NECK SURGERY LIMITED
PRIVACY POLICY

1. In this policy Neck Surgery Limited (the "Company" or "Us" or "We") outlines the personal information we collect from our patients, potential patients, staff, potential staff, and contractors and others (together called "You").
2. The Company and its director and applicable qualified staff are each bound by the laws of New Zealand and for this policy the Privacy Act 2020 ("Privacy Act") and the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 ("Medical Legislation"). The Medical Legislation provides for both the Company and its director to be subject to the statutory requirements imposed by the Medical Council of New Zealand ("Medical Council").
3. The personal information we collect from you includes names, addresses, occupations, date and place of birth, contact information, your medical history, email addresses, the name and contract details for an emergency contact, your NHI number and details associated with that number. For staff we collect from you information in relation to your qualifications, membership of any professional bodies, NZ residency and visa requirements, criminal history, employment history, education and academic performance, testimonials and government information.
4. The type of information we collect, and hold depends on the nature of your interaction with us. The information that we collect from you includes information we obtain from you directly or indirectly. We may obtain indirect information through emails, forms, clinical records we obtain from another medical professional or laboratory test results. We also collect information about you from third party sources who refer patients to us including general practitioners, other specialists, the Ministry of Health, Accident Compensation Corporation, or by direct marketing to you including internet marketing where we may retain your details including your name, email address, contact number and details of the nature of your enquiry. We may also obtain information about you through third parties including when we obtain governmental information for you on your behalf, via publicly available sources, or have a third party collect information for us in respect of you.
5. The purpose of collecting that information is to enable us to conduct our business, consult on and provide surgical procedures with your informed consent, engage third parties on your behalf, communicate with you, purchase goods and services for you, establish a treatment plan, refer you back to your general practitioner or another specialist, check your identity, invoicing you, receiving moneys on your behalf, recovering our fees from you (which may involve disclosing your information to a third party debt collector), to comply with the Medical Legislation and the requirements of the Medical Council.
6. The third parties to whom we will disclose information about you includes all third parties who are reasonably required to be informed to meet your medical needs and include but are not limited to laboratories for testing, your general practitioner reporting as to treatment, other specialists, the Ministry of Health, Accident Compensation Corporation, the Medical Council and the Health and Disability Commissioner. The Company may disclose your personal information, to the extent required to enable us to fulfil our obligations to you and otherwise required by the Medical Legislation or any other purpose required by law to another party as contemplated in this policy, those who assist us in undertaking work for you (such as hosting and data storage providers, specialist consultants, and our insurers).
7. Where you present yourself for a consultation or a surgical procedure and bring with you a family member or a support person you authorise us to discuss such procedures with or without that person present to assist you in understanding such procedures and recognising that you may be subject to anaesthetic at that time.
8. Personal information obtained by us may be held in paper or electronic form held at our offices or data storage facilities which may be retained outside of New Zealand including those operated by third party contractors. Information held outside New Zealand may not have the same privacy rules that are applicable in New Zealand.
9. Should you choose not to provide some information to us we may not be able to provide you with the services you seek.
10. In respect of the information, we gather about staff such information is used by us to ensure that patients are adequately cared for and that you are qualified to participate in the care of patients. We may need to use information gathered from staff to check with relevant professional bodies, academic institutions, speak with or write to prior employers and/ or referees, and otherwise to check as to the accuracy as to the information you have provide to us when seeking employment. We may also make use of that information for the purpose of disclosure of it to other professional bodies, the Medical Council. Ministry of Health and the Health and Disability Commissioner.
11. If we no longer require your information, we will comply with all the requirements of the Privacy Act for disposal of that information.
12. You have the right to ask for a copy of any personal information we hold about you, and to ask for it to be corrected if it is wrong or out of date. If you would like a copy of the information we hold for you, or have it corrected, please contact us my way of email to admin@necksurgery.co.nz.
13. We will take reasonable steps to protect the security of the information we hold for you by undertaking reasonable security measures to protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of information under our control including security measures to restrict access to paper and electronic documents. We also use cyber security services to protect your information which may permit such contractors to have access to our system for that purpose.
14. If you have any questions or concerns in relation to this policy, please contact the director of the Company.

This policy is dated 12 April 2024 and may be updated from time to time.