Privacy Policy | 3 Star Harmony Solutions

Who we are and what this policy covers

This privacy policy explains how we handle your personal information. In this policy, "we", "us" and "our" means 3 Star Harmony Solutions Pty Ltd (ABN 16 685 808 262), based in Lalor VIC 3075.

We provide community nursing in people's homes in Melbourne's north. We care for veterans, war widows and widowers who hold a DVA card. To give safe care, we need to collect and share health information. This policy explains how we protect it.

This policy applies to our clients, their families and carers, the health professionals who refer to us, people who use this website, and people who apply to work with us.

We follow these laws:

the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs)
the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) and its Health Privacy Principles (HPPs).

You can read the APPs on the website of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au.

What personal information we collect

Personal information is information or an opinion that identifies you, or could reasonably identify you. What we collect depends on who you are.

If you are a client, we may collect your:

name, date of birth and gender
home address, phone number and email address
DVA file number and DVA card type (Gold Card or White Card)
Medicare number, where you give it to us
next of kin, carer or family contact, and anyone who holds a power of attorney or guardianship for you
GP's name and practice details
details that help us visit safely, such as access to your home, pets and parking
health information, as set out in the next section.

If you are a GP, hospital doctor, discharge planner, nurse practitioner or other health professional, we may collect your name, role, workplace, contact details and provider details.

If you are a family member or carer, we may collect your name, your relationship to the client and your contact details.

If you apply for a job, we may collect your contact details, work history, qualifications, registration details, and the checks the role needs, such as a police check. We ask for your consent before we do these checks.

What health information we collect

Health information is a type of sensitive information. The law gives it extra protection. For our clients, it can include:

diagnoses, medical history and current health concerns
medicines, medication charts and allergies
referrals, discharge summaries, and letters from your GP or hospital
care plans, assessments and nursing notes
records of each home visit: the date, the time, the nurse who visited, the care given and what we observed
photos of a wound, only with your consent and only for your care
DVA claim details, including which services we claimed and when
notes of phone calls and messages about your care, including the date and time.

We only collect health information when we need it to give you care. We collect it with your consent, or where the law requires or allows it.

How we collect your information

Where we can, we collect information from you directly. This may be in person, by phone, by email or through a form on this website.

We may also receive information about you from:

the person who referred you, such as your GP, a treating doctor in hospital, a hospital discharge planner or a nurse practitioner
an occupational therapist or social worker who helps arrange your referral
your family, carer, guardian or a person who holds power of attorney for you
other health and care providers, such as hospitals, pharmacies, Veterans' Home Care (VHC) and Support at Home providers
the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA), for example to confirm your card cover.

When we get information from someone else, we take reasonable steps to let you know. We also check that it is accurate and that we only keep what we need.

Can you deal with us without giving your name?

You can ask us general questions about our services without telling us who you are. You can also use a made-up name for a general enquiry.

Nursing care is different. Due to the nature of the health services we provide, it is generally impracticable for us to deal with individuals who have not identified themselves. Accurate identification is required to ensure the safety and continuity of clinical care, to comply with our legal and professional obligations under applicable health legislation, and to meet the requirements for claims to the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA).

Put simply, we need to know who you are to give safe care, keep proper records and claim from DVA.

Information we did not ask for

From time to time, we may receive personal or health information that we did not solicit. Where we receive unsolicited personal information, we will promptly assess whether that information is of a kind we could have collected under our standard collection practices.

If we could have collected it, we will handle it as this policy describes. If we could not, we will destroy it or de-identify it as soon as practicable, where it is lawful and reasonable to do so.

Why we collect and use your information

We use your information to:

assess a referral and let the referrer know if we can accept it
plan, give and record your nursing care at home
keep your GP and other treating health professionals up to date
arrange home visits and contact you or your family about them
confirm your DVA card cover and make claims to DVA
meet our legal, professional and DVA obligations, including records, audits and reviews
check the quality and safety of our care, and train our team
answer your enquiries and complaints
consider job applications.

Sometimes we may need to use your information for another purpose. We only do this if it is directly related to your care and you would expect it. We also do it if you consent, or if the law requires or allows it.

Who we share your information with

Only people who need your information to do their job can see it. We share it outside our team only when it is needed for your care, with your consent, or as the law allows. We may share it with:

your GP and the health professional who referred you
hospitals, pharmacies and other health professionals involved in your care
other care providers, such as Veterans' Home Care (VHC) and Support at Home providers, with your consent
DVA, to confirm your card cover, make claims, and answer DVA checks or audits
your family, carer or representative, with your consent or where they are legally authorised to act for you
service providers who help run our business, such as IT, software, email and record storage providers. They must protect your information.
regulators, courts, tribunals and police, where the law requires or allows it.

We may also share information without your consent where the law allows it. One example is to lessen or stop a serious threat to someone's life, health or safety. Another is when a court order requires it.

We do not sell your personal information.

Your privacy during home visits

Our nurses come to your home. Here is how we protect your privacy during a visit.

On a first visit, our nurse will tell you who they are and confirm who you are before giving care.
You choose who stays in the room during care. You can ask a family member to stay, or to step out.
We only talk about your care with family or carers you have told us we can speak to, or with your legal representative.
Nurses record each visit in your clinical record and keep your records secure while they travel.

If you are not comfortable with anything during a visit, tell your nurse or contact us.

Government identifiers

We collect your DVA file number and Medicare number only where we need them, such as to confirm your cover or make a DVA claim. We do not use these numbers as our own way of identifying you. We only share them where the law allows.

My Health Record

We do not upload information to My Health Record at this time. If this changes, we will update this policy.

Artificial intelligence and automated tools

We do not use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to record your care or to make decisions about your care. Our nurses write your clinical notes. If we ever bring in an AI tool that handles your information, we will update this policy and tell you first.

Sending information overseas

We do not send your health information overseas as part of your care.

Our website form sends your details to our inbox through service providers. These include Cloudflare, which runs our form service, and Amazon Web Services (AWS), which delivers our email. The form service also keeps a log of what you send. Some of these providers may store or handle your information outside Australia. If they do, we take reasonable steps to make sure they protect it to the standard the APPs require.

Direct marketing

We will not use your personal or health information to market to you unless you have clearly agreed. If you agree, you can change your mind at any time. Use the unsubscribe link in any message, or contact us.

We do not use your health information to target advertising to you.

Our website, cookies and forms

Browsing a health website can say something about your health. So we keep tracking on this site to a minimum.

We do not use advertising pixels, such as the Meta Pixel, on this website.
We do not use analytics cookies. If we add an analytics tool later, we will update this policy first.
If you arrive from a link with campaign tags or ad click codes, your browser stores them for up to 30 days. It also stores the page you landed on and the site you came from. These are sent with any form you submit, so we know how you found us.
Our forms use simple checks to stop spam. These checks do not use cookies.
A feedback tool may run on the test version of this website. Our web team uses it to review the site before launch. It does not run on the live website.

Our contact form collects the details you enter, including enquiries about referrals and jobs. This can include names, phone numbers, email addresses, suburb, DVA card type, your current role and a message. Please only include the health information we need to respond. We use these details to answer your enquiry or assess the referral.

You can block or delete cookies and browser storage in your browser settings. The site will still work.

This website links to other sites, such as DVA. Their privacy policies apply when you visit them.

How we store and protect your information

We store records electronically in secure systems. Any paper records are kept in a locked place. We protect your information with:

passwords and access that depends on each person's role
secure devices for nurses on home visits
confidentiality agreements for our team and contractors
privacy training for our team.

No system is completely secure, especially online. We take reasonable steps to protect your information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, change or disclosure.

How long we keep your records

The Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) sets how long we must keep health records. For adults, we keep your health information for at least 7 years after the last time we provided a health service to you. If information was collected while a person was under 18, we keep it at least until they turn 25.

When we delete or destroy health records, we keep a note of your name, the period the records covered and the date they were deleted. This is also a legal requirement.

We keep other personal information, such as website enquiries that do not lead to care, only for as long as we need it. Then we destroy it or de-identify it.

If our service ever closes or changes owner, we will tell you how your records will be handled, as Victorian law requires.

If there is a data breach

We follow the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme in Part IIIC of the Privacy Act. If we suspect a data breach, we will act quickly to contain it. We will assess it within 30 days.

If a breach is likely to cause serious harm, we will notify you and the OAIC as soon as practicable. We will tell you what happened and what steps you can take.

Accessing and correcting your information

You can ask to see the information we hold about you. You can also ask us to correct it if it is wrong, out of date or incomplete.

Contact us to make a request. We may ask you to confirm who you are.
We will respond within 30 days.
There is no charge to make a request. We may charge a reasonable fee for copies, within the limits set by law. We will tell you the fee first.
You can ask us to send a copy of your health records to another health service provider.

In some cases the law lets us refuse access, such as where access could put someone at serious risk. If we refuse, we will tell you why in writing and how to complain.

Making a privacy complaint

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please tell us first. Contact our Privacy Officer using the details below. We will look into it and reply in writing within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our reply, you can contact:

the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC): www.oaic.gov.au, phone 1300 363 992
the Health Complaints Commissioner (Victoria): hcc.vic.gov.au, phone 1300 582 113.

Concerns about a nurse's professional conduct can also go to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) at www.ahpra.gov.au.

Changes to this policy

We review this policy regularly, and when the law or the way we work changes. The latest version is on this page. If we make a major change, we will let our current clients know. Please read this policy with our Terms and Conditions.

How to contact us

For privacy questions, requests or complaints, contact our Privacy Officer:

3 Star Harmony Solutions Pty Ltd, ABN 16 685 808 262
Lalor VIC 3075
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0400 000 000