Your privacy is important to us and we take the responsibility of handling your personal information very seriously. Our Privacy Policy describes in detail how we collect and handle your personal information, who we exchange your information with, how you can access and correct your information and how you can make privacy complaints.
This Privacy Policy applies to the services offered by Earworx Pty Ltd.
Statement of Confinement
We are committed to protecting your privacy and any personal information we collect. Earwox complies with the Guidelines to the National Privacy Principles 2001, which support the Privacy Act 1988 (Cwth). This policy explains how we may collect, use, disclose and otherwise handle personal and sensitive information. Registered nurses working within the Earworx clinics are also bound by the Code of Professional Conduct for Nurses in Australia, conduct statement 5 which reads: ‘Nurses treat personal information obtained in a professional capacity as private and confidential’, and also the Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia, value statement 7 which reads: ‘Nurses value the ethical management of information’.
We are committed to safeguarding personal privacy. This means we recognise you have a right to control how your personal information is collected and used. Providing personal information is an act of trust and it is taken seriously. Unless consent is otherwise given, Earworx will only collect and use personal information as set out below.
For the purposes of this Privacy Policy personal information may mean some or all of the following: your name, contact details, date of birth, emergency contact details, other identification details, payment history, medical history and treatment details, before and after photographs and other sensitive information.
Collecting Personal Information
We will not collect or monitor any personal information about you without your consent. The only personal information collected is what is provided voluntarily by yourself.
We collect personal information primarily to enable us to provide you with our services. We may also use the information for marketing to you or for any other purpose permitted under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cwth).
You don’t need to identify yourself when you deal with us (e.g. to find out more about treatments or products) however in certain situations we will only deal with individuals who have identified themselves to us.
When a treatment or product is purchased personal information will be requested in order to provide the requested treatment or product, provide updated information, and advise of other treatments and products which may be of interest. You are not obligated to provide personal information however failure to do so may result in our clinic being unable to provide services or products to you.
Personal information is collected directly from yourself both when you book in online and when you complete a questionnaire with us at the time of your appointment.
Collecting Sensitive Information
For the purposes of this Privacy Policy sensitive information means the information you have disclosed to us about your physical and mental health and well-being.
Sensitive information will only ever be used for providing services to clients. Such information will not be used or disclosed for any other purposes without consent, except in cases when disclosure may be required by law or is necessary to protect the rights or property of the Earworx clinic, or any member of the public, or to lessen a serious threat to a person’s health or safety. For the purposes of this Privacy Policy sensitive information is a subset of personal information.
Using and Disclosing Your Personal Information
Personal Information will be used for the following primary purpose:
- To fulfil obligations pursuant to a client’s request for, and our clinic agreement to provide, services, products and/or any other agreement between him/her and our clinic;
- To render services to the client;
- To provide information about products, services and/or special offers;
- To obtain opinions or comments about products and/or services from members;
- To record non-identifying statistical data for marketing analysis from clients.
We may employ other companies or service providers to assist us in providing our services, including (but not limited to) marketing, market research, mail-house services, hosting and product development services, analysis of client lists and/ or consulting services. These third parties may have access to personal information that is needed to perform their specific function. They cannot use that information for other purposes.
Personal information will only ever be used for providing services to clients. Such information will not be used or disclosed for any other purposes without consent, except in cases when disclosure may be required by law or is necessary to protect the rights or property of the Earworx clinic, or any member of the public, or to lessen a serious threat to a person’s health or safety.
Contact by Our Clinic
We do not send advertising information without obtaining your prior consent. If you receive communication from us which you do not wish to receive, you may remove your name from the marketing database by contacting us via the contact page on the Earworx website.
Individuals’ Right of Access
Individuals have the right to review personal and/or sensitive Information that may be recorded on our database. Information may be reviewed by submitting a written request for such access to your local Earworx clinic.
A request may be made to delete or amend personal and/or sensitive information, and all reasonable steps to delete the information will be made, except where it is required for legal reasons, which includes but is not limited to the proper maintenance of medical and health records. Deletion or amendment of information may result in us being unable to provide certain services including after sales services.
Storage and Security of Personal and or Sensitive Information
We take all reasonable steps to keep secure personal information recorded and to keep this information accurate and up to date. The personal information is stored on secure servers if in digital format. If in paper format, the data will be entered electronically and the paper copy professionally destroyed. Our employees are obliged to respect the confidentiality of any personal and/or sensitive information held by us. We only permit authorised personnel to access your information and information will only be disclosed to third parties where they have the appropriate authority. We destroy or de-identify personal information we no longer need or we are no longer required by law to keep, wherever possible.
Problems Queries or Complaints
For further information regarding this Privacy Policy or to make a complaint about the steps taken by us to protect your personal information or privacy, please contact the Earworx clinic via the contact page on the website. We will investigate any complaints received in writing and do our best to resolve them as soon as possible.
If you are not satisfied with the result of your complaint to us, you can refer your complaint to:
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner Ph: 1300 363 992
Post: GPO Box 5218, Sydney, NSW, 2001
Online Form: www.oaic.gov.au (Privacy Complaint Form).
We reserve the right to review, amend, update and change this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect its practices and obligations. Any changes will take effect when they are made or posted on our website.