Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy was last updated October 1st 2024

Your privacy is important to us at Healthcare Management Services Australia (HMSA). Healthcare Management Services Australia Pty Ltd ABN 79 896 862 831 (“we”, ”us”, “our” or “ensure”) Privacy Policy details how we may collect, use, store, disclose or handle in any way personal information that we may have collect about individuals, companies and parties. 

HMSA may review and modify our Privacy Policy from time to time to take into account changes to our operations, practices, new laws and technology requirements. By reviewing our Privacy Policy we are ensuring that we remain appropriate and vigilant to the changing environment. If we do, we will post the updated Privacy Policy on our website www.hmsaustralia.com.au (the “website”). Please check our Privacy Policy often so that you are aware of these updates and changes. Any information that we hold will be governed by the most current version of the HMSA privacy policy. 

It is the policy of HMSA and its related companies to respect confidentiality of information and the privacy of individuals, companies and parties. HMSA and its related companies are bound by the Australian Privacy Principles (APP) contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (as amended). 

The HMSA privacy policy is based on transparency. We are committed to being open and transparent about how we collect, manage and disclose personal information. 

This Privacy Policy applies to the personal information of candidates, temporary workers, clients, suppliers and website users. 

Personal Information

Personal information includes information regarding yout contact details, work experience, qualifications, aptitude test results, opinions about your work performance (e.g. references), incidents at the workplace, and other information obtained or received by us in connection with your possible and actual work placements. Personal information also includes tax files details, bank details, superannuation details and those details required as part of your employment or seeking employment. 

In the way of clients, we collect private and sensitive information to provide you with services. This information includes contact details, information about employees, company/ business information, information about your clients, payment information and financial data. All this information is collected throughout the duration of providing services to you and your business. 

Sensitive Information

Sensitive information is a special category of personal information under the Australian Privacy Act. It is information or opinion about you, including membership of a professions ro trade association or membership of a trade union; criminal record, health information, racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, membership of a political association, religious beliefs or affiliations, philosophical beliefs, or sexual preference or practices. As outlined in the Australian Privacy Act, sensitive information can, in most cases only be disclosed with your consent. 

Collection

This section relates to our candidates and temporary workers. 

We may collect personal or sensitive information about you when:

• You complete one of our application forms or provide information in connection with your application or otherwise. 
• We receive any reference about you
• We collect information about you from public domain sources
• We receive any information about any insurance investigation, litigation, registration or professional disciplinary matter, criminal matter, inquest or inquiry in which you were involved. 
• We receive results of inquiries that we might make of your former employers, work colleagues, professional associations or registration body
• We receive any complaint or other information from or about you in the workplace or otherwise
• We receive the results of any competency or medical test or any background checks, including but not limited to working rights, credit or criminal record checks. 

Purposes and use of which we collect personal information

This section relates to our candidates and temporary workers. 

Your personal and sensitive information may be used in connection with:

• Any workplace rehabilitation
• Informing you of possible work opportunities, relevant candidates, or other events such as training or information sessions or our direct marketing to you by mail/email/SMS by HMSA and its related companies
• Career guidance or management
• Your actual or possible work placement
• Our assessment (including medical tests and assessments) that you might be required to undergo
• Our management and resolution of any complaint, inquiry or investigation in which you are involved
• Any insurance claim or proposal that requires disclosure of your personal or sensitive information
• Undertaking a check to verify your work rights status, criminal history and any other background checks, including credit checks where required.
• Sharing with third parties and clients in line with legislative industry requirements. 
• For research, development, business systems and infrastructure testing, and other business purposes to assist us in providing services to you. 

If you do not give us the information we seek

This limits our ability to assist. From a recruitment perspective it limits our ability to locate suitable work for you. We may also be limited in our ability to place you in work. 

As for our clients if you don't give us the information we require, this may limit us in our ability to assist, complete tasks and source you suitable candidates. 

Disclosures

We may disclose your personal information (including to trusted parties) for the purpose for which it is primarily held or for a related secondary purpose and in some cases we may only disclose information with your consent. Your personal and sensitive information may be disclosed to:

• Potential and actual employers and clients of HMSA and trusted third parties who may be based outside of Australia
• Referees
• External providers used in providing our services to you - eg on-line inductions and training providers, background checking agencies - eg criminal record, work rights and credit checking. 
• A workers compensation body
• Artificial intelligence tools such as algorithms or machine learning (including those provided by third parties)
• Any person with lawful entitlement to obtain the information
• Out insurers 
• A professional association or registration body that has a legitimate interest in the disclosure of your personal and sensitive information.
• Marketing and technology platforms and suppliers who assist us with the provision of marketing communications to you, and customer feedback survey providers, such as providers being based outside of Australia.
• Third parties used by our clients as part of their recruitment, accounting, scheduling,  administration, screening and selection process. 
• Internal and external auditors of HMSA or our clients when we are required to share this data with them upon request in order to comply with our contractual or regulatory obligations. 
• Third party contractors/ service providers and cloud based databases for the purposes of assisting us to provide you with our services, and/or improve the services we offer you. Such as services, and/or to improve the services we offer you.
• Third parties who assist us by developing services and processes to optimise and improve quality and efficiency of recruitment services. 
• If HMSA merges with or is acquired by another business or company in the future, (or is in meaningful discussions about such possibilities) we may share your personal data with the (prospective) new owners of the business or company. 

For disclosures outside of Australia as the case may be, we take reasonable steps to ensure that the recipients of such information do not breach the APP’s in relation to that information. We will take reasonable steps to ensure, for instance pursuant to a contractual agreement, that your personal information receives an adequate level of protection, for example your information will be stored on secure servers that are protected in controlled facilities. We have put in place appropriate procedures with the third parties we share your personal information with to ensure that (a) your personal information is treated by those third parties in a way that is consistent with and which respect privacy laws in Australia as appropriate and (b) will only use your information for the purpose of providing services to HMSA and not use your personal information for any other purpose.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

HMSA uses a variety of tools and systems to streamline and automate services where possible. HMSA uses automated systems such as filtering tools, or more complex tools which use an element of artificial intelligence (AI), such as algorithms or machine learning (including those provided by third parties), to help us quickly, efficiently and accurately analyse data. This can include applying tools which use AI to process and analyse information/ data. Using this technology ultimately allows us to reduce the amount of time required to review candidates and client data. This in turn makes the recruitment process more efficient and allows us to provide effective services to our clients. 

Sections below relate to our clients and suppliers

As a client of HMSA, we need to collect and use information about you, or individuals at your organisation, in the course of providing you or offering you our services. 

We collect client personal data that we receive from you or collect or receive from other sources. Personal information from other sources may include, where appropriate and in accordance with any applicable laws and requirements, we may seek more information about you, your colleagues and organisation from other sources generally by way of due diligence or market intelligence. This data generally comes from third party market research and by analysing online and offline media (which we do ourselves or employ other organisations to do for us. To the extent that you access our website or read or click on an email from us, where appropriate and in accordance with any applicable laws and requirements, we will also collect your data automatically or through you providing it to us. 

The main reason for using information about our clients is to enable us to introduce ourselves to you and to ensure that the contractual arrangements between us can properly be implemented so the relationship can function smoothly. This will involve providing you with our various services and related services. The more information we have, the more bespoke we can make our service. 

We manage your data in order to facilitate this by:

• Storing your details (and updating as required) on our database, so that we can contact you in relation to recruitment activities. This information may be disclosed to HMSA employees, who assist with maintenance and development of IT systems and infrastructure. 
• Keeping records of conversations and meetings, so that we can provide targeted, relevant and effective services. 
• Undertaking customer satisfaction surveys.
• Processing your data for the purpose of targeting appropriate marketing campaigns for our services, to do this we use marketing technology platforms and suppliers who assist us. 

For supplies we need a small amount of information from you to ensure that the contractual arrangements between us can properly be implemented so that the relationship can function smoothly, and to comply with any legislative requirements. We need contact details of relevant individuals at your organisation so that we can communicate with you. We also need other information such as bank details so that we can pay for the services provided (if this is part of the contractual agreements between us).

We use your information to facilitate this by:

• Storing (updating as required) your details in our database, so that we can contact you in relation to our agreement . This information may be disclosed to HMSA employees who assist with the maintenance and development of our IT systems and infrastructure.
• Offering services to you or to obtain support and services from you. 
• Performing certain legal obligations. 

For both our clients and suppliers for any disclosure we take reasonable steps to ensure that the recipients of such information do not breach the APPs in relation to that information. We will take reasonable steps to ensure, for instance pursuant to a contractual agreement, that the personal information receives an adequate level of protection, for example your information will be stored on secure servers that are protected in controlled facilities. 

We have put in place appropriate procedures with third parties we share personal information with to ensure that (a) personal information is treated by those third parties in a way that is consistent with an which respects the privacy laws of Australia as appropriate and (b) will only use your information for the purpose of providing services to HMSA and will not use your information for any other purpose. 

For clients and suppliers, we may also sometimes use automated systems such as filtering tools, or occasionally more complex tools which use an element of artificial intelligence, such as algorithms or machine learning (including those provided by third parties), to help us quickly, efficiently and more accurately analyse client and supplier data. This ultimately helps us to make decisions based on this data more efficiently and effectively. This can include applying tools which use algorithms to client and supplier data, including personal data, in order to help us provide an efficient and effective service to you, which, we hope will improve your overall experience with us. 

Management of personal information

At HMSA our staff are trained to respect the confidentiality of customer and client information and the privacy of individuals. HMSA regards breaches of privacy very seriously and any breach will result in disciplinary action being taken, dependent upon severity. HMSA has appointed a Privacy Officer to ensure that our management of personal information is in accordance with this policy and relevant legislation. 

How do we store and protect personal information?

Safeguarding your information is important to us, whether you interact with us personally, by phone, mail, over the internet or other electronic medium. We hold personal information in a combination of secure storage facilities and paper-based files and other records and take such steps as are reasonable in the circumstances to protect the personal information we hold from misuse, interference and loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. HMSA may need to maintain records for a period of time in line with data collection and reporting legislation. When it is considered that the information is no longer needed, we will remove any details that will identify you or we will securely destroy the records. 

Your personal information collected on www.hmsaustralia.com.au

In some instances, we may need specific information from you, such as name, address, email address, telephone number etc. We will collect this information in a number of ways. If you are inquiring about a service or applying for a position via our website. We may also ask for you to provide other information such as the types of jobs you are interested in and your workplace needs in order to provide the best possible service and experience to you. 

General information collected from visitors to our website

We gather information about all our website users collectively, such as what areas users frequent and what services users access the most. We only use this data anonymously. THis information helps us determine what is most beneficial for users, and how we can continually create a better overall website experience. This information is not disclosed or shared with any third parties. 

How do we keep personal information accurate and up to date?

HMSA takes such steps as are reasonable to ensure that the information we hold and disclose is accurate, up-to-date, complete, relevant and not misleading. We understand that information changes frequently, with changes of address and other information. We generally can assist with keeping information updated to date over the phone, just let your consultant or account manager know. We can also update details via email, just by contacting your account manager or customer service team. 

How to reject cookies

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. You can choose to accept or reject cookies at any time through your browser settings. Here’s how you can manage cookies:

• Block Cookies: Most browsers allow you to block cookies. Visit your browser settings and select the option to block or limit cookies.
• Cookie Banners: When you visit our site, you can accept or reject cookies via the banner that appears.
• Third-Party Cookies: Some cookies are from third-party services like advertising networks. You can block these in your browser or through tools like Privacy Badger or Ghostery.
• Clearing Cookies: You can also clear cookies stored on your device through your browser settings.

Please note, blocking cookies may affect certain features of our website.

Cookies Policy

What is a Cookie?

A cookie is a small piece of data stored on a user's computer by a web browser while the user is browsing a website. Cookies are used to help websites remember information about the user's visit, which can improve their experience on the site or help websites function better.

How do we use cookies?

Companies and websites use cookies for various purposes, including improving user experience, tracking behaviour, and supporting business operations. Here's a breakdown of how cookies are typically used:

Personalisation and User Experience

• Remembering Preferences: Cookies help websites remember user preferences, such as language settings, dark/light mode, or items left in a shopping cart.
• Login Management: Persistent cookies allow users to stay logged in between sessions, avoiding the need to re-enter credentials.
• Customised Content: Websites can tailor content (such as showing local news or weather) based on user preferences stored in cookies.

 Analytics and Performance Tracking

• User Behaviour Tracking: Cookies record how users navigate a site, which pages they visit, how long they stay, and what actions they take. This data helps companies analyse site performance, improve usability, and optimise content.
• A/B Testing: Cookies track different versions of a web page shown to different users, helping businesses determine which design or layout performs better.

Marketing and Advertising

• Targeted Advertising: Companies use cookies to track user behaviour across multiple websites, building a profile of their interests and activities. This helps deliver targeted ads that are more relevant to the user.
• Retargeting: Cookies can be used to show ads to users who have previously visited a website, reminding them of products they viewed or left in their cart.
• Affiliate Marketing: Cookies help track users' paths through affiliate links to ensure that commissions are properly allocated when a user makes a purchase through an affiliate's recommendation.

Security and Authentication

• Session Management: Cookies are used to manage user sessions, ensuring the user remains logged in as they navigate between different pages of a site.
• Fraud Prevention: Some cookies help detect and prevent suspicious behaviour, such as multiple failed login attempts or unusual transaction patterns.

Compliance and Legal Requirements

• Consent Management: Due to data privacy laws like the GDPR, websites use cookies to track whether users have given consent for data collection or agreed to terms and conditions.

E-commerce Functionality

• Shopping Cart Storage: E-commerce websites use cookies to store items added to a cart so that users can continue their shopping even if they navigate away from the site or close their browser.
• Order Tracking: Cookies can store information about users' previous orders, making it easier for them to track purchases or reorder products.

By collecting and analysing the data stored in cookies, companies can better understand their customers' needs, improve their services, and refine their marketing efforts. 

Device Specific Data

The following data may be collected through your device and browser: 

• Preferred language used to display the webpage
• Device type (unique device identifiers) and browser information.
• Device screen size
• Geographic information (country only)
• Your devices IP address (collected and stored in an anonymous format)
• Your email address including first name and last name

Log Data

Our systems and servers automatically record information. This data includes:

• Date and time when website pages were accessed
• Geographical Location (country code)
• Referring domain
• Pages visited

This data is used for the purpose of evaluating how you use and interact with the website, compiling reports on website activity and providing other information relating to website and internet usage. Our systems use a variety of services hosted by third parties, such as Google Analytics. These services may collect information sent by your browser as part of a page request, such as cookies or your IP address. For information on how Google Analytics collects and uses your information, refer to their privacy policies. By continuing to use this website you consent to the processing of the above data and by the third parties used with their respective privacy policies. 

Enquiries & Complaints

You can make enquiries, requests to access/ delete or correct your information, or complain about alleged breaches of the APP to our Privacy Officer:

Complaints

We will acknowledge the receipt of all complaints within 10 working days and aim to resolve all complaints within 30 working days. 

Access

Subject to exceptions that are set out in the Australian Privacy Principles (APP) you can request to gain access to the personal information that we hold about you. 

To make a request to access your information, you will need to complete an application form verifying your identity and specifying what information you require. Please contact our Privacy Officer for an application form. We will respond to your request within a reasonable period of time (and in any event in compliance with any legal requirements) after the request is made and provide access to the information in the manner requested, if it is reasonable and practicable to do so. 

At our discretion we may impose a charge in providing access. Our Privacy Officer will discuss this with you. You should anticipate that it may take time to process your application for access. The Privacy Officer will inform you in writing if there is expected to be a delay and the reasons for the delay. 

Where a request has been made, we may refuse to provide access. Where this occurs we will notify you in writing of the reasons for the refusal and the process for escalation regarding this refusal. 

Correction

We understand that information can change or mistakes can be made. You may request that we correct the information that we hold about you. This can be done if you deem it to be inaccurate, out-of-date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading. We will respond to your request within a reasonable time period )and in any event in compliance with any applicable legal requirements) and we will take reasonable steps under the circumstances to correct the relevant information. 

We will review your request, if we refuse to correct the personal and sensitive information; we will notify you in writing of the reasons detailing our refusal to correct information. The notification you will receive will outline the process for escalation regarding the refusal. Should we refuse you may ask us to place with the information a statement that the information is inaccurate, incomplete, out-of-date, irrelevant or misleading and we will take reasonable steps under the circumstances to associate the statement with your information. 

If you wish to exercise your rights of correction you should contact our Privacy Officer for an application form. There is no charge associated with making the request to correct your information, correcting the information or associating a statement. 

Feedback

HMSA has many places on our website where you can submit feedback or contact us. Under the contact section on the contact page is a list of other ways that you can get in contact with us to provide feedback. If you are wanting to provide feedback directly related to privacy, this can also be done by sending an email to privacy@hmsaustralia.com.au.