Privacy Policy

This is the Privacy Policy of Andrea Robinson (ABN: 69 517480083) trading as AR Naturopathy & Nutrition.

This website https://www.arnaturopathy.com.au/ is owned and operated by Andrea Robinson. Andrea can be contacted at andrea@arnutrition.com.au. At AR Naturopathy & Nutrition, I understand that your personal information is highly confidential and may contain sensitive information. The following privacy policy will demonstrate how I protect your information and the choices you have about how it is used. I urge you to read this policy so you will understand your choices and my commitment to protecting your privacy.

I am bound by Victorian privacy laws (Health Records Act (2000) and Privacy and Data Protection Act (2014), which stipulate my obligations in how I handle information. I strive to protect your personal information while keeping your records clear and accessible to you at all times. Client information can only be released upon receipt of the written consent of the client and their practitioner.

At AR Naturopathy & Nutrition, I collect your personal information in the context of a consultation at our clinic. If you engage with me via this website, or choose to become my client, I may ask to collect the following kinds of personal information from you, including:

Contact details – name, email address, address, mobile or phone number

Interests & preferences – your opinion about future topics, products or services that may interest you

Interaction – information that allows me to tailor my content to your needs when you sign up for one of my workshops or promotional events.

Internet – with your consent, I may collect your IP address, and information about your browsing history to help me improve the usability and appeal of my website.

This information is used to contact you directly regarding your consultation, appointments, or treatment. We may also contact you with information regarding the clinic and other of our services.

I may collect your personal information by various means including:

• When you send me a question or enquiry via my website or email
• When you book an appointment
• If you sign up for my newsletter
• If you download a resource
• When you sign up or attend in person seminars / webinars / events
• you correspond with me on a social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram or similar sites;
• you provide me with a testimonial;
• I search your website or social media in preparation for working with you;
• A third party supplies information to me, such as when you are referred or introduced to me by a mutual acquaintance or doctor

• Respond to your enquiries or comments
• Provide you with more relevant information and news about my services
• Provide news about developments in my area of work
• you opt in to receive a free resource or newsletter from me;

• With your full awareness and consent, such as when you email me, tick a checkbox or fill in a form to provide me with information;
• If I need it to provide you with information or services that you request
• If I am legally required to collect it
• For necessary administrative processes if you become my client

Your email address will not be disclosed to any other party without your knowledge and consent.
You can opt to not be contacted by email by me at any time.

I understand that some information is particularly sensitive.

I will only collect sensitive information by methods that are reasonably secure, such as:

• Through my intake form – completed online during the booking process in my client portal
• Through my client portal, where you can upload test results or any other documents you want to share with me
• Via email or text message where you might provide me with other information relevant to your health history
• During a telephone, face-to-face or online consultation

• Your birth date, your medical history, family medical history, allergies and intolerances, current medications, supplements and diagnosed health conditions.
• Information about the food and drinks you consume, as well as dietary and lifestyle preferences or habits.
• Information about your physical wellbeing, such as blood pressure, pulse rate, temperature, weight, height, nail or tongue data.
• I may discuss your mental wellbeing at the consultation and will record what you share with me.

I use this information to understand your health query and to understand factors influencing your health, to answer your questions about your health needs and to tailor a treatment program to address your needs. This information is collected only with your consent and can be updated at any time.

If the collection of information is in relation to minors, please note that sensitive information from any children under the age of 18, will only be collected if I have the full consent and presence of their parent or guardian.

If you do not want to provide me with information when requested to do so, I may not be able to carry out your instructions or achieve the purpose for which the information has been sought.

You must provide me with full and accurate information about your diagnosed medical conditions, medications or supplements, known allergies and intolerances, so I can ensure safety of treatment and check for pharmacological interactions with any nutrients I prescribe.

The information you provide me with is stored in my clinic management system (Practice Better). This is Practice Better’s privacy policy https://practicebetter.io/privacy and you can find further information on their privacy and security here https://help.practicebetter.io/hc/enus/articles/360024615431-Privacy-Security-FAQ.

Andrea Robinson has sole access to your information, including all sensitive material. If you send me any information via email or text message, it may be stored temporarily on my phone, desktop computer or laptop. All of these devices have a security code. If I take any photographs of you (for tracking purposes) or of anything (eg. medications, supplements) you share with me, I will temporarily store these on my phone, but they will be uploaded onto Practice Better within 24 hours and then deleted from my devices.

If I prescribe a supplement for you and you are an Australian resident, I will set you up as a client of Vital.ly, Natural Script and/or Ariya Health. Vital.ly, Natural Script and Ariya Health are online supplement distribution companies. They will store some of your personal information (name, address, email address and phone number) as well as details of the supplements I have prescribed for you. You can find Vital.ly’s privacy statement here https://www.vital.ly/q/privacy_policy/, AR Naturopathy & Nutrition www.arnaturopathy.com.au Natural Script’s privacy policy here https://www.naturalscript.au/privacy-policy and Ariya Health’s privacy policy here https://ariya.health/privacy-policy/.

At times, I may, with your consent, share your health information with another healthcare professional. This will only be done if we agree that another healthcare professional might help you further with your health concern. You will be in full control of what is shared with such healthcare professional.

There may be occasions where I would like to seek advice from another nutritionist or naturopath. If this is the case, I will only ever share a de-identified summary of your case.

Any students observing in the clinic will be bound by the same privacy considerations as all practitioners and other staff. No identifiable details about clients will be used in any note taking by students.

I also will disclose your information if required by law to do so or in circumstances permitted by the Privacy Act – for example, where I have reasonable grounds to suspect that unlawful activity, or misconduct of a serious nature, that relates to my functions or activities has been, is being or may be engaged in, and in response to a subpoena, discovery request or a court order.

If you have any concerns regarding the disclosure of your personal information, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me to discuss this personally.

I will use all reasonable means to protect the confidentiality of your personal information while in my possession or control. I will not knowingly share any of your personal information with any third party other than the service providers who assist me in providing the information and/or services I am providing to you. To the extent that I do share your personal information with a service provider, I would only do so if that party has agreed to comply with our privacy standards as described in this privacy policy. However, some of my service providers may be overseas and may not be subject to Australian Privacy Laws. Please contact me if you require specific details.

I manage risks to your personal information by:

• storing files securely
• ensuring that only I have access to sensitive information
• releasing information to service providers on a strictly need-to-know basis

As mentioned above, your personal information may also be stored with a third-party provider (Vital.ly, Ariya Health, Natural Script and Practice Better) where it will be managed under their security policy.

You can contact me to access, correct or update your personal information at any time. Unless I am subject to a confidentiality obligation or some other restriction on giving access to the information which permits me to refuse you access under the Privacy Act, and I believe there is a valid reason for doing so, I will endeavour to make your information available to you within 30 days.

We follow the Code of Conduct of the Health Complaints Commission (HCC), ask us if you would like more information or visit http://www.hcc.vic.gov.au or call 1300 582 113. A quick summary of the guide can be found here https://hcc.vic.gov.au/public/what-expect-health-service.

Should you have a complaint, please inform Andrea Robinson at andrea@arnutrition.com.au immediately and we will try to resolve the issue with you. If you are not satisfied with my response,
you can make a complaint to the HCC. You can find more information here https://hcc.vic.gov.au/make-complaint.

All articles and advice found on this site are intended as information only. Information contained within this site is not equivalent to receiving a consultation with a qualified practitioner and should not be treated as such. AR Naturopathy & Nutrition takes no responsibility for actions or decisions made by individuals. AR Naturopathy & Nutrition advises guidance from a qualified and experienced healthcare practitioner for expert advice and treatment tailored to your individual needs.

AR Naturopathy & Nutrition further advises that the services provided at AR Naturopathy & Nutrition are not a substitute for medical advice, treatment or diagnosis. You should always consult your medical doctor before commencing a new regime and/or supplements.