PRIVACY POLICY

Last Updated 11/08/2026

1. PART 1 – ABOUT THIS POLICY

1.1 Purpose

Read Right Speech Pathology is committed to protecting the privacy of the personal and health information we collect and hold.

Read Right Speech Pathology handles personal and health information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) and the Health Privacy Principles (HPPs), other applicable privacy laws, and Speech Pathology Australia’s Code of Ethics (2020).

This Privacy Policy explains how Read Right Speech Pathology collects, uses, stores and discloses personal and health information, and how you can access or correct your information or make a privacy-related complaint.

Read Right Speech Pathology is a private speech pathology practice owned and operated by Kristina Tachtsis.

2. PART 2 – HOW READ RIGHT SPEECH PATHOLOGY HANDLES YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

2.1 Read Right Speech Pathology’s Legal Obligations

In order to provide the health care services you have requested, Read Right Speech Pathology needs to collect and use personal and health information about you or your child.

If you provide incomplete or inaccurate information, or choose not to provide information that is necessary for us to provide our services, we may not be able to provide you or your child with the services you are seeking.

2.2 What information does Read Right Speech Pathology collect?

We will only collect the information we need for the particular function or activity we are carrying out.

We collect information from you that is necessary to provide you with speech pathology services and to manage our relationship with you. Depending on the services provided, the information we collect may include:

  • your or your child's name, date of birth, address and contact details;

  • parent/carer, guardian and emergency contact details;

  • medical, developmental, health and relevant family history;

  • information about speech, language, literacy, communication, learning and development;

  • educational information, including school, kindergarten or childcare information;

  • assessment results, clinical observations, progress notes, therapy goals, reports and other clinical records;

  • information and reports provided by other health, educational or support professionals;

  • NDIS information, including participant and Plan Manager details where relevant;

  • Medicare, private health insurance and other funding information;

  • appointment, billing and payment information; and

  • correspondence and communications with you and, where appropriate, other people involved in you or your child's care.

At times, audio or video recordings may be taken where clinically appropriate to support assessment or intervention. We will inform you before a recording takes place, explain the purpose of the recording and how it will be used and stored, and obtain your consent. You may decline to have you or your child recorded.

2.3 How does Read Right Speech Pathology collect health information?

Where appropriate, we may also collect information from third parties involved in you or your child's care, education or support. This may include parents/carers, educational professionals, medical and allied health professionals, other service providers, or NDIS Plan Managers.

2.4 How does Read Right Speech Pathology use your information?

2.4 How does Read Right Speech Pathology use and disclose your information?

Read Right Speech Pathology uses personal and health information primarily to provide speech pathology services to you or your child, manage our relationship with you, communicate with you about care and services, and operate and administer our practice.

We will only use or disclose personal and health information for the purpose for which it was collected, for a related purpose where permitted by law, with your consent, or where otherwise permitted or required by law.

Personal and health information may be used or disclosed in the following circumstances:

(a) Health professionals and other service providers

Where appropriate, we may share relevant information with health professionals and other service providers involved in you or your child's care, such as speech pathologists, occupational therapists, psychologists, medical practitioners and other allied health professionals.

(b) Referrers

Where you or your child has been referred to Read Right Speech Pathology by a medical practitioner or other professional, we may provide relevant information to the referrer where appropriate for your care or where required as part of the referral arrangement.

Where applicable, this may include assessment findings, progress updates, reports or information following completion of services.

(c) Parents, carers, guardians and representatives

Where appropriate, we may provide relevant information to a parent, carer, legal guardian or authorised representative involved in you or your child's care.

We will take into account applicable consent, privacy and legal requirements when determining what information can be shared and with whom.

(d) Educational professionals

With appropriate consent, we may collect information from or disclose relevant information to educational professionals involved with you or your child, such as teachers, learning support staff, schools, kindergartens or childcare services, where this is relevant to assessment, intervention or educational planning.

This may include information required for observations, progress updates, recommendations, reports, communication regarding therapy goals or strategies, or coordinating services.

(e) NDIS and funding arrangements

Where applicable, we may use or disclose relevant information for the purpose of providing and administering NDIS-funded services. This may include communicating with Plan Managers, the NDIA or other relevant parties where necessary for invoicing, payment, service administration or where otherwise authorised or required by law.

We may also use or disclose relevant information to Medicare, private health insurers or other funding bodies where necessary to process or verify claims or payments.

(f) Practice administration

We may use personal information where reasonably necessary for the administration and operation of our practice, including:

  • appointment scheduling, confirmations and reminders;

  • invoicing, billing and account management;

  • quality assurance, audits, risk management and professional obligations; and

  • responding to enquiries, complaints or other communications.

(g) Other uses and disclosures

We may use or disclose personal or health information where required or authorised by law, including where necessary to respond to a serious threat to health or safety or to comply with applicable legal obligations.

We will seek your consent before using your information for purposes that are not directly related to providing or administering our services, such as marketing or research, where consent is required.

2.5 Access to and correction of your health information

You may request access to the personal and health information we hold about you or your child, subject to any exceptions permitted by law.

You may also request that we correct information you believe is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date. If we do not agree to make a requested correction, you may ask us to record a statement outlining the correction you requested.

To request access to or correction of personal or health information, please contact our Privacy Officer using the contact details below.

Where permitted by law, we may charge a reasonable fee for providing access to information, subject to any applicable legal limits.

2.6 Data Quality

Read Right Speech Pathology will take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal and health information we collect, use and disclose is accurate, complete and up to date.

We encourage you to let us know if your or your child's information changes or if you believe any information we hold is inaccurate.

2.7 Data Security and Retention

Read Right Speech Pathology takes reasonable steps to protect personal and health information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. We use appropriate physical, administrative and electronic security measures to protect the information we hold.

Personal and health information will be retained for the period required by applicable legal and professional requirements. When information is no longer required to be retained, we will take reasonable steps to securely destroy or permanently de-identify it.

If we become aware of a suspected data breach involving personal information, we will take appropriate steps to contain and assess the incident. Where required by law, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

2.8 What to do if you have a complaint about privacy issues

If you have a question or concern about this Privacy Policy, our handling of your personal or health information, or a request to access or correct your information, please contact our Privacy Officer, Kristina Tachtsis using the details below.

Email: kristina@readrightspeech.com.au

Phone: 0482 054 520

We will review your concern or complaint and respond to you within a reasonable timeframe.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may also contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) or the Victorian Health Complaints Commissioner (HCC).

PART 3 – WEBSITE PRIVACY

This section of our Privacy Policy explains how we handle your personal information collected from our website. This Privacy Policy applies to your use of our website and the use of any of the facilities on our website.

3.1 Collection

When you visit our website, certain technical information may be collected automatically, such as your browser type, device information, IP address, pages visited and the date and time of your visit. This information may be used to operate, maintain and understand the use of our website.

We may also collect personal information that you choose to provide to us through our website or by email, for example when you submit an enquiry or contact us.

Personal information collected through our website will be handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

3.2 Cookies

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to support website functionality and understand how the website is used. You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect the functionality of some parts of the website.

3.3 Links to third party websites

We may create links to third party websites. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices employed by websites that are linked from our website.

3.4 Use and disclosure

We will use any personal information collected via our website in accordance with our privacy policy.

PART 4 – TELEPRACTICE

Telepractice involves providing speech pathology services using telecommunications technology. Read Right Speech Pathology typically provides telepractice services via videoconferencing but may also use other forms of electronic communication, such as email, where appropriate. We currently use Google Meet for videoconferencing.

You must not video or audio record a telepractice session without the prior consent of your speech pathologist.

At times, Read Right Speech Pathology may wish to make an audio or video recording where clinically appropriate to support assessment or intervention. We will inform you before any recording takes place, explain why the recording is required and how it will be used and stored, and obtain your consent. You may decline to have you or your child recorded.

Telepractice may occasionally be affected by technical difficulties, such as internet connectivity or technology failures.

Read Right Speech Pathology takes reasonable steps to protect your privacy and the security of information communicated electronically. However, the use of electronic communication, including email and videoconferencing, carries some privacy and security risks. You can help reduce these risks by using a secure internet connection, participating from a private location and taking reasonable steps to protect your devices and accounts.

You may choose not to receive services via telepractice or may withdraw your consent to telepractice at any time. If you do so, we will discuss alternative service options with you where available and appropriate.