Privacy Policy
Version 1.0 · 6 September 2026
1. Who we are and what this policy covers
Dr Gary Verdickt trades as Dr Gary Verdickt - Endodontist, a specialist endodontic practice at Suite 53, 61-65 Glencoe Street, Sutherland NSW 2232.
We are a health service provider. The Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) applies to us regardless of our turnover, and we are also bound by the Health Privacy Principles in the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW).
This policy explains what personal and health information we collect, why we collect it, how we hold it, who we disclose it to, and how you can access it or complain about how we have handled it.
2. What we collect
We collect only what we need in order to provide you with endodontic care and to meet our legal obligations.
• Your name, date of birth, address, telephone number and email address.
• The name and contact details of your referring Dentist, and of your general medical practitioner where relevant.
• Your medical history, taken in person at your appointment, including medications, allergies and relevant conditions.
• Clinical information about your teeth: examination findings, diagnosis, the treatment provided and its outcome.
• Radiographs taken here, and any radiographs or reports sent to us by your Dentist or by a radiology practice.
• Correspondence between us, and between us and your Dentist.
• Billing and payment information, including the amount charged and how it was paid.
• Images from the security camera at the practice entrance.
3. How we collect it
Wherever we can, we collect information directly from you.
Dr Verdickt takes your medical history himself, face to face, at the start of your appointment. There are no forms for you to complete.
We also receive information about you from your referring Dentist, in the referral itself and in any radiographs sent with it. Referrals reach us by text message, by email, by post, or through the form on our website.
Where a referral is sent through our website form, that form asks for your first name and the first three letters of your surname only. Our receptionist then telephones your Dentist’s practice for the remainder of your details. We do this to keep the identifying information on a public internet form to a minimum, and the call also confirms the referral is genuine.
4. Why we collect it
• To assess your problem, reach a diagnosis and provide endodontic treatment.
• To explain your options to you and obtain your informed consent.
• To report to your referring Dentist, so that they can complete the restoration of your tooth.
• To contact you about your appointment, and to follow up afterwards.
• To charge for our services and to manage payment.
• To meet our obligations under health, radiation, accreditation and taxation law.
If you do not provide the information we ask for, we may not be able to treat you safely.
5. Who we disclose it to
Your referring Dentist. We write to them after every appointment, including reviews, on the day of the appointment. They need to know what we found and what we did, because they will be placing your final filling or crown.
We do not have an arrangement with any health fund and we do not use HICAPS. We do not send information about you to a health fund. Where you claim a rebate, you do so yourself using the receipt and item numbers we give you.
Where a 3D scan is required, we give you a paper referral to take to a radiology practice yourself. We do not transmit your information to them.
Where an account remains unpaid and we have not been able to reach an arrangement with you, we may disclose your name, contact details and details of the debt to a debt collection service. We will tell you in writing before we do this.
We may disclose your information where we are required or authorised to do so by law, or where disclosure is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to life, health or safety.
We do not sell your information and we do not use it for marketing.
6. How we hold it
Your clinical record is held on a computer that is not connected to the internet. It cannot be reached remotely.
Paper records are held on site in restricted access storage. Six months after your visit they are scanned into the offline record system, and the paper is then securely destroyed, either by a contracted secure document destruction company or by cross-cut shredding at the practice.
Radiation safety records, including equipment testing and staff dose monitoring, are held separately. They concern the practice and its staff rather than individual patients.
7. Information held outside the offline system
Our record system is not connected to the internet. The channels by which information reaches us are. Correspondence and referrals are handled through Google Workspace. Mail may therefore be stored on servers outside Australia. We keep correspondence in that account only until it has been filed to the offline record system, and we then delete it.
Referrals also arrive by text message to the practice mobile telephone. Messages are deleted from that device once the referral has been actioned, and the device is managed under a written information handling guideline.
The security camera at the practice entrance is a cloud-connected service provided by Google. Footage is retained for 60 days and then overwritten. It is held on the provider’s servers, which are likely to be outside Australia.
Our website is hosted by Wix. Information submitted through the referral form on our website is processed and stored by Wix, and may be held outside Australia. We retrieve referrals from the website promptly and do not use the website as a record store.
8. Cookies and website analytics
We do not use Google Analytics, advertising pixels, or any third-party tracking on this website. Nothing about your visit is sent to an advertiser or an analytics company.
Our website platform, Wix, sets cookies necessary for the site to function, and records basic visit statistics such as page views and the type of device used. That information is not linked to you and we do not use it to identify you.
If you would prefer not to be counted at all, most browsers let you block or delete cookies in their settings.
9. How long we keep it
We are required to retain your health record for at least seven years from the last occasion on which we provided you with a health service. Where you were under 18 when the information was collected, we retain it until you turn 25.
We destroy or de-identify information once we are no longer required to keep it and no longer need it.
10. Accessing and correcting your information
You may ask to see the information we hold about you, and to have it corrected if it is wrong. Please ask us.
There is no fee. A copy of the report we sent to your Dentist can usually be provided the same day. A full copy of your record takes longer, and we allow up to seven days, or seven days from Dr Verdickt’s return where he is away.
If we decline a request, we will tell you why in writing and explain how you can complain about that decision.
11. Data breaches
If we become aware of unauthorised access to, or disclosure or loss of, information we hold, we will assess whether it is likely to result in serious harm. Where it is, we will notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner as required by the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.
12. Complaints
If you think we have mishandled your information, please tell us first, on 0499 024 080 or at admin@gvendo.com. We will look into it and come back to you.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact:
• Office of the Australian Information Commissioner — 1300 363 992, oaic.gov.au
• NSW Information and Privacy Commission — 1800 472 679, ipc.nsw.gov.au
• Health Care Complaints Commission — 1800 043 159, hccc.nsw.gov.au
You may contact any of these without raising the matter with us first.
13. Changes to this policy
We review this policy at least annually. The current version is always available here.
Version 1.0, adopted 6 September 2026.