Privacy Policy

Hi there! We want to let you know how we collect information so that you can feel comfortable sharing it with us. That's why we have this privacy policy which outlines the way we at Ostara Occupational Therapy (ABN 81455114905) collect, hold, use and disclose personal information. We may collect personal information from children as well as adults. This policy also outlines how we use AI technologies, including Heidi Health, to collect, hold, use, and disclose personal information.

WHAT PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT & HOW AND WHY WE COLLECT IT?

What personal information do we collect?

The personal information we collect is generally limited to:

name and contact details;
credit card or direct debit details;
date of birth;
job information;
and any communications we have.

However, we may also collect:

sensitive information from you with your consent, such as where we ask for information about your health and religious beliefs or affiliations;
financial information; and
information about how you use our website, via third parties.

How do we collect your personal information?

The main way we collect information is when you give it to us. You might do this by filling out forms on our website like sign-up or intake forms. Or you might give us information through phone calls, emails, or social media. On occasion we may also collect information from the person that referred you, or other people or organisations. We may also collect information through AI technologies that transcribe notes and process data.

We love hearing from you, and we promise to keep your information safe and secure.

We also use cookies on our website. These are little bits of data that help our website work better. They might identify you and keep track of the pages you visit. This helps us improve our website and make it more secure.

Plus, it makes it easier for you to use our website! You won't have to fill in your information again and again.

At times personal information may also be gathered from third parties, such as Google Analytics or Facebook Pixel. These third parties may use cookies, web beacons and similar technology to collect or receive information about your habits on the internet.

Why do we collect your personal information?

We need your personal information to:

communicate with you in relation to your enquiry;
verify your identity for security purposes;
send you news if you have signed up (you can unsubscribe at any time);
conduct our business, and enable your use of our website, products and services; and
in some cases, to comply with our legal obligations, such as record keeping (currently, the law requires us to keep adult records for 7 years and children's records until they turn 25 years of age).

We also collect personal information to analyse and enhance our business operations and improve your experience with our business. This is used as statistical information to analyse our website traffic and to customise the content and advertising we provide. We may also collect personal information using AI software to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of our services.

Through your use of our services or website, we may also collect information from you about someone else (i.e. if you are a practitioner). If you provide us with personal information about someone else (i.e. your patients), you must ensure that you are authorised to disclose that information to us and that, without us taking any further steps required by applicable data protection or privacy laws, we may collect, use and disclose such information for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

This means that you must take reasonable steps to ensure the individual concerned is aware of and/or consents to the various matters detailed in this Privacy Policy, including the fact that their personal information is being collected, the purposes for which that information is being collected, the intended recipients of that information, the individual’s right to obtain access to that information, our identity, and how to contact us. Where requested to do so by us, you must also assist us with any requests by the individual to access or update the personal information you have collected from them and entered into our website.

You can opt-out of the collection and use of this information by changing your privacy settings or opting-out.

To opt-out of Google advertising you can go here: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
To change your Facebook ad preferences you can go to "Facebook Help Centre", "Manage my account" and "Ad preferences".

Where we collect your financial information, we use it to help you pay for our products and services. Only the staff that need to know this information have access to it, and we only keep it as long as it is necessary. We use SSL certificates to verify your identity and encrypt any data you give us. All financial information is encrypted on our servers, and we do not keep all your data (to prevent unauthorised and duplicated transactions). We do not keep any details of your direct debit, and all information is sent to our bank for processing.

WHEN DO WE DISCLOSE PERSONAL INFORMATION & HOW YOU CAN ACCESS IT?

When do we disclose your personal information?

We use reasonable precautions to make sure your information stays safe and secure. Only authorised personnel can access it, and we keep it in accordance with our legal record keeping obligations. When we don't need it anymore, or it is unsolicited, we destroy it appropriately. We generally will not disclose your personal information unless we have your consent, it's required by law*, or it's necessary for us to provide you with our services.

* This can include where we are of the reasonable belief that there is a serious risk to life, health or safety of you or another person. For example, if there is evidence of clear danger of harm to self-and/or others, we may be legally required to report this information to the authorities responsible for ensuring safety. This includes if there is a strong suspicion of physical or sexual abuse or emotional, or neglect or exposure to family violence of any person under 18 years of age. A court order could also require us to release information contained in records.

Sometimes we do disclose your personal information where it is necessary to obtain third-party services, like analytics, data storage, payment providers or advertising services. Some of these third parties may be overseas. We do our best to make sure the providers we use comply with privacy laws and regulations. You can opt-out of the collection and use of this information by changing your privacy settings or opting out.

We may also disclose personal information to third-party service providers of AI software, such as Heidi Health, for data processing and transcription services. These providers are required to comply with applicable privacy laws and data protection standards. Data processed by AI tools is secured using encryption and other security measures to ensure its integrity and confidentiality. By using our services, you consent to the use of AI technologies for processing your data. If you wish to opt-out of AI data processing, please contact us.

How can you access or delete your information?

If you want to access, correct or delete your information, please email us at hello@ostaraot.com.au. We're happy to help, unless we're required by law to withhold it. And if you have any concerns at all about your privacy, please also email us at hello@ostaraot.com.au. You can also make a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner by phone on 1300 363 992, online at http://www.oaic.gov.au where you can go to the "Lodge a Privacy Complaint with us" page, or post to: Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, GPO Box 5218, Sydney, NSW 2001.

Thank you!

Thank you for trusting us with your personal information. Above all, we will do our best to keep it safe and use it responsibly.