POLICIES
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
Bendigo United Friendly Society (BUFS) Pharmacies is strongly committed to protecting your privacy when you interact with us. This includes any interactions on our website, in-store, and includes the privacy of health records as required under Health Legislation in each state.
BUFS is also committed to protecting your information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles.
Your privacy is important to us at BUFS, and we treat all information provided to us by you as confidential. We will only disclose your personal information when required by law or with your (or, if appropriate, your guardian’s) written consent.
In providing health services to you, BUFS aims to be transparent about the collection and use of your personal information.
The purpose of this policy is to explain:
What kinds of personal information we collect and store;
How we collect and store the personal information;
Why we collect personal information and in what circumstances we will disclose the information;
How you can access and, if necessary, correct the personal information we hold; and
How to contact us to discuss any breach of this policy or the use of your personal information.
Collection and Use of Personal Information
We collect and use information about you for the following purposes:
To provide a product or service that you have requested (e.g., filling a prescription);
To verify your identity;
To comply with legal or regulatory requirements, where the law requires us to collect your personal information (e.g., your name, address, prescription details, or for medications containing pseudoephedrine);
To ensure products are appropriate for your needs or safe for use with existing medications or health issues;
To assess your job application or for the purposes of employment, when you apply for a position with us, are employed by us, or are completing work experience;
To respond to correspondence from you whether in writing, verbally or electronically;
To improve our services through statistical data collection or digital tools such as cookies;
As part of our customer database, to market or promote products or services e.g., if you are a BUFS member; and
For any other purpose related to the above or that is reasonably necessary for BUFS activities.
How we collect information about you depends on our interactions with you:
Information you specifically provide, such as your name, address, date of birth, Medicare or DVA numbers, medication history, and contact details.
Information provided by third parties about you, such as your medication or health history provided by your GP, My Health Record or SafeScript.
Information from your use of our services, including website data and use of our online booking system (Time Tap).
In some cases, you may choose not to provide personal information or use a pseudonym. However, certain services (e.g., prescription processing) require personal information which if not provided, may prevent us from providing you with products or services.
We will take reasonable steps to ensure that the information we collect is accurate, up to date, complete and relevant.
We may request your consent to provide you with promotional material. If you do not wish to receive this material, please opt out by unsubscribing from email or SMS messages sent to you, or contact us at info@bendigoufs.com.au.
Electronic Data we Collect
We use cookies which is a small file stored on your computers browser and similar tools to collect anonymous usage data when you visit our website, such as browser type, pages visited, and IP address. Most browsers allow you to disable cookies.
Storage of Personal Information
Information is stored securely at the site of collection. Health information is stored only at the site it was collected. Systems are backed up daily.
If you are a BUFS member or have opted to receive marketing, your data is also stored centrally at our head office on secure servers.
Retention of Personal Information
Schedule 8 prescription data: kept for 3 years as required by law.
All other prescription data: retained for 12 months from the last dispensing.
We may retain information for longer periods as required by legal, insurance, or tax obligations.
We may securely destroy personal information or take steps to de-identify personal information if it is no longer required or lawfully required to do so. Publicly posted information may remain indefinitely.
Disclosure of Personal Information
We do not sell your personal information.
We may disclose information:
To staff and third parties involved in your health care (e.g., GPs, hospitals);
To government bodies (e.g., Department of Human Services for PBS);
To trusted service providers (e.g., MedAdvisor International Pty Ltd) for:
Providing health services;
Collecting and storing personal and sensitive information;
Analysing demographic and health trends;
Sending health-related communications.
Where we share data with third parties, we require them to comply with the Australian Privacy Principles and maintain equivalent security standards.
We do not currently disclose personal information to overseas recipients. If this changes, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that any overseas recipient complies with the Australian Privacy Principles.
Notifiable Data Breaches
In the event of a data breach likely to result in serious harm, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.
Accessing and Correcting Your Personal Information
You have the right to access or request correction of personal information we hold about you.
Contact us at:
Email: info@bendigoufs.com.au
Phone: (03) 5442 0410
Mail: Privacy Officer, Bendigo UFS Pharmacies, PO Box 28, Bendigo 3552
Use of Personal Information for Communication
We will only contact you with promotional material if you have consented. You may opt out at any time.
Security Measures
We employ secure web services, encrypted storage, antivirus protection, SSL encryption, and Microsoft best practices to protect data.
Although we take reasonable steps to secure your information, no digital system is completely secure. We encourage you to protect your information when using third-party platforms like social media.
Credit Card Information
Credit card data is processed securely and is not stored in our systems.
Third Party Websites
Our website may link to third-party sites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices and recommend reviewing their privacy policies.
Complaints and Enquiries
We are committed to protecting your privacy. If you have any concerns, please contact us via the details above. If you are concerned about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles or mishandling of your information, please contact us via the details above so that we may attempt to resolve the issue. If we receive a complaint from you we will consider what (if any) action should be taken to resolve the complaint, including if further investigation is required, and endeavour to respond to you within 30 days of you contacting us. If you are unsatisfied with our response or we do not respond within a reasonable period of time, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at:
Website: https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-complaints/lodge-a-privacy-complaint-with-us
Mail: GPO Box 5288, Sydney NSW 2001
If you require help with lodging the complaint, you can phone their enquiries line on 1300 363 992.