Privacy Policy
How personal and health information is handled by Latch & Learn.
Latch & Learn respects your privacy and is committed to handling your personal and health information respectfully, securely and confidentially.
This Privacy Policy explains how Latch & Learn collects, uses, stores and discloses personal and health information when you visit this website, make an enquiry, book an appointment or receive lactation care.
Personal and health information I may collect
When you contact Latch & Learn, make an appointment or receive care, I may collect personal and health information that is reasonably necessary to provide services to you and your baby.
Depending on the services you receive, this may include:
- Your name and contact details, including your email address, telephone number and address where relevant
- Appointment and booking information
- Your baby's name, age and relevant birth information
- Pregnancy, birth and medical history relevant to your care
- Breastfeeding, expressing and infant-feeding history
- Information about your baby's feeding, growth and health
- Relevant medications, treatments or healthcare history
- Clinical assessment findings and consultation notes
- Feeding plans, recommendations and follow-up information
- Details of other healthcare professionals involved in your or your baby's care
- Information you voluntarily provide through the website, email, telephone or during a consultation
I aim to collect only information that is reasonably necessary for providing your care and managing the services provided by Latch & Learn.
How your information is used
Your personal and health information may be used to:
- Provide individualised lactation assessment, education and support
- Develop and document a feeding plan based on your individual circumstances, preferences and goals
- Arrange and manage appointments
- Provide follow-up care
- Maintain appropriate clinical records
- Communicate with you about your care
- Communicate with other healthcare professionals involved in your or your baby's care, where appropriate and with your consent
- Process payments and manage administrative requirements
- Meet professional, legal, insurance and record-keeping obligations
Your health information will not be used for marketing purposes without your consent.
Information about your baby
Lactation consultations often involve both a parent and baby. Information relevant to your baby's feeding, growth, health and care may therefore form part of the clinical record.
Your baby's information will be handled with the same care, confidentiality and security as your own personal and health information.
Confidentiality and sharing information
Personal and health information obtained during your care is treated as confidential.
Where appropriate for your care, information may be shared with another healthcare professional involved in your or your baby's care, such as your GP, maternal and child health nurse, midwife, paediatrician or another relevant healthcare professional.
Where consent is required, I will seek your consent before sharing clinical information, including when providing referral letters or communicating with another healthcare professional.
There may be limited circumstances where information can or must be disclosed without consent, including where disclosure is required or authorised by law or where necessary to address a serious threat to someone's life, health or safety.
Where I recommend or provide details of another healthcare professional or service, you remain free to choose whether to engage that provider. The other healthcare professional or service is responsible for the care or services they provide.
Website enquiries and contact forms
When you submit an enquiry through the Latch & Learn website, the information you provide is used to respond to your enquiry and, where applicable, assist with arranging your care.
Please only provide information that is reasonably necessary for your enquiry.
Providing your baby's name through the website enquiry form is optional.
Website usage, cookies and analytics
The Latch & Learn website may use standard website technologies, such as cookies or analytics, to understand general website usage and help improve the website's functionality and user experience.
Depending on the technologies used, general technical information such as browser type, device information, pages visited and website interactions may be collected.
Where third-party website or analytics services are used, their own privacy practices may also apply.
Payments
Where payment is made for Latch & Learn services, payment information may be processed through a third-party payment provider.
Latch & Learn does not intentionally retain complete credit or debit card details within clinical records.
Any third-party payment provider used will handle payment information in accordance with its own privacy and security practices.
Storage and security
Reasonable steps are taken to protect personal and health information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
Clinical and personal information is stored securely and retained in accordance with applicable professional and legal record-keeping requirements.
Where third-party systems are used to assist with website hosting, appointment management, communications, payments, clinical records or other business functions, reasonable steps are taken to use services with appropriate privacy and security protections.
Accessing or correcting your information
You may request access to personal or health information held about you or ask for information that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete or misleading to be corrected.
In some circumstances, access may be limited or refused where permitted by law.
You may also withdraw consent for particular uses or disclosures of your information where consent is the basis for that use or disclosure. Withdrawal of consent does not affect information that must be retained or used to meet legal, professional or record-keeping obligations.
To request access, correction or discuss consent, please contact Latch & Learn using the contact details available on this website.
Photos, recordings and testimonials
Photographs, video or audio recordings of you or your baby will not be taken or used for promotional or educational purposes without appropriate prior consent.
Any testimonial, photograph or personal story that identifies you or your baby will only be published with your permission.
Consent for promotional or educational use is voluntary and will not affect the care you receive.
Links to other websites and services
The Latch & Learn website may contain links to external healthcare organisations, resources or other services.
Latch & Learn is not responsible for the privacy practices, content or services of external websites or organisations. You may wish to review their privacy policies before providing personal information.
Privacy legislation
Latch & Learn handles personal and health information in accordance with applicable Australian and Victorian privacy and health-records requirements, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and Australian Privacy Principles where applicable, and the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) and Health Privacy Principles.
Privacy concerns or complaints
If you have a question, concern or complaint about how your personal or health information has been handled, please contact Latch & Learn in the first instance so that the matter can be addressed.
If you are not satisfied with the response, you may also have the right to contact the relevant Australian or Victorian privacy or health complaints authority.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes to Latch & Learn's services, systems or legal and professional requirements.
The current version will be available on this website.