Privacy

Serenity Mode supports and endorsed The Information Privacy Act 2000 (IPA), which came into effect on 1 September 2001, set certain legal requirements for all Health Service Providers in relation to the collection and the management of personal information. This also includes the importance of protection of client confidentiality and the gaining of consent.

The IPA prohibits disclosure of health information for any purpose other than for the purpose that it is collected. The most common exceptions to this requirement are-:

• The disclosure is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious and imminent threat to life, health or safety of an individual.
• The disclosure is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to public health, public safety or public welfare.
• The person consents to the disclosure; or
• The disclosure is authorised by law.

Serenity Mode is very mindful of our responsibilities and obligations under the Privacy Act and our Duty of Care in relation to a client’s expressed need for privacy and confidentiality.

Collection of Information:

Information will not be collected without the consent of the client or an authorised representative of the client.

Serenity Mode will not collect personal information unless the information is necessary for the proper care and support of the client, or is necessary to meet requirements for the collection of such data by statutory authorities e.g. Department of Humans Services (Vic).

No directly identifying information such as clients name or contact details are disclosed to other bodies.

Type of Information Collected:

• Information about the client such as sex, age, country of birth.>
• Information about the disability or medical state of the client, such as the category of disability or illness and the type of tasks needed to help the client.
• Information about the client’s living arrangements, such as whether they receive income support, where they live and whether they have an informal carer and,
• Information about the client’s medical and social circumstances.

Management of Information:

All data and information collected by Serenity Mode will be retained in written or electronic form by staff within our Serenity Mode offices.

Data and information stored are retained in locked filing cabinets and soft copies are retained in our cloud based storage. Authorised personnel will only access Serenity Mode’s database. Any personal information that is outdated or no longer relevant is shredded and disposed by Serenity Mode.

All staff are required to sign a Statement that they have read and fully understood all documentation contained in our Information Package, which includes this Privacy Policy.

Access to Information:

Every client has the right to access his or her personal information. This will be denied in specified circumstances such as if the information would pose a serious or imminent threat to the life of an individual or where the information would have an unreasonable impact on the privacy of other individual

Requirements of Staff:

All staff are required to maintain confidentiality regarding information involving Serenity Mode, its staff and clients and their families or carers. Breaches of confidentiality will result in disciplinary action or termination of the staff member’s employment with Serenity Mode,

All information given to staff during the cause of employment with Serenity Mode is strictly confidential and must remain confidential. On resignation or termination all confidential information must be returned to Serenity Mode.

Compliance Strategies:

All staff are advised at interview of the importance of privacy and confidentiality, which is also iterated in the Staff Information Handbook for reference. If there is any confusion, ambiguity or concerns expressed by staff, these should be discussed with the management of Serenity Mode.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

All staff are familiar with Serenity Mode’s policy on adherence to privacy and confidentiality when dealing with all aspects of their work with clients and their families.

If you believe your privacy has been breached please contact:
By email: admin@serenitymode.com
By telephone: 03 8518 5427

Serenity Mode will endeavour to resolve your issue ASAP.