Privacy policy
How we handle your personal and health information, and what you can do if you have a question or concern.
Trailblazer Community Care Pty Ltd (ABN 45 645 089 292) is a registered NDIS provider (registration number 4050133378) that also provides nursing and personal care to veterans through the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA). In this policy, "we", "us" and "our" mean Trailblazer Community Care.
We are bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) in that Act. Because we provide health and disability services, much of what we hold is health information, which the law treats as sensitive information and protects more strongly. This policy explains what we collect, why we need it, who sees it and what your rights are.
What this policy covers
This policy applies to personal information we collect about:
- people who use our services, or are thinking about it, including NDIS participants and veterans
- family members, carers, guardians and nominees
- people who refer someone to us, such as support coordinators, discharge planners and clinicians
- people who apply to work with us
- anyone who contacts us or uses this website
What information we collect
We only collect information we need to provide or arrange supports, run our business and meet our legal obligations.
Contact and identity details
Name, date of birth, gender, address, phone, email, emergency contacts, and the details of anyone who acts for you, such as a guardian or nominee.
Health and support information
This is sensitive information. Depending on the service, it can include:
- diagnoses, disability and medical history
- medications, allergies and clinical needs such as wound, catheter, stoma or PEG care
- care plans, risk assessments and progress notes
- reports from doctors, hospitals and allied health professionals
- information about how you like your support delivered, your routines and your goals
- cultural background or language needs, where you choose to tell us
Funding information
Your NDIS number, plan details, how your plan is managed and the contact details of your plan manager or support coordinator. For DVA services, your DVA file number, card type and treating doctor.
Job applicant information
Your resume, qualifications, work history, referees, availability, and the checks you hold, such as an NDIS Worker Screening Check, a Blue Card or a driver licence.
Website information
What you type into our forms and any files you upload, plus technical information such as your IP address, browser type and the pages you visit. See Cookies and analytics below.
How we collect it
Most information comes straight from you, by phone, email, in person or through the forms on this website. These include the referral, contact, vacancy enquiry, register interest, careers and feedback forms.
Sometimes it comes from someone else, such as a family member, support coordinator, hospital, GP or the NDIA. We only accept health information from another person when you have agreed to it, when the person has the authority to act for you, or when the law allows it. If someone gives us your information without telling you, we will let you know we have it.
Staying anonymous
You can ask us general questions without telling us who you are, and you can make a complaint or give feedback anonymously. We can't provide supports or assess a referral without knowing who the person is, though.
Why we use it
We use personal information to:
- respond to your enquiry or referral
- assess whether we can safely meet a person's needs
- plan, deliver, record and review supports and nursing care
- claim payment from the NDIA, plan managers, participants or DVA
- meet our obligations under the NDIS rules, the NDIS Practice Standards and DVA requirements
- manage incidents, complaints and safeguarding
- recruit and screen workers
- improve our services and this website
We use it only for the reason we collected it, or for a related reason you would reasonably expect. Otherwise we ask for your consent first, unless the law requires or allows the use, for example to prevent a serious threat to someone's life, health or safety.
We don't sell personal information. We don't use health information for marketing. If we send you news or updates, you can opt out at any time.
Who we share it with
We share information only as far as needed. Depending on your situation, that may include:
- our support workers and nurses who work with you
- the NDIA, your plan manager or support coordinator, for planning and payment
- DVA, for DVA-funded services
- your GP, hospital, specialists and allied health team, to coordinate your care
- people you have nominated, such as family members or a guardian
- the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, for example when we must report an incident
- service providers who help us run the business, such as IT, hosting, email and payroll providers, under confidentiality obligations
- police, courts, regulators or other bodies where the law requires or allows it
Where your information is stored
Information sent through this website is stored on an Australian-hosted server. Our records are kept in secure systems with access limited to people who need it for their work. Forms carrying clinical information go to a separate inbox that only our intake and clinical staff can read.
Some service providers we use, such as email, analytics or spam-protection services, may store or process limited data outside Australia. Where that happens we take reasonable steps to make sure the information is protected to a standard consistent with the APPs.
We don't use overseas-based systems to store client or staff records. This website uses Google reCAPTCHA to protect our forms from spam. Google may process limited technical information, such as your IP address and browser details, in the United States.
Keeping information secure
We protect information with measures that include encrypted connections (HTTPS) on this website, password-protected and access-controlled systems and staff confidentiality obligations. Spam and abuse checks on our forms help keep false or harmful submissions out.
No system is perfectly secure. If a data breach is likely to cause you serious harm, we will tell you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), as the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme requires.
How long we keep it
We keep records only as long as we need them or the law requires. Records about NDIS supports are generally kept for at least seven years, as NDIS rules require. Health records may need to be kept longer, for example for children. When we no longer need information, we destroy it securely or remove anything that identifies you.
We keep unsuccessful job applications, and enquiries that don't lead to a service, for one month. After that we delete them securely.
Seeing and correcting your information
You can ask to see the personal information we hold about you, and ask us to correct anything that is wrong, out of date or incomplete. Contact us using the details below. We will need to confirm who you are before we release anything.
We will respond within 30 days. We won't charge you for asking. In rare cases the law lets us refuse access, for example where it would put someone's safety at risk. If that happens, we will tell you why in writing and explain how to complain.
Cookies and analytics
A cookie is a small file a website saves in your browser. This site uses cookies and similar tools for two reasons:
- Essential cookies keep the site working, for example remembering your text size and contrast settings and protecting our forms from spam.
- Analytics cookies: we don't currently use analytics or advertising cookies. If we add them, we'll update this policy first.
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. The site still works, though some settings, like your text size, may not be remembered.
We never put health information from our forms into analytics or advertising tools.
Links to other websites
This site links to other websites, such as ndis.gov.au and dva.gov.au. We aren't responsible for how those sites handle personal information, so check their privacy policies.
Questions and complaints
If you have a question about privacy, or think we have mishandled your information, please contact us first so we can try to fix it.
- Phone: 1300 822 333
- Email: admin@trailblazercommunitycare.com
- Post: Privacy Officer, Trailblazer Community Care, 21 Trailblazer Drive, Flagstone QLD 4280
We will acknowledge your complaint and aim to resolve it within 30 days. If you aren't happy with our response, or we haven't replied within 30 days, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner:
- Website: oaic.gov.au
- Phone: 1300 363 992
For concerns about the quality or safety of NDIS supports, you can contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission on 1800 035 544. For concerns about a health service in Queensland, you can contact the Office of the Health Ombudsman on 133 646. Our feedback and complaints page has more on both.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy when our services, systems or the law change. The date at the top shows when it was last updated. The current version is always on this page, and we can send you a printed copy on request.
Talk to a registered nurse-led team
Call 1300 822 333 or send a referral. We reply to every enquiry within 12 to 24 hours.
Asking a question does not commit you to anything.