Terms & Privacy Policy

Forth Valley Veterinary Clinic Website Terms & Privacy Policy

Terms for using our website and our Privacy Policy are as follows. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any concerns or questions.

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TERMS

Website Content

The information, materials and services in this website is/are provided for general information purposes only. You are responsible for determining the validity, quality and relevance of such information.

Forth Valley Veterinary Clinic reserves the right to add or remove content from the website without notice.

Forth Valley Veterinary Clinic will not be held liable for any errors in content and in actions you take in reliance on them.

Any articles, information and content on this website must be read subject to these terms of use. This includes emails and newsletters from Forth Valley Veterinary Clinic.

Terms of Use

By using this website you are indicating that you have accepted these conditions. If you do not accept these terms, please refrain from using this website.

You are not permitted to make changes to this website in any form. You will not attempt to disable or interfere with this website or the servers and networks that host this website.

You are prohibited from posting material or comments which is/are threatening, abusive, defamatory, false or indecent. You will be held responsible for any content you create or post on the Forth Valley Veterinary Clinic website and may be referred to appropriate law enforcement agencies.

By posting or adding content to this website you grant Forth Valley Veterinary Clinic all rights to use that content in such a way as they deem appropriate including, but not limited to, reproduction and distribution to the public.

Your access to this website may be terminated at any time and without notice.

Links to other websites

This website may feature or display third party products, advertising content or links to other websites. Featuring such content does not mean that Forth Valley Veterinary Clinic recommends or endorses the product/s or service/s of the advertiser or linked websites. We are not responsible for the content of such websites and will not accept liability for the content or products of other linked websites. 

Liability

Given the nature of the internet Forth Valley Veterinary Clinic cannot guarantee that any data transmission is totally secure, free from viruses, fault or other conditions which could damage or interfere with your computer. We will not accept liability for any loss, consequential or incidental damages caused by loss of or corrupted data, viruses, malware and the like which may harm or infect your computer or mobile device due to your use of this website. This exclusion applies to any emails we may send.

Copyright + Intellectual Property 

This website and its content are protected under copyright law. Forth Valley Veterinary Clinic retains copyright on all content, design and artwork produced for this website. You may not publish, display, modify, store or reproduce any of the content without prior permission from Forth Valley Veterinary Clinic.

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FORTH VALLEY VETERINARY CLINIC PRIVACY POLICY

1. About this policy

Forth Valley Veterinary Clinic (Forth Valley Veterinary Clinic Pty Ltd, ABN 40 615 924 340) ("we", "us", "our") respects your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information, and how you can access it, correct it or make a complaint.

We manage personal information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and other applicable laws, including Tasmanian veterinary legislation.

This policy applies to everyone whose personal information we handle, including clients, people who bring in injured wildlife, visitors to our website and social media pages, newsletter subscribers, suppliers and job applicants.

"Personal information" means information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable. Information about your animal (such as its name, breed or medical history) is not personal information on its own. When it is linked to you as the owner, we protect it in the same way.

2. What personal information we collect

We only collect information we need to care for your animals and run our clinic. Depending on how you deal with us, this may include:

We will not actively collect sensitive information, such as health information about you. If you tell us something sensitive (for example, a health condition that affects how you can care for your animal), we will only use it for the purpose of providing appropriate support for your animal.

If you give us information about another person, such as an emergency contact or joint owner, please make sure they know you have done so and that they can read this policy.

3. How we collect it

We collect most personal information directly from you, for example when you:

  • register as a client, book an appointment or visit the clinic;

  • call, email, message us, or contact us through our website or social media;

  • complete a consent form, estimate or payment arrangement;

  • subscribe to our newsletter or reminders;

  • bring in injured wildlife; or

  • apply for a job with us.

We may also collect information from others where it is reasonable to do so, including:

  • other veterinary clinics, specialists or emergency centres that have treated your animal (with your authority);

  • pathology laboratories and diagnostic services;

  • pet insurers, when you make a claim;

  • microchip registries and local councils, for example to reunite a lost animal with its owner;

  • your emergency contact or a person you authorise to act for you; and

  • referees, if you apply for a job.

Dealing with us anonymously. You can make general enquiries without giving your name. However, we need your real name and contact details to treat your animal, keep accurate clinical records and bill you.

Phone calls. We record and transcribe phone calls to keep accurate records of advice and instructions, and for training and quality. We will tell you at the start of each call, and you can ask us not to record it.

Consultations. Our vets may use an AI note-taking tool (Heidi Health) to transcribe consultations and draft clinical notes. The vet reviews and approves every note before it is added to your animal's record. Audio is not kept after transcription. Please tell your vet if you would prefer they don't use it during your consultation.

CCTV. We use CCTV in our reception area, our surgical and treatment area, and outside our building, for safety, security and animal welfare. Our cameras record images only, not sound, and only authorised staff can view footage. We keep footage for 30 days unless it is needed to investigate an incident or complaint, or the law requires us to keep it longer.

4. Why we collect and use it

We use personal information to:

  • provide safe and effective veterinary care, including emergency and after-hours care;

  • keep accurate clinical records, as required by veterinary legislation;

  • manage appointments and send reminders for vaccinations, check-ups and treatments;

  • communicate with you about your animal's care, estimates, test results and follow-up;

  • process payments, insurance claims and accounts, and recover unpaid debts;

  • care for and release injured wildlife, and report to wildlife authorities where required;

  • send newsletters and information about our services, if you have not opted out (see section 6);

  • respond to enquiries, feedback and complaints;

  • improve our services, train staff and maintain quality and safety;

  • assess job applications; and

  • meet our legal and professional obligations.

We will only use your information for another purpose if you consent, if you would reasonably expect it, or if the law allows or requires it.

Automated decisions. We do not use computer programs to make decisions about you that significantly affect your rights or interests.

5. Who we share it with

We do not sell or rent personal information. We share it only where needed for the purposes in section 4, where you have agreed, or where the law allows or requires it. This may include:

Our service providers may only use your information to provide services to us, and we require them to protect it.

We may also share information in an emergency, to prevent a serious threat to someone's life, health or safety, or to an animal's welfare where the law allows.

6. Our website, cookies and marketing

Website and cookies. Our website uses cookies and Google Analytics to understand how visitors find and use the site. This collects information such as your IP address, device, browser and the pages you visit. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, and you can opt out of Google Analytics using Google's browser add-on. Some parts of the site may not work properly without cookies.

Social media. If you contact us through Facebook or Instagram, those platforms' own privacy policies also apply.

Links. Our website links to other sites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices.

Reminders and service messages. We will contact you about your animal's care, including vaccination and check-up reminders. These are part of our service, not marketing.

Newsletters and marketing. We may send you news and information about our services by email or SMS, in line with the Spam Act 2003 (Cth). You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails, by replying STOP to SMS messages, or by contacting us.

7. Storage, security and retention

How we keep it. We hold personal information electronically in our practice management system and cloud storage systems. In some cases, information may be stored physically on paper at the clinic.

We protect all cloud-based data with measures including password enforcement, restricted staff access, secure cloud storage and/or locked storage.

How long we keep it. We keep clinical records for at least 7 years after your animal's last visit, or longer if required by veterinary legislation or the Veterinary Board of Tasmania. We keep other information only as long as we need it for the purposes in this policy or as the law requires. After that, we securely destroy or de-identify it.

Data breaches. If a data breach is likely to cause serious harm, we will act promptly to contain it, assess it and, where required by the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme, notify affected people and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

8. Overseas disclosure and cloud storage

Wherever possible, we utilise providers that only store our data within Australian datacentres.

As some of our service providers store or process data overseas, your information may be held in the United States, the EU, or other international datacentres.

When we use overseas providers, we take reasonable steps to make sure they handle your information in a way consistent with the APPs and if they cannot do so we will seek alternative solutions or disclose this use as it relates to your personal information.

9. Accessing and correcting your information

You can ask for access to the personal information we hold about you, including your animal's clinical records, by contacting us (see section 10). We will respond within 30 days. We may need to confirm your identity first. We may charge a reasonable fee for copies, but not for making the request.

If you think information we hold is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete, please tell us and we will take reasonable steps to correct it. Please also let us know when your contact details change.

In limited circumstances, the law allows us to refuse access or correction. If we do, we will explain why in writing. If we decline a correction, you can ask us to attach a statement to the record.

10. Complaints, contact and changes

Contact us. For privacy questions, requests or complaints, contact us:

  • Email: admin@forthvet.com.au

  • Phone: (03) 6428 2703

  • Post or in person: 901 Forth Road, Turners Beach TAS 7315

Making a complaint. Please put your complaint in writing and tell us what outcome you are seeking. We will acknowledge it within 7 days and aim to respond in full within 30 days. If it takes longer, we will let you know.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) on 1300 363 992 or at www.oaic.gov.au.

For concerns about veterinary care or records, you can also contact the Veterinary Board of Tasmania.

Changes to this policy. We may update this policy from time to time. The current version will always be on our website.

Last updated: 20 October 2026


Additional Notes 2018: YOUR RIGHTS and GDPR
You may be aware that a new European Union law, called the General Data Protection Regulation or "GDPR" gives certain rights to individuals in relation to their personal data. Forth Valley Veterinary Clinic exercises compliance in the following ways: …

1. Obtaining Consent

 Consent for storing personal details can be easily given and freely withdrawn at any time. Please contact us at admin@forthvet.com.auto receive a copy or request removal of your personal information.

2. Timely Breach Notification

We will report a security or data breach within 72 hours to both our clients and any related data controllers.

3. Right to Data Access

If you request your existing data profile, Forth Valley Veterinary Clinic will serve you with a fully detailed and free electronic copy of the data you’ve collected about them. This report will also include how we use this information.

4. Right to Be Forgotten

You have the right to request that we totally erase all your personal data at any time. Please email us at admin@forthvet.com.auto request the right to be forgotten.

5. Data Portability

You have rights to any data relating to you. You may obtain your data from us and reuse that same data in different environments outside of Forth Valley Veterinary Clinic if you require.  Please email us at admin@forthvet.com.auto obtain your data.

6. Privacy by Design

We have secure systems for data collection and storage.