Providing ophthalmology consultations, examinations, diagnosis, treatment, ongoing care and follow-up.
  • Assessing and monitoring your eye health, vision and treatment outcomes.
  • Arranging and reviewing diagnostic investigations, including ophthalmic imaging and visual field testing.
  • Communicating with you about appointments, investigations, treatment plans and other matters relating to your care.
  • Communicating with your referring doctor, optometrist and other healthcare professionals involved in your treatment.
  • Preparing clinical notes, referral letters, reports and other relevant medical correspondence.
  • Coordinating care with hospitals, other specialists and allied health professionals, where appropriate.
  • Managing appointments, billing, payments, Medicare claims, DVA claims and private health insurance claims.
  • Verifying your identity and eligibility for relevant healthcare services and benefits.
  • Meeting our legal, professional and regulatory obligations, including mandatory reporting requirements where applicable.
  • Using and accessing the My Health Record system, where applicable and authorised, to support the continuity of your care.
  • Using electronic prescribing and prescription transfer services, where applicable.
  • Responding to requests from authorised government agencies, regulators, insurers and other bodies where permitted or required by law.
  • Addressing feedback, concerns, complaints and requests relating to your care or personal information.

We will not use or disclose your personal information for purposes unrelated to your care or our practice operations unless we have your consent or are otherwise authorised or required to do so by law.

We do not use your personal information for direct marketing purposes.

5. How Can You Access or Correct Your Personal Information?

You have the right to request access to the personal information and health records that South Coast Ophthalmology holds about you, subject to applicable legal requirements and any lawful grounds for restricting access.

You may also request that we correct information if you believe it is inaccurate, incomplete, out of date or misleading.

To request access to or correction of your information, please contact our practice using the contact details provided in Section 7.

We may ask you to verify your identity and submit your request in writing to protect your privacy. We will respond to your request within a reasonable period and in accordance with our legal obligations.

In some circumstances, we may be unable to provide access to certain information where the law permits or requires us to withhold it. If this occurs, we will explain the reason where appropriate.

6. How Do We Store and Protect Your Personal Information?

South Coast Ophthalmology takes reasonable steps to protect the personal information we hold from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification and disclosure.

Our privacy and information security practices include:

  • Using practice management and clinical software, where applicable backed to a mirrored hard drive securely stored.
  • Using software providers and systems selected with consideration of their privacy and security safeguards.
  • Using multi-factor authentication (MFA) to protect access to relevant patient management systems and email accounts.
  • Using encrypted databases and other appropriate security measures, where supported by our systems.
  • Requiring staff to maintain patient confidentiality.
  • Providing staff with appropriate privacy and confidentiality training.
  • Restricting access to personal information to authorised personnel who require it for their work.
  • Maintaining electronic patient records and securely managing any physical documents that may be received or created.

We do use some paper-based patient files at our practice. Any physical documents containing personal information are handled and stored securely, as appropriate.

Where third-party service providers process or store information on our behalf, we take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate privacy and security arrangements are in place.

Some service providers may store or process information outside Australia. Where this applies, we will take the steps required by applicable privacy laws in relation to overseas disclosures.

We retain personal information for as long as required for healthcare, legal, regulatory and administrative purposes. When information is no longer required and can lawfully be destroyed or de-identified, we take reasonable steps to do so securely.

7. Privacy Questions and Complaints

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, would like further information about how we handle your personal information, or wish to make a privacy complaint, please contact South Coast Ophthalmology.

You may submit your complaint in writing or contact our practice using the contact details below.

Practice: South Coast Ophthalmology
Email: osborne7@tpg.com.au
Telephone: (02) 4421 0155
Postal address: PO BOX 103, Nowra NSW 2541

We will acknowledge and investigate your complaint and respond within a reasonable period. We may contact you to obtain further information to assist with our investigation.

If you are dissatisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)

We welcome feedback and are committed to addressing privacy concerns respectfully and appropriately.

8. Identification and Consent to Release Information

To protect your privacy and maintain the confidentiality of your health information, we may require you to verify your identity and submit a written request before releasing your personal information or medical records.

We may provide a relevant request or authority form for you to complete and return to our practice.

If you wish to authorise another person, such as a family member, carer or other representative, to access your information or communicate with us on your behalf, we may require your written consent or other appropriate evidence of authority.

We will not disclose your personal or health information to a third party without appropriate authority, unless the disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

South Coast Ophthalmology may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practice, technology, services or legal obligations.

The current version of this policy will be made available through our practice or on our website, where applicable.

Last reviewed: 15th October 2026