Remote Territory Healthcare Pty Ltd (ABN 98 668 369 373), trading as Remote Territory Healthcare (RTHC), is committed to protecting the privacy of our patients. This policy explains what personal and health information we collect, why we collect it, how we use, store and share it, and how you can access or correct it or make a complaint.

We are bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). A copy of the APPs is available from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au.

Why and when your consent is necessary

When you register as a patient, you consent to our GPs, Nurse Practitioners, nurses, allied health and practice staff accessing and using your personal information so they can provide you with the best possible healthcare. Only staff who need to see your information will access it. If we need to use your information for anything else, we will seek additional consent from you.

What information we collect

The information we collect includes:

  • your name, date of birth, address and contact details
  • medical information, including medical history, medicines, allergies, adverse events, immunisations, social history, family history and risk factors
  • Medicare number, Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) number and concession card details, where applicable
  • healthcare identifiers
  • health fund details
  • emergency contact and next of kin details.

Dealing with us anonymously

You can deal with us anonymously or under a pseudonym unless it is impracticable for us to do so, or unless we are required or authorised by law to deal only with identified individuals. Medicare rebates cannot be processed without identifying information.

How we collect your information

  • When you make your first appointment, our staff collect your demographic and personal details through your registration, including through our online booking and digital registration forms.
  • During the course of providing medical services, we may collect further information, for example through electronic prescribing, My Health Record, or test results received from other providers.
  • We may collect information when you send us an email or SMS, phone us, use our online booking service, or complete the contact form on our website.
  • Where it is necessary and you have consented, we may collect information from other sources, such as:
    • your guardian or responsible person
    • other healthcare providers, such as specialists, allied health professionals, hospitals, community health services, and pathology and diagnostic imaging services
    • your health fund, Medicare or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

When, why and with whom we share your information

We share your personal information:

  • with third parties who work with our practice for business purposes, such as accreditation agencies and information technology providers. These third parties are required to comply with the APPs and this policy
  • with other healthcare providers involved in your care, such as when we refer you to a specialist or request pathology or imaging
  • when it is required or authorised by law, for example court subpoenas or mandatory reporting obligations
  • when it is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to a patient’s life, health or safety, or to public health or safety, or when it is impractical to obtain the patient’s consent
  • to assist in locating a missing person
  • to establish, exercise or defend an equitable claim
  • for the purpose of a confidential dispute resolution process
  • when there is a statutory requirement to share certain personal information, for example notification of certain diseases
  • during the course of providing medical services, through electronic prescribing, My Health Record (for example, via a shared health summary or event summary), the Australian Immunisation Register and national cancer screening registers.

Only people who need to access your information will be able to do so. Other than in the course of providing medical services or as otherwise described in this policy, we will not share personal information with any third party without your consent.

We will not share your personal information with anyone outside Australia unless you have consented or we are required or authorised by law to do so.

We will not use your personal information for marketing any goods or services directly to you without your express consent. If you do consent, you may opt out of direct marketing at any time by notifying us in writing.

Appointment reminders, recalls and online services

We use secure systems to send appointment confirmations, reminders and recall notices by SMS, and to provide online booking, repeat script and medical certificate requests, and digital patient forms. These providers handle your information only to deliver these services to our practice. You can tell us at any time if you do not want to receive SMS reminders.

Students and training

RTHC is a teaching practice. Supervised health students may be involved in your care. We will always ask for your permission before a student is present during your consultation, and you may decline without affecting your care.

Use of information for quality improvement and research

We may use your information internally to improve the quality of the services we offer to patients, through research and analysis of patient data. We may provide de-identified data to other organisations to improve population health outcomes. Patients cannot be identified from this data, and the information is stored securely. You can let us know if you do not want your de-identified information included.

How we store and protect your information

Your personal information is stored at our practice in electronic records. We protect it with secure, password-protected systems, access restricted to staff who need it, staff confidentiality agreements, and secure storage of any paper documents.

We keep medical records for at least seven years from the date of last contact for adults, and for children until they turn at least 25. After this, records are securely destroyed or permanently de-identified.

If a data breach is likely to result in serious harm to you, we will notify you and the OAIC as required under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.

Accessing and correcting your information

You have the right to request access to, and correction of, your personal information.

Please make your request in writing to the Practice Manager using the contact details below. We will respond within 30 days. We do not charge a fee for making a request, but we may charge a reasonable fee to cover the cost of providing copies. We may ask for identification before releasing any information.

We will take reasonable steps to correct your information where it is inaccurate or out of date. From time to time we will ask you to confirm that your details are correct. You may also ask us to correct or update your information at any time by contacting the practice.

Our website

Information you submit through our website contact form is used only to respond to your enquiry. Our website uses cookies and analytics to understand how visitors use the site. This information does not identify you. You can disable cookies in your browser settings.

Privacy complaints

We take complaints and concerns about privacy seriously. Please contact the Practice Manager in writing using the details below. We will acknowledge your complaint promptly and aim to resolve it within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact:

  • Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC): 1300 363 992, www.oaic.gov.au. The OAIC generally requires you to give us the opportunity to respond first.
  • NT Health and Community Services Complaints Commission: 1800 004 474, www.hcscc.nt.gov.au

Contact us

Practice Manager
Remote Territory Healthcare
Unit B5, Berry Springs Shopping Village
10 Doris Road, Berry Springs NT 0838
Phone: (08) 7937 0000
Email: info@rthc.net
Or use our online contact form.

Policy review

We review this policy at least annually to ensure it reflects our current practices. Any changes are published on this page. A printed copy is available from reception on request.

Last updated: 22 October 2026