1. Introduction
Allambie Dental Centre ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of our patients and website visitors. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained therein.
By using our website or providing us with your personal information, you consent to the practices described in this policy.
Practice Details:
Allambie Dental Centre
4/44 Kentwell Rd, Allambie Heights NSW 2100
Phone: (02) 9905 0639
Email: info@allambiedental.com.au
2. What Personal Information We Collect
We may collect the following personal information:
- Contact information: Full name, email address, and phone number (collected via our website contact form).
- Enquiry information: Your preferred language, service of interest, and the content of messages you send us.
- Health information: If you become a patient, we collect dental and medical history, treatment records, radiographs, and other clinical information necessary to provide dental care. Health information is considered sensitive information under the Privacy Act and is handled with additional care.
- Technical data: IP address, browser type, pages visited, and other analytics data collected automatically when you use our website.
3. Why We Collect Your Information
We collect personal information for the following purposes:
- To respond to your enquiries and provide information about our dental services.
- To book and manage dental appointments.
- To provide dental treatment and maintain clinical records as required under applicable health laws.
- To send appointment reminders and follow-up communications (where you have consented).
- To improve our website and services through analytics.
- To comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including health record retention requirements under NSW law.
4. How We Store and Protect Your Information
We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, and disclosure. Our security measures include:
- Secure, access-controlled storage of patient records (physical and digital).
- Password-protected and encrypted systems for electronic records.
- Restricted staff access on a need-to-know basis.
- SSL/TLS encryption on our website to protect data in transit.
We retain patient health records for a minimum of seven (7) years after the date of last entry, or until a patient turns 25 years of age (if they were a minor), as required under NSW Health Records regulations.
5. Disclosure of Your Information
We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may disclose your information in the following limited circumstances:
- Treating practitioners: To other healthcare professionals involved in your care, with your knowledge and consent.
- Health insurers and Medicare: For the purpose of processing health fund claims or government rebates.
- Legal requirements: Where disclosure is required by law, a court order, or government authority.
- Practice management software: To trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our practice, under strict confidentiality obligations.
- Emergency situations: To prevent a serious and imminent threat to life or health.
We will not disclose health information to overseas recipients without your consent, except where required by law.
6. Sensitive Information
Health and medical information is classified as sensitive information under the Privacy Act. We will only collect sensitive information where it is necessary to provide you with dental care, and we will handle it with the highest degree of care and confidentiality.
7. Your Rights — Access and Correction
Under the Australian Privacy Principles, you have the right to:
- Request access to the personal information we hold about you.
- Request correction of personal information that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, or misleading.
- Complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@allambiedental.com.au or call (02) 9905 0639. We will respond to access and correction requests within 30 days. In some cases, a reasonable fee may apply for providing access.
If you are not satisfied with our response to a privacy complaint, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au or on 1300 363 992.
8. Cookies and Website Analytics
Our website may use cookies — small text files stored on your device — to improve your browsing experience and analyse website traffic. We may use analytics tools (such as Google Analytics) that collect anonymised, aggregated data about how visitors use our site.
You can disable cookies through your browser settings; however, some features of our website may not function correctly if cookies are disabled. By continuing to use our website, you consent to the use of cookies as described in this policy.
We do not use cookies to collect personally identifiable information without your knowledge.
9. Third-Party Links
Our website may contain links to third-party websites (e.g. HotDoc booking platform, Google Maps). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites and encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable laws. We will post any updated policy on this page with a revised effective date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
11. Contact for Privacy Enquiries
For all privacy-related enquiries, requests, or complaints, please contact our Privacy Officer:
Allambie Dental Centre
4/44 Kentwell Rd, Allambie Heights NSW 2100
Email: info@allambiedental.com.au
Phone: (02) 9905 0639