Holdsworth House Dental Practice aims to provide patients with appointments to meet their treatment needs. It is requested that patients notify the practice when this appointment cannot be met. To assist you in providing us with this information we contact patients via:

• SMS reminder
• Telephone reminder
• Email reminder

The cancellation policy of Holdsworth House Dental Practice requires notice of 48 hours for any cancellation/rescheduling of an appointment. A fee will be charged should a patient cancel/reschedule with less than 48 hours notice.
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In the event we are unable to accommodate a patient’s request for an appointment at a specific time and/or date, consultation with the treating dental practitioner will be sought. Generally there are allocated times for emergencies to be seen each day.

Holdsworth House Dental Practice aims to provide appropriate dental services in a safe, secure and supportive environment. For further information about our commitment to safety refer to Holdsworth House Dental Practice’s Work, Health & Safety manual.

All patients are required to complete a full medical history as accurately and completely as possible, to allow staff to identify any circumstances that may increase the risks associated with dental care.

You have a right to access your health records held by a health care professional, such as a doctor or dentist, or held by a health care provider, such as a hospital, clinic or community health service. Usually the actual record, that is, the paper, the folder, the CD, etc, is kept by the health care professional or health care provider who made the record or who holds the record.

Getting access to your health record usually means the person or body holding the record gives you a copy. If you get access to your records this way, you may have to pay for the costs of making and sending you the copy. Right of access can also mean that you are allowed to look at the original record at the office of the holder of the record.

Sometimes, you may be only given a summary of the records. You only have a right to access records made by private health care providers after 2001 (when the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) was expanded to include some private sector agencies).

You can transfer your health record at any time by completing a written request form available from Holdsworth House Dental Practice reception. Requests for access will be acknowledged within 2 business days of the receipt of the request. Where it is not possible for access to be granted within 30 days, the patient will be notified/advised when and if access will be granted. Where access is refused, the patient will be advised in writing of the reasons for refusal. This will include any information about other means by which access may be facilitated. A patient will not be permitted to remove any of the contents of their dental file from the practice, nor will they be permitted to alter or erase information contained in the dental record. However, if any of the information we have about a patient is inaccurate, a patient is encouraged to ask us to alter their records accordingly, in writing.

The initial examination of a patient shall be considered ‘implied consent’ to that procedure based on the booking of an appointment, attendance, and the patient allowing the physical examination to occur. Any subsequent treatment shall require the patient to make an informed decision and consent to the treatment either verbally or in writing depending on the procedure and associated risks. The dental clinician who is to perform the treatment is responsible for the following informed consent process in line with the Dental Board of Australia’s Code of Conduct for Registered Health Practitioners.

The clinical team at Holdsworth House Dental Practice will both access and annotate your personal health record to ensure it provides an ongoing, accurate record of your medical treatment at our practice. Your personal health record will be kept confidential at all times. Dental Records are only accessed by allocated staff who have the relevant permission rights. Except where required by law, we will generally not disseminate your health record without your written consent. For full information about privacy guidelines, please visit http://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/other-privacy-jurisdictions/state-and-territory-privacy-law.

This Practice recognises that it may be necessary to provide information to other healthcare professionals to ensure you receive appropriate and timely healthcare. Holdsworth House Dental Practice reserves the right to share information with other healthcare professionals for this purpose. If you require further information relating to how we store and use your personal information, please ask our reception staff to arrange for you to speak to a member of staff.

Your health record remains the property of Holdsworth House Dental Practice. We adhere to Federal Guidelines on Privacy in the Health Sector, and Dental Board of Australia’s Code of Conduct for Registered Health Practitioners regarding confidentiality and dissemination of these records. Please click for our full privacy policy.

Holdsworth House Dental Practice is dedicated to providing our patients with the highest standards of clinical professionalism, expertise and care. If you are not satisfied that we have met these standards, please send an email with the details of your concerns to our CEO: ceo@holdsworthhouse.com.au. All complaint emails are acknowledged immediately and an internal investigation commences upon receipt of a complaint. A formal response is issued within 10 days from the receipt of the initial complaint. Any actions identified in the investigation will be followed up within 28 days. If, after this process, there are still unresolved concerns about the level of care received at Holdsworth House, you can lodge a complaint with either of the following agencies and find further information about the complaints process in the accompanying links:
Australian Health Practitioner Health Regulation Agency https://www.ahpra.gov.au/
Dental Board of Australia https://www.dentalboard.gov.au/

Holdsworth House Dental Practice is committed to protecting the privacy of patient information and to handling your personal information in a responsible manner in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012, the Australian Privacy Principles and relevant State and Territory privacy legislation. A data breach occurs when personal information that Holdsworth House Dental Practice holds is subject to unauthorised access or disclosure, or is lost. A data breach may be caused by malicious action (by an external or insider party), human error, or a failure in information handling or security systems. Holdsworth House Dental Practice is committed to the Australian Privacy Principles and our ongoing efforts to ensure these are complied with minimises the likelihood of a data breach. The Notifiable Data Breaches (‘NDB’) Scheme that is outlined in the Privacy Act requires Holdsworth House Dental Practice to notify affected individuals and the Privacy Commissioner of ‘eligible data breaches’ which occurs when certain criteria has been met. In instances when it is not clear if a suspected data breach meets the specified criteria Holdsworth House Dental Practice will conduct a thorough assessment and respond appropriately.

Data Breach Response Effective data breach response is about reducing or removing harm to affected individuals and protecting the interests of Holdsworth House Dental Practice. Eligible data breaches are dealt with on a case by case basis however typically follow a four step process:

1. Contain: If Holdsworth House Dental Practice confirms that a data breach has occurred we will take immediate action to limit the data breach to prevent any further compromise of personal information.
2. Assess: Holdsworth House Dental Practice will gather and evaluate as much information about the data breach as this will enable us to understand the risk of harm to individuals and help Holdsworth House Dental Practice to determine the steps to limit the impact of a data breach.
3. Notify: If Holdsworth House Dental Practice believes that the breach fits the definition of a notifiable data breach a statement will be prepared for the Privacy Commissioner and the affected individuals will be notified.
4. Review: Senior Management will undertake a comprehensive review of the incident and take the relevant actions to prevent further future breaches.

Assessing a suspected data breach
‍If Holdsworth House Dental Practice suspects it has experienced an eligible data breach it will act quickly to determine if one has occurred. Assessments are typically completed using the following three stage process:

1. Contain: If Holdsworth House Dental Practice confirms that a data breach has occurred we will take immediate action to limit the data breach to prevent any further compromise of personal information.
2. Investigate: Holdsworth House Dental Practice will expeditiously gather relevant information about the suspected breach to both determine if the breach occurred and if it would result in serious harm to an individual.
3. Evaluate: Holdsworth House Dental Practice will make a decision about whether the identified breach is an eligible data breach and notify individuals and the Privacy Commissioner as required. Holdsworth House Dental Practice will take all reasonable steps to complete the assessment quickly up to a maximum of 30 calendar days.

Notifying individuals about an eligible data breach
‍If Holdsworth House Dental Practice experiences an eligible data breach its first priority is to contain the breach and take remedial action. If serious harm cannot be mitigated by remedial action Holdsworth House Dental Practice will notify the affected individuals at risk of serious harm and provide a statement to the Privacy Commissions. If an eligible data breach has been confirmed Holdsworth House Dental Practice will notify individuals affected as soon as practicable after completing the official statement prepared for notifying the Privacy Commissioner.Notification has the practical benefit of providing individuals with the opportunity to take steps to protect their personal information following a data breach, such as by changing account passwords or being alert to possible scams resulting from the breach. It is important that staff are capable of engaging with individuals who have been affected by a data breach with sensitivity and compassion, in order not to exacerbate or cause further harm. Notification of an eligible data breach must include:‍

• The identity and contact details of the practice
• A description of the data breach
• The kind of information involved in the data breach
• Recommendations about the steps that individuals should take in response to the data breach

For a copy of our full data breach policy, please contact ceo@holdsworthhouse.com.au.