1. About this policy

Smiles on the Coast Pty Ltd (ABN 74 168 811 836) (“we”, “us”, “our”) is a denture clinic operating on the Central Coast of New South Wales, with locations in Gosford and Wyong. We are committed to protecting the privacy of every patient, prospective patient, referrer and visitor to our website.

This policy explains how we handle personal information and health information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW).

By using our services or this website, you agree to your information being handled as set out in this policy.

2. Information we collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with us. It may include:

Personal information

• Name, date of birth, gender and contact details (address, phone, email)
• Medicare number, DVA number, private health insurance details
• Emergency contact and next of kin details
• Payment details (card, EFT, payment plan provider information)

Health information

• Medical and dental history, including medications, allergies and prior treatments
• Clinical notes, examination findings, photographs, scans and impressions
• Treatment plans, quotes, consent forms and ongoing clinical records
• Correspondence with your GP, dentist, specialist or other healthcare providers

Other information

• Records of phone calls, SMS, emails and online enquiries with our team
• Appointment history and reminders
• Reviews, feedback and survey responses you choose to share
• Information collected automatically when you visit our website (see Section 7)

3. How we collect your information

Wherever possible, we collect information directly from you. This typically happens when you:

• Book an appointment by phone, in person, or through our website
• Complete a new patient form, consent form or medical history form
• Attend a consultation or treatment at our Gosford or Wyong clinic
• Contact us with an enquiry, quote request or complaint
• Subscribe to updates, leave a review, or interact with us on social media

In some cases, we may collect information about you from third parties — for example, from your referring dentist, specialist or GP, your private health fund, Medicare, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, or an interpreter you have engaged. We only do this where it is reasonably necessary to provide your care.

4. How we use your information

We use your information to provide safe, appropriate dental and denture care, and to run our practice. Specifically, we may use it to:

• Assess, plan, deliver and review your treatment
• Communicate with you about appointments, follow-ups and clinical matters
• Issue quotes, invoices, receipts and process payments
• Submit claims and rebates to Medicare, DVA, private health funds and the NDIS where applicable
• Liaise with your other healthcare providers as part of your care
• Comply with our legal, professional and regulatory obligations
• Improve our services, train our team and respond to feedback
• Send you relevant practice updates and oral-health information (only where you’ve opted in — see Section 8)

5. Who we share your information with

We do not sell your personal or health information. We may share it only where it is necessary, lawful and appropriate, including with:

• Treating clinicians and team members at Smiles on the Coast
• External healthcare providers involved in your care (e.g. your dentist, GP, specialist, oral surgeon)
• Dental laboratories and prosthetic technicians manufacturing your dentures or appliances
• Medicare, DVA, private health funds, the NDIS and payment plan providers (where you ask us to claim on your behalf)
• Our practice software, secure cloud hosting, communications, and analytics providers — bound by confidentiality and data-protection obligations
• Our accountants, auditors, insurers and legal advisors where reasonably required
• Government, regulatory or law enforcement bodies where required or authorised by law

6. Storage and security

Your information is held in a mix of secure electronic systems and, where required, paper records at our clinics. We take reasonable steps to protect it from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure, including:

• Access controls, individual logins and role-based permissions for staff
• Encrypted connections for online forms and clinical software
• Locked filing and restricted-access areas at each clinic
• Regular backups and audited cloud providers
• Staff training on privacy, confidentiality and information handling

No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. If we suspect a data breach that is likely to result in serious harm, we will respond in line with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.

7. Website, cookies and analytics

When you visit smilesonthecoast.com.au, we may automatically collect technical information such as your device type, browser, IP address, pages viewed, referring URL and approximate location.

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

• Make the website function correctly
• Remember your preferences
• Measure how people use the site (for example, via Google Analytics)
• Improve the relevance of advertising we may run on platforms like Google and Meta (Facebook and Instagram)

You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Some parts of the website may not work as intended if cookies are disabled.

8. Marketing communications

From time to time we may send you appointment reminders, recalls, practice updates, oral-health tips or special offers by SMS, email or phone.

Clinical and appointment communications are considered part of your care. For general marketing, we will only contact you where you’ve agreed to receive it. You can opt out at any time by:

• Replying STOP to an SMS
• Using the unsubscribe link in an email
• Calling either clinic and asking to be removed from marketing

9. Accessing and correcting your information

You have the right to ask for a copy of the personal and health information we hold about you, and to ask us to correct it if it is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete.

To make a request, please contact us using the details in Section 13. We may need to verify your identity before releasing records. In limited circumstances (for example, where access would impact someone else’s safety or privacy), we may decline a request and will explain why in writing.

A reasonable fee may apply for retrieval and copying of records, in line with NSW health records law.

10. How long we keep your information

We retain health records for the minimum period required by NSW law — generally seven (7) years from your last visit for adult patients, and until age 25 for patients who were under 18 at the time of treatment.

Other records (for example, accounting and tax) are kept for the period required under Australian law. When information is no longer needed, we securely destroy or de-identify it.

11. Complaints

If you believe we have mishandled your personal or health information, please contact us first using the details in Section 13. We take privacy complaints seriously and will respond to you within a reasonable time.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can also contact:

• Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) — oaic.gov.au — 1300 363 992
• NSW Information and Privacy Commission — ipc.nsw.gov.au — 1800 472 679
• Health Care Complaints Commission (NSW) — hccc.nsw.gov.au — 1800 043 159

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes to our practice, technology, services or the law. The current version will always be available at smilesonthecoast.com.au/privacy-policy. The “Last updated” date at the top shows when the policy was last revised.

13. Contact us

For privacy questions, access requests, or complaints, please contact our Privacy Officer:

Email: [email protected]