Privacy Policy | Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology

Privacy Policy: Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology

1. PART 1 – ABOUT THIS PRIVACY POLICY

1.1 Purpose

Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology is committed to protecting the privacy of personal information we collect and hold about individuals.
Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology complies with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), other privacy laws that govern how private sector health service providers like Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology handle your/your child’s personal information (including your/your child’s health information), and Speech Pathology Australia’s Code of Ethics (2020).
This Privacy Policy explains how Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology manages the personal information we collect, use and disclose.
Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology is a private speech pathology practice under the ownership of Elissa Dunn.

2. PART 2 – HOW ELISSA DUNN SPEECH PATHOLOGY HANDLES YOUR/YOUR CHILD’S PERSONAL INFORMATION

2.1 Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology’s Legal Obligations

In order to provide you/your child with the health care and speech pathology services that you have requested, Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology will need to collect and use your and your child’s personal information. If you provide incomplete or inaccurate information to us or withhold personal and health information from us, we may not be able to provide you or your child with the services you are seeking.

2.2 What information does Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology collect?

We will only collect the information we need for the particular function, service or activity we are carrying out.
We collect information from you/your child that is necessary to provide you or your child with speech pathology services and to manage our relationship with you and your family. The information we collect includes: your and your child’s name, date of birth, address, health/insurance fund details, development & education history, and information about your health history and family history. We require this information to assist the speech pathologist to diagnose and treat you and your child, and to provide speech pathology and language services.

2.3 How does Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology collect health information?

We will usually collect health information directly from you or your child. Sometimes, we may need to collect information about you or your child from a third party (such as a relative or another health service provider, school or carer).

2.4 How does Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology use your and your child’s information?

Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology uses your and your child’s personal information for the purpose you have given the information to us. This includes using your or your child’s information to provide speech pathology and therapy to you/your child, conduct our business operations and clinical practice, to manage our relationship with you/your child and to contact you (or your child’s co-parent) in relation to matters concerning your/your child’s care and health. We may also use your/your child’s information for other purposes permitted under the Privacy Act 1988.

2.5 Who might we disclose your/your child’s information to?

We may disclose your/your child’s information to the following people:

(a) disclosure to other health professionals and support workers involved in your/your child’s treatment
Your/your child’s personal information will generally only be used by the speech pathologist involved in your/your child’s care, however on occasion your/your child’s care may be provided by a number of health professionals (including but not limited to speech pathologist, occupational therapist, paediatrician and/or psychologist) working or consulting together. We may disclose your/your child’s information to these health professionals and support workers as part of the process of providing your/your child’s care and to other health professionals involved in your/your child’s care.

(b) the referrer

Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology will usually send a discharge summary to the referrer (i.e., your medical practitioner) following discharge from Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology or at other times, as required for your/your child’s care.
If you do not wish us to provide a copy of your discharge summary to the referrer you must let us know. Also, if the referrer’s details have changed please let us know.

c) Relatives, guardian, close friends or legal representative

In the course of providing your child with speech pathology services, we may need to provide information about your child’s condition to your child’s other relatives, guardians, or to a responsible person for you/your child, but we will liaise with you prior to such disclosure. Please inform us as soon as possible if any court orders apply with respect to your child who is receiving therapy at Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology.

d) Other uses and disclosures

In order to provide the best possible environment and service in which to support you/your child, we may also use or disclose your/your child’s personal and health information where necessary for:

activities such as quality assurance processes, accreditation, audits, risk and claims management, patient satisfaction surveys and staff education and training;
invoicing, billing, business administration and account management;
to liaise with your/your child’s health fund, Medicare, National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) or other Government Departments and where required provide information to your/your child’s health fund, Medicare, NDIA or other Government Departments to verify therapy provided to you/your child;
the purpose of sending you reminders and materials, for example for appointments and follow-up care, by text message or email to the number or address which you have provided to us.

e) We also use some third-party suppliers/applications to help us provide business, clinic, administration, legal and accounting services, located in Australia and other countries (including Microsoft and Halaxy). These third parties may have access to, or host personal information, but will always do so under our instructions and subject to a contractual relationship. When these third parties are located in territories which may not offer an equivalent level of protection to privacy as that applicable within Australia, we will take steps to verify that your/your child’s personal information receives a reasonable level of protection.

(f) Other uses with your consent

With your consent we may also use your information for other purposes such as including you on a marketing mail list, or research. Please note, however, that unless you provide us with your express consent for this purpose, we will not use your information in this way.

2.5 Access to and correction of your health information

You have a right to access the personal and health information that we hold about you/your child. You can also request an amendment to your/your child’s personal and health information should you believe that it is inaccurate.
If we do not agree to change your/your child’s medical record/personal information in accordance with your request, we will permit you to make a statement of the requested changes and we will enclose this with your/your child’s record.
Should you wish to obtain access to or request changes to your health record you can ask for our Privacy Officer (see details below) who can give you more detailed information about Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology's access and correction procedure. Please note that Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology may recover reasonable costs associated with supplying this information to you.

2.6 Data Quality

Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology will take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information which we may collect, use or disclose is accurate, complete and up-to-date.

2.7 Data Security

Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology will take reasonable steps to protect your/your child’s personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. We use technologies and processes such as access control procedures, network firewalls, encryption and physical security to protect your/your child’s privacy.

Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology will destroy or permanently de-identify any of your/your child’s information which is in its possession or control and which is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was collected provided Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology is not required under an Australian law, record-keeping obligation or court/tribunal or otherwise to retain the information.

2.8 What to do if you have a complaint about privacy issues

If:
(a) you have questions or comments about this Privacy Policy;
(b) Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology does not agree to provide you with access to your/your child’s personal information; or
(c) you have or a complaint about our information handling practices,
You can lodge a complaint with or contact our Privacy Officer on the details below. We will promptly review your complaint and provide a response to you.

2.9 How to contact us if you have a complaint about privacy issues

To the Privacy Officer, Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology:
By email: Please use the “contact us” form found at our website
By telephone: 0491070143

PART 3 – HOW ELISSA DUNN SPEECH PATHOLOGY HANDLES YOUR/YOUR CHILD’S PERSONAL INFORMATION WHEN YOU VISIT OUR WEBSITE

This section of our Privacy Policy explains how we handle your personal information which is collected from our website: www.elissadunn.com.au.
This Privacy Policy applies to your use of our website and the use of any of the facilities on our website.

3.1 Collection

When you use our website, we do not attempt to identify you as an individual user and we will not collect personal information about you unless you specifically provide this to us.

Sometimes, we may collect your/your child’s personal information if you choose to provide this to us via an online form or by email, for example, if you:

• submit a general enquiry or appointment request via our contacts page; or
• send a written complaint or enquiry to our Privacy Officer.

When you use our website, our Internet Service Provider (ISP) may record and log for statistical purposes the following information about your visit:

• your computer address;
• your top level name (for example, .com.,gov., .org, .au etc.);
• the date and time of your visit;
• the pages and documents you access during your visit; and
• the browser you are using.

Our web-site management agent may use statistical data collected by our ISP to evaluate the effectiveness of our web-site.

3.2 Cookies

A "cookie" is a device that allows our server to identify and interact more effectively with your computer. Cookies do not identify individual users, but they do identify your ISP and your browser type.
This website uses temporary cookies. This means that upon closing your browser, the temporary cookie assigned to you will be destroyed and no personal information is maintained which will identify you at a later date.
Personal information such as your email address is not collected unless you provide it to us. We do not disclose domain names or aggregate information to third parties other than agents who assist us with this website and who are under obligations of confidentiality. You may be able to configure your browser to accept or reject all cookies and to notify you when a cookie is used. We suggest that you refer to your browser instructions or help screens to learn more about these functions. However, please note that if you configure your browser so as not to receive any cookies, a certain level of functionality of the Elissa Dunn Speech Pathology website and other websites may be lost.

3.3 Links to third party websites

Our website contains links to third party websites. We are not responsible for the content, services or privacy practices employed by websites or businesses that are linked from our website.

3.4 Use and disclosure

We will use any personal information collected via our website in accordance with this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time, please visit our website for the most up to date Privacy Policy.

Version date: 11 August 2025