Privacy Policy

1 Who we are

ADHD GP Australia is a trading name of Westergaard Pty Ltd (ABN 22 663 084 900), part of Telehealth Australia Group. In this policy, "we", "us" and "our" mean Westergaard Pty Ltd trading as ADHD GP Australia. We are a telehealth general practice providing ADHD assessment, diagnosis and treatment to adults (18 and over) in Queensland.

We handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles. Where we prescribe monitored medicines, we also comply with Queensland's Medicines and Poisons Act 2019.

This policy explains what information we collect, why, who we share it with and how you can access it. By using our website or services you acknowledge that you have read it.

2 What we collect

Identity and contact details — name, date of birth, gender, address, phone, email, emergency contact, and photo identification so we can confirm who we are treating.

Medicare and concession details — where relevant to a prescription, a claim or your eligibility.

Health information — the information a doctor needs to assess and treat you: symptom history, questionnaires and screening results, previous assessments or diagnoses, medical and mental health history, current medications and allergies, substance use, family history, pathology and ECG results, and information from other practitioners involved in your care.

Clinical records — consultation notes, diagnoses, treatment plans, prescriptions, referrals, correspondence and consent records created during your care.

Payment information — card details are processed by our payment provider; we do not store full card numbers.

Communications and website data — emails, SMS, call records and enquiries you send us, and technical information collected when you use our website (such as IP address, device and browser type, and pages visited).

3 How we collect it

Mostly directly from you: when you book, use our online self-assessment, complete intake forms or questionnaires, attend consultations, upload documents, pay for a service or contact us.

With your consent, or where the law allows, we may also collect information from other health practitioners involved in your care, pathology providers, pharmacies, Medicare and your My Health Record.

Our website collects technical information automatically through cookies and analytics tools (see section 11).

4 Why we collect it

The primary purpose is to provide your medical care: assessing and diagnosing ADHD, developing and monitoring treatment, prescribing medication where clinically appropriate, coordinating with other practitioners and providing follow-up care.

We also use information for directly related purposes you would reasonably expect: managing bookings, reminders and payments, processing claims where applicable, responding to enquiries and complaints, quality and safety review, meeting our legal obligations, and improving our services using de-identified data.

We do not use your health information for unrelated purposes without your consent, unless the law requires or permits it.

5 Who we share it with

We share information only where it is needed for your care, where you have agreed, or where the law requires it:

• other health practitioners involved in your care, such as your regular GP, a psychiatrist or a psychologist;
• pharmacies and the electronic prescribing system, so your prescriptions can be dispensed;
• pathology and diagnostic providers when tests are ordered;
• Queensland Health, including the QScript monitored medicines system, as required for prescribing Schedule 8 medicines;
• Medicare and other government agencies where relevant;
• your My Health Record, where we are authorised to view or add to it;
• service providers that help us run the practice, such as our practice management and telehealth platforms, hosting, payment processing, SMS and email services, IT support and accounting; and
• where required by law, for example under a subpoena, a mandatory reporting obligation, or a request from a regulator such as Ahpra or the Office of the Health Ombudsman.

In a medical emergency we may share information with emergency services or other health providers to the extent needed to prevent or lessen a serious threat to life or health.

We never sell personal or health information.

6 Where your information is held

Your information is stored on servers located in Australia.

Some members of our administrative and support team work from outside Australia, including the Philippines, and may access information held in our systems to carry out their work. Some of our service providers, such as email and analytics providers, may process limited information overseas. In each case we take reasonable steps to ensure your information is protected and handled consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles.

7 Monitored medicines

ADHD treatment may involve Schedule 8 medicines such as methylphenidate, dexamfetamine or lisdexamfetamine. Queensland law requires us to check and record prescribing of these medicines in QScript, and in some circumstances to obtain approvals from or notify Queensland Health. We may also need to confirm your identity, ask for pathology or other tests, and share information with your pharmacy before prescribing.

8 Telehealth consultations

Consultations are conducted by secure, encrypted video. We do not routinely record consultations, and we ask that you do not record them without the doctor's agreement. To protect your privacy, we recommend attending from a private place on a personal device. We will ask you to verify your identity, including with photo ID, because we cannot do so in person.

9 Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your information from misuse, loss, unauthorised access or disclosure, including encryption of data in transit and at rest, access controls and multi-factor authentication on clinical systems, audit logging, regular security testing including penetration testing, staff training and data breach response procedures. No system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee the security of information transmitted over the internet.

If a data breach occurs that is likely to result in serious harm, we will notify the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and the people affected, as required by the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.

10 How long we keep it

We keep clinical records for at least seven years from your last service, and longer where the law or professional standards require. When information is no longer needed, we securely destroy or de-identify it.

11 Cookies, analytics and advertising

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies: essential cookies needed for the site to work; analytics tools (including Google Tag Manager and web analytics services) that help us understand how the site is used; and, when we run advertising campaigns, advertising cookies (such as those from Google and Meta) that measure campaign performance and show relevant ads. You can control cookies through your browser settings and advertising preferences through the relevant platform. Health information you provide to us is not shared with advertising platforms.

12 How we contact you

We may contact you by SMS, email or phone about your appointments, results and care. We only send marketing communications with your consent, and you can opt out at any time. Please note that standard email and SMS are not fully secure; we keep clinical detail in these messages to a minimum.

13 Automated decisions

We do not use computer programs to make decisions that significantly affect you without a person involved. All clinical decisions are made by a doctor.

14 Access and correction

You can ask to see the information we hold about you or ask us to correct it. Please write to us using the details below. We will respond within 30 days. We may charge a reasonable fee for providing access, but not for correcting information. If we refuse a request, we will tell you why in writing. You can also withdraw consent you have given, although this may affect our ability to provide care.

15 Complaints

If you believe we have mishandled your information, please contact us first. We will acknowledge your complaint within seven days and respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (oaic.gov.au, 1300 363 992) or the health complaints body in your state or territory — in Queensland, the Office of the Health Ombudsman (oho.qld.gov.au, 133 646).

16 Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The current version is always available on this page, with the date it was last updated.