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THE BAREFOOT OSTEO – PRIVACY POLICY

Effective Date: 1st December 2025

This Privacy Policy explains how The Barefoot Osteo Warrnambool (“we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses, discloses and protects your personal information, including health information.

We are committed to handling your information in accordance with:

  • The Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs)
  • Relevant Victorian health privacy laws (including the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic))
  • Other applicable professional and regulatory obligations (including those set by Ahpra and the Osteopathy Board of Australia)

 

By using our services, booking an appointment, visiting our clinic, or using our website, you agree to this Privacy Policy.

If you have any questions, you can contact us at:
Email: hello@barefootosteo.com.au
Phone: 0403 127 397

1. WHO WE ARE

This Privacy Policy applies to:

The Barefoot Osteo Warrnambool
Principal osteopath: Kyle Quinn (Registered Osteopath)
Located in Warrnambool, Victoria, 3280, Australia.

We provide osteopathic, naturopathic and related health services, as well as educational content and resources.

2. WHAT INFORMATION WE COLLECT

We collect different types of information depending on your interaction with us.

2.1 Personal and contact information

  • Name
  • Date of birth
  • Address
  • Email address
  • Phone number
  • Emergency contact details

 

2.2 Health information

As a health service provider, we collect information that may include:

  • Medical history and presenting complaint
  • Relevant past injuries, surgeries and diagnoses
  • Medications and allergies
  • Test results or reports (e.g. imaging, pathology)
  • Treatment notes, clinical observations and outcome measures
  • Referral letters and reports from or to other practitioners
  • Information you share about lifestyle, work, stressors, activity and goals

 

2.3 Administrative, billing and funding information

  • Medicare details (where applicable)
  • Private health insurance details (where applicable)
  • Payment details (e.g. card type or last 4 digits – we do not store full card numbers in our clinical records)
  • Details related to third-party payers (e.g. insurers, compensable bodies) if relevant

 

2.4 Website, digital and communication information

When you visit our website or interact with us online, we may collect:

  • Your IP address and general location information
  • Device type, browser type and settings
  • Pages visited, time on page and navigation patterns
  • Cookies and similar technologies used for basic functionality and analytics
  • Your communication preferences (e.g. if you subscribe to newsletters)

 

We generally collect this information in a way that does not personally identify you, but in some cases it may be linked to your contact details (for example, if you submit a form on the website).

3. HOW WE COLLECT YOUR INFORMATION

We collect personal and health information in several ways, including:

  • Directly from you, for example when you:
    • Book an appointment (online, over the phone, or in person)
    • Complete intake or consent forms
    • Attend consultations and discuss your health and goals
    • Email, text or phone us with questions or updates
  • From other health professionals or referrers, where you have consented, such as:
    • GPs, specialists, allied health practitioners
    • Other therapists or coaches involved in your care
  • From third parties, where reasonably necessary and authorised, for example:
    • Insurers, compensable bodies or case managers (with your consent, where required)
  • Automatically, when you use our website or digital services, through:
    • Cookies and similar technologies
    • Analytics tools used to understand how the site is used

 

You can choose not to provide certain information, but this may limit our ability to provide you with appropriate care or respond fully to your enquiries.

4. WHY WE COLLECT, USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR INFORMATION

We collect, use and disclose personal and health information for purposes that are reasonably necessary for our functions as a health service provider, including:

4.1 Providing osteopathic and related health services

  • Assessing your condition and medical history
  • Developing and delivering treatment plans
  • Monitoring progress and outcomes
  • Communicating with you about your care

 

4.2 Booking, administration and billing

  • Managing appointments, cancellations and waitlists
  • Processing payments and managing accounts
  • Communicating about upcoming appointments and changes
  • Managing third-party funding arrangements (e.g. insurers, compensable bodies) where applicable

 

4.3 Clinical quality, training and risk management

  • Reviewing and improving our services and processes
  • Internal audits, supervision or case discussions (de-identified where possible)
  • Meeting professional, ethical and regulatory obligations

 

4.4 Legal, regulatory and professional obligations

  • Responding to requests from regulators or complaints bodies, where required by law
  • Meeting obligations under health, privacy and record-keeping legislation
  • Handling complaints, incidents or potential legal claims

 

4.5 Communication and education

  • Responding to general enquiries
  • Providing information about our services, resources or clinic updates
  • With your consent (or where otherwise permitted by law), sending you educational content or newsletters that may be relevant to your interests
  • You may opt out of non-essential marketing communications at any time (see Section 8).

 

We will not use your personal information for purposes that are unrelated to your care or our operations unless we have your consent or are required or authorised by law.

5. HEALTH INFORMATION AND RECORDS

Because we provide health services, much of the information we collect is classified as sensitive health information.

We take this especially seriously and:

  • Store clinical records in secure, access-controlled systems
  • Limit access to staff who need the information to perform their role
  • Take reasonable steps to ensure information is accurate, up to date and complete
  • Retain records for at least the minimum period required by law (for example, health records for adults are typically retained for at least 7 years from the last entry, and longer for children)

 

If you have questions about how your health record is managed, please contact us (see Section 12).

6. DISCLOSURE OF YOUR INFORMATION

We may disclose your personal or health information to:

  • Other health professionals involved in your care (e.g. GPs, specialists, allied health practitioners), where:
    • You have provided consent; or
    • It is otherwise permitted or required by law
  • Third-party payers or case managers (e.g. insurers, compensable bodies), where relevant and authorised
  • Our practice management, booking, billing and IT service providers, who assist us with:
    • Hosting clinical software and appointment systems
    • Payment processing
    • Email and SMS communications
    • Data storage and security
  • Regulators, professional bodies or complaint-handling bodies, where required or authorised by law
  • Our professional advisers (e.g. accountants, legal advisers) where reasonably necessary and subject to confidentiality obligations
  • Any person you explicitly authorise us to share information with

 

We will not sell your personal information.

Some of our service providers may store data on servers located outside Australia. Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure that such providers handle your information in a way that is consistent with Australian privacy requirements.

7. WEBSITE, COOKIES AND ANALYTICS

When you visit our website, we may use:

  • Cookies and similar technologies to:
    • Help the site function properly
    • Remember certain preferences
    • Understand how visitors use the site (e.g. what pages are viewed and for how long)
  • Analytics tools (such as website traffic analysis) to improve content and user experience

 

You can usually set your browser to refuse cookies or alert you when they are being used. However, some website features may not function properly if cookies are disabled.

8. DIRECT MARKETING & COMMUNICATION PREFERENCES

From time to time, we may use your contact details to:

  • Send appointment-related information (e.g. confirmations, reminders, changes)
  • Share clinic updates, educational resources or newsletters

 

We will:

  • Only send non-essential marketing content (e.g. newsletters, general updates) if:
    • You have given consent; or
    • It is otherwise permitted by law; and
  • Give you a simple way to opt out of these communications at any time (for example, an “unsubscribe” link in emails, or by contacting us directly)

 

Opting out of marketing does not affect important administrative or clinical communications (like appointment reminders or information directly related to your care).

9. SECURITY OF YOUR INFORMATION

We take reasonable steps to protect the personal and health information we hold from:

  • Misuse, interference and loss
  • Unauthorised access, modification or disclosure

 

These steps include:

  • Using reputable practice management and IT systems with appropriate security measures
  • Restricting access to clinical records to authorised personnel
  • Using passwords and other access controls
  • Training staff on confidentiality and privacy obligations

 

Despite our efforts, no system can be guaranteed as completely secure. If we become aware of a data breach that is likely to result in serious harm, we will follow the requirements of the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme, where applicable.

10. ACCESS TO AND CORRECTION OF YOUR INFORMATION

You have rights to access and request correction of your personal information, subject to some exceptions recognised by law.

10.1 Access

You may request access to the personal and health information we hold about you by contacting us in writing (see Section 12).

We may:

  • Ask you to verify your identity
  • Ask you to clarify the information you are seeking
  • Charge a reasonable fee for administrative costs (e.g. photocopying, printing, or postage), if applicable

 

We will respond to access requests within a reasonable time and let you know if we are unable to provide some or all of the information, and the reasons why.

10.2 Correction

If you believe that any personal information we hold about you is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete or misleading, please contact us.

We will take reasonable steps to correct the information. If we do not agree with your requested correction, we can, if you wish, add a statement to your record noting your disagreement.

11. COMPLAINTS ABOUT PRIVACY

If you have a concern or complaint about how your personal information has been collected, used or handled, please contact us first so we can try to resolve it.

Step 1 – Contact us directly
Email: hello@barefootosteo.com.au
Phone: 0403 127 397

Please include:

  • Your name and contact details
  • A clear description of your concern
  • Any relevant dates or details

 

We will aim to acknowledge your complaint and respond within a reasonable timeframe.

Step 2 – External options
If you feel that your concern has not been resolved, you may be able to lodge a complaint with:

  • The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) – for privacy complaints generally
  • The Health Complaints Commissioner (HCC) Victoria – for concerns about health services in Victoria

 

Information about how to lodge a complaint with these bodies is available on their official websites.

12. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, for example to reflect:

  • Changes in laws or regulations
  • Updates to our systems, services or processes
  • Feedback from clients or regulators

 

The current version will always be available on our website or by request.

This Privacy Policy was last updated on: 1st December 2025.

13. GOVERNING LAW

This Privacy Policy is subject to the laws of Victoria, Australia and each party submits to the jurisdiction of the courts of Victoria, Australia.

14. CONTACT US

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, or how we handle your personal information, please contact:

The Barefoot Osteo Warrnambool
Email: hello@barefootosteo.com.au
Phone: 0403 127 397