Privacy Policy and Code of Practice

Why your health service provider collects sensitive and health information about you:

Your Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (BCST) practitioner is required to keep case notes in accordance with the Pacific Association of Craniosacral Therapists' (PACT) Code of Ethics 2.6 Accuracy of Records.

2.6 Accuracy of Records

All case notes will be clear, legible, and contain all the relevant information relating to the progress of the case. They will enable a third party to have an understanding of the patient's state at the time of a consultation; whether the patient has improved, maintained or deteriorated in their condition since they were last seen.

To ensure continuity of care, with access to previous treatment information, the treatment of a patient known to be under the care of a fellow Biodynamic Craniosacral therapist should not be undertaken without informing them. If the patient does not agree to this, a note of this fact should be recorded, and that continuity of care cannot be achieved.

Where a patient requests the record of their treatment, or asks that they be forwarded to another Biodynamic Craniosacral therapist or other practitioner, it is important to send a copy of all information from that patient's case notes as quickly as possible. The full original notes are to be retained by the Biodynamic Craniosacral therapist.

Your legal protections:

Flourishing Tides at all times abides by the Australian Privacy Act and specifically under that act, the Health Records Act 2001. When you contacted your BCST practitioner, records or sensitive information you have shared with your BCST practitioner are made and retained for 7 years from the last call/appointment.

Your health records secure:

To ensure all client’s medical and personal information is kept secure and stored, Flourishing Tides will not use cloud storage but rather a MacBook Air internal hard drive. The hard drive utilises biometric security and automatically locks after one idle minute.

To mitigate against other people accessing sensitive information on the MacBook Air internal hard drive, it will not be left unlocked and unattended at any time.

To mitigate against the MacBook Air hard drive being stolen, the ability to remotely wipe the laptop data in the event of theft will be maintained.

To mitigate against the MacBook Air internal hard drive failing, files will be backed up once per week onto an external hard drive for secure storage.

To mitigate against the back up external hard drive failing, a second backup stored in the same place is made each week; and a check that the documents of both back ups are saving correctly is performed by checking three documents randomly.

To mitigate against records being destroyed in flood or fire, back up hard drives are stored in a fire/waterproof bag, locked in an office safe, located in a flood free area (a steep hill that cannot flood).

External hard drives are replaced every 2 years.

When a health service provider can disclose your health information

In accord with the Health Records Act 2001, a health service provider can disclose your health information:

• if it’s required by law

• if it’s necessary to prevent a serious threat to life, health or safety and it’s not practical to get your consent, or

• if you agree to it.

BCST professional association code of practice

Pacific Association of Craniosacral Therapists (PACT) Code of Practice

https://www.biodynamic-craniosacral.com/member-area/code-of-practice/

As a Professional member of the PACT, this practitioner will:

• Put your needs as an individual first - treating everyone equally regarding gender, ethnicity, disability, culture, beliefs, sexuality, lifestyle, age, social status or linguistic ability

• Work to foster and maintain trust

• Maintain appropriate professional and personal boundaries

• Listen to you and respect your views

• Give you the information you need and ensure that you understand it so you can make informed choices,\

• Respect your right to autonomy

• Respect and protect confidential information

• Be clear about how and why confidential information may be disclosed elsewhere

• Maintain and develop their professional knowledge and skills

• Practice within their boundaries of competence

• Respond promptly and constructively to concerns, criticisms or complaints

• Respect the skills of other health care professionals, and when appropriate work in co-operation with them

• Behave professionally at all times, in accordance with the PACT Code of Ethics