Wills St Dental Privacy Policy
Last Updated: June 2026
- Introduction
Wills St Dental is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality, and security of our patients’ personal and health information.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose, and manage personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic).
This Privacy Policy applies to all personal information collected by Wills St Dental, whether collected in person, by telephone, electronically, through our website, or through third-party service providers acting on our behalf.
By providing your personal information to us, you consent to its collection, use, disclosure, and storage as described in this Privacy Policy.
- Who We Are
Wills St Dental
47 Wills Street, Bendigo VIC 3550
Phone: (03) 5443 4960
Email: admin@willsdental.com.au
Website: willsdental.com.au
- Collection of Information
We collect information that is reasonably necessary to provide dental treatment and manage our practice.
Personal Information
We may collect:
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Residential and postal address
- Telephone numbers
- Email address
- Emergency contact details
Health Information
We may collect:
- Medical history
- Dental history
- Clinical notes and treatment records
- Radiographs (X-rays), photographs, scans, and study models
- Medications, allergies, and relevant health conditions
- Referrals and correspondence from healthcare providers
Financial Information
We may collect:
- Medicare details
- Private health insurance details
- Payment and billing information
- How We Collect Information
We generally collect information directly from you when you:
- Complete patient registration or medical history forms
- Submit information through our website or online forms
- Book appointments by phone, email, online, or in person
- Attend consultations and treatment appointments
- Communicate with us by telephone, email, SMS, or other methods
With your consent, or where otherwise permitted by law, we may also collect information from:
- Medical practitioners
- Dental specialists
- Hospitals
- Allied health providers
- Family members, guardians, or authorised representatives
- Other healthcare providers involved in your care
- Why We Collect Your Information
We collect personal and health information to:
- Provide safe, effective, and appropriate dental care
- Diagnose, assess, and plan treatment
- Maintain continuity of care
- Communicate with you regarding appointments and treatment
- Process payments and health fund claims
- Comply with legal, regulatory, professional, insurance, and accreditation obligations
- Respond to enquiries, complaints, and requests
- Manage and improve our services
- Operate and maintain our business systems
If you choose not to provide requested information, we may be unable to provide certain treatment or services.
- Use and Disclosure of Information
We use and disclose personal information only for purposes reasonably necessary to provide dental care and operate our practice.
Your information may be disclosed to:
- Dental specialists and healthcare providers involved in your care
- Dental laboratories
- Pharmacists where relevant to your treatment
- Medicare and private health insurers
- Professional advisers, auditors, and insurers
- Debt collection agencies where accounts remain unpaid
- Government authorities, regulators, or courts where required by law
We may engage third-party service providers to assist with:
- Practice management systems
- Information technology support
- Website hosting
- Cloud storage
- Data backup services
- Analytics services
- Communication services
- Appointment management
- Patient engagement systems
- Online booking platforms
- Online payment systems
- Other business operations
These providers are required to protect personal information and may only access information where necessary to provide services to our practice.
We do not sell personal information.
We will not use personal information for direct marketing without consent unless otherwise permitted by law.
- Appointment Reminders and Recall Communications
As part of providing ongoing dental care, we may contact you by telephone, SMS, email, post, or other electronic means regarding:
- Appointment confirmations and reminders
- Preventive dental recall reminders
- Treatment follow-up appointments
- Review appointments
- Outstanding treatment plans
- Patient satisfaction surveys
- Other communications relating to your ongoing dental care
You may request that certain communications be limited where practical and permitted by law.
- Overseas Disclosure
We do not routinely disclose personal information to overseas recipients.
However, some third-party service providers used by our practice may store or process information outside Australia. These providers may include:
- Practice management software providers
- Cloud hosting providers
- Website hosting providers
- Email service providers
- Analytics providers
- Communication platforms
- Payment processors
- Online booking systems
- Patient engagement systems
- Other technology providers
Depending on the provider’s infrastructure, personal information may be stored or processed in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, or other jurisdictions.
Where personal information is disclosed overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure it is protected and handled in accordance with Australian privacy laws and the Australian Privacy Principles.
- Data Security and Storage
We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure.
Security measures may include:
- Secure practice management software
- Password-protected systems
- User access controls
- Secure cloud-based and local storage systems
- Encrypted electronic records where appropriate
- Secure backups
- Physical security measures for paper records
- Staff training regarding privacy obligations
Personal information may be stored electronically and in physical records.
- Retention, Destruction and De-identification
We retain health records in accordance with legal and professional obligations.
Generally:
- Adult health records are retained for a minimum of seven (7) years from the date of the last entry in the record.
- Records relating to patients who were children at the time of treatment are retained until the patient reaches at least 25 years of age.
When personal information is no longer required and we are no longer legally required to retain it, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy, delete, archive, or permanently de-identify the information.
- Access and Correction
You may request access to personal information that we hold about you, subject to applicable legal requirements and exceptions.
If you believe information we hold is inaccurate, incomplete, out of date, irrelevant, or misleading, you may request correction.
Requests should be directed to:
Email: admin@willsdental.com.au
We will respond within a reasonable timeframe and in accordance with applicable legislation.
- Data Breaches
If we become aware of an actual or suspected data breach involving personal information, we will investigate the incident and take appropriate steps to contain and mitigate any risks.
Where required under the Notifiable Data Breaches Scheme established under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), we will notify affected individuals and relevant regulatory authorities.
- Website Privacy, Cookies, Analytics and Online Services
When you visit our website, we may collect information including:
- IP address
- Browser type
- Device information
- Pages visited
- Date and time of access
- Referring websites and search terms
We may use cookies, website analytics services (including Google Analytics), and similar technologies to:
- Understand website usage
- Improve website performance
- Enhance user experience
- Assist with marketing and advertising activities
In the future, our website may offer services including:
- Online appointment requests or booking systems
- Patient portals
- Secure online forms
- Email newsletters
- SMS communications
- Online payment facilities
- Live chat or messaging services
If such services are introduced, personal information collected through them will be handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
We may also use third-party advertising and analytics platforms, including services provided by Google, Meta, and other technology providers.
You may configure your browser to refuse cookies, although some website functions may not operate correctly.
Our website forms, communications, and online services are protected using SSL encryption and other reasonable security measures.
- Children and Representatives
Where a patient is under 18 years of age, lacks decision-making capacity, or has authorised another person to act on their behalf, we may collect, use, and disclose personal information through or to a parent, guardian, legal representative, or authorised decision-maker as permitted by law.
- AHPRA Advertising Compliance
In accordance with applicable healthcare advertising requirements:
- We do not publish patient testimonials where prohibited by law.
- Clinical photographs and treatment images are only used with documented patient consent.
- Images are not altered in a manner that misrepresents treatment outcomes.
- Privacy Complaints
Privacy Officer
Wills St Dental
47 Wills Street, Bendigo VIC 3550
Phone: (03) 5443 4960
Email: admin@willsdental.com.au
We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint, investigate the matter, and provide a response within a reasonable timeframe. If additional time is required, we will keep you informed of the progress of our investigation.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact:
- Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
- Health Complaints Commissioner Victoria
- Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legislation, technology, business operations, or privacy practices.
The most current version of this Privacy Policy will be available on our website and upon request from our practice.