Privacy Policy
1.1 Introduction
Earlwood Pharmacy respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. We comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
A copy of this Privacy Policy is available at www.earlwoodpharmacy.com.au or in-store on request.
1.2 Pharmacy Details
Earlwood Pharmacy
Legal entity name: A.G PAPADIMITRIOU & A.D QUERIN
ABN: 11 516 717 585
Address: 358 Homer St Earlwood NSW 2206
Phone: 02 9558 6668
Privacy Officer contact:
Email: pharmacy@outlook.com.au, ep2206@outlook.com
1.3 What information we collect
We collect personal information necessary to provide pharmacy and health services, including:
● Name, address, date of birth and contact details
● Medicare and concession details
● Prescription and medication records
● Health information relevant to your care
● Payment and transaction details
● Information contained in health records or related correspondence (including medication history notes, clinical interventions, and pharmacist annotations)
● Vaccination booking and immunisation records
1.4 How we collect information
We collect personal and health information directly from you, from prescribers, hospitals, My Health Record systems, Medicare, electronic prescription services, and from other authorised third parties.
We may also collect information through third-party platforms used for appointment bookings, vaccination services, or electronic communications.
We may collect personal information through our website when you submit forms or make online bookings.
1.5 Why we collect information
We collect personal information to:
● Dispense medicines and provide pharmacy services
● Provide counselling and health advice
● Meet legal and regulatory requirements
● Process Medicare and PBS claims
● Improve the quality and safety of our services
● Contact you in relation to safety recalls
● Provide medication review services
● Conduct clinical audits
● Conduct quality improvement activities
We may contact you via SMS, email or telephone regarding prescriptions, reminders, where necessary, medication recalls, safety alerts, changes affecting your medicines, or updates to our healthcare services.
We will only send reminders or communications where reasonably necessary for healthcare services or where you have consented.
We may also use de-identified information for research, reporting, and quality improvement purposes.
1.6 Disclosure of information
We may disclose your information to:
● Prescribers and other healthcare providers involved in your care
● Medicare, the Department of Health, and other regulators
● Pharmacy dispensing software providers, cloud hosting providers, IT support providers and other service providers
● Insurers or professional advisers (including auditors, insurers, and legal advisers) where required
● Immunisation registers (including the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR)) where required by law
We do not use personal information for direct marketing without your consent.
1.7 Overseas disclosures
Some of our service providers, including pharmacy software systems, SMS reminder platforms, and cloud hosting providers (such as those used by MedAdvisor, Z Software, and Pharmacy Halo Hub), may store or process personal information overseas.
These countries may include the United States, Singapore, and Ireland, depending on the service provider used.
Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure that overseas recipients handle personal information in accordance with Australian privacy standards.
1.8 My Health Record disclosure
We may access or upload information to the My Health Record system where authorised to support your care.
1.9 Access and correction
You may request access to, or correction of, your personal information by contacting us using the pharmacy contact details above.
1.10 Data security
We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. These steps include secure pharmacy dispensing systems, password protection, restricted staff access, secure backups, antivirus and firewall protection, and secure storage of physical records.
Staff are trained in privacy and confidentiality obligations and required to follow secure information handling procedures.
1.11 Record keeping
We retain personal and health information for as long as required by law and professional standards, including under applicable Commonwealth and State legislation such as the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2008 (NSW). When no longer required, information is securely destroyed or de-identified.
1.12 Complaints
If you have a privacy complaint, please contact our Privacy Officer. We will acknowledge your complaint within 7 days and aim to resolve it within 30 days.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):
Website: www.oaic.gov.au
Phone: 1300 363 992
1.13 Unsolicited information
If we receive personal information that we have not requested, we will determine whether we could have collected the information under the Australian Privacy Principles. If not, we will destroy or de-identify the information where lawful and reasonable to do so.
1.14 Anonymity and pseudonymity
Where practicable, you may choose to remain anonymous or use a pseudonym when interacting with us. However, this may not be possible where identification is required to provide pharmacy services or meet legal obligations.
