The Sterling, Kaiapoi will comply with its Privacy Policy at all times.
We’re happy to answer any questions or queries you have about our Privacy Policy.
Contact us and we’ll be in touch as soon as possible.
Our Privacy Policy
Life at The Sterling is about autonomy, personal choice, and self-determination, so we take our obligations around privacy – and the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020 – very seriously.
Our commitment to you
We will ensure that any personal information you give us – including any medical records – will be securely stored and we will not share any of your private or confidential information with anyone, other than persons properly authorised via power of attorney.
Why we collect personal information
As a provider of aged care services and retirement living, we collect personal information about our residents, our employees, and the service providers we engage. We collect this personal information so that we can deliver the best possible care, services, and accommodation to our residents in accordance with their needs and preferences and for the purposes of complying with our legal obligations.
What information we collect and hold
Residents
To deliver care and services to our residents, we collect and hold the following types of information (as relevant):
- residents’ names, addresses, and contact details and names and contact details of our resident’s next of kin and legal representatives
- residents’ dates of birth
- photographs of residents
- residents’ health and medical history, relevant to the care and services we provide
- details about residents’ health insurance providers
- information about our residents’ cultural, religious, linguistic, and social needs and preferences
- information about our residents’ interests, hobbies, and community activities
- information about any potential medical, social or workplace risks involved in providing care and services to our residents
- records of our interactions with residents, their representatives and service providers
- residents’ preferences for particular care and services including activities and events
- information about our residents’ income, assets, pension status and financial records related to village fees and payment history
- records of entry, discharge and leave arrangements
Employees and service providers
We also collect and hold certain information about our employees and service providers which includes:
- names and contact details
- employment histories
- qualifications
- medical histories directly related to job requirements
- training records and competency assessments
- police certificates
How we collect personal information
Residents
In most cases, we collect personal information directly from our residents and/or their representatives. However, we may also collect information from other sources, such as health care providers and other persons/organisations who provide care and services to our residents as well as the Needs Assessment Service Coordination Team and other aged care providers. We also receive information from government bodies such as the Ministry of Health and WINZ for eligibility purposes.
Employees and service providers
We collect information about our employees directly from our employees and, when necessary:
- through background checks and police checks
- from referees and employment agencies
- service providers
Storage of personal information
Residents
We use residents’ personal information for the primary purposes of providing them with accommodation, care, and services. However, residents’ personal information may also be used for:
- complying with our obligations under laws such as the Residential Care and Disability Support Services Act 2018 and the Retirement Villages Act 2003
- quality assurance and risk management
- continuous quality improvement activities
- From time to time, we use residents’ personal information for the purposes of direct marketing. Residents who do not wish to have their personal information used for this purpose should contact us to opt out.
Employees and service providers
We use personal information about our employees and services providers for the following purposes:
- to assess their suitability to perform the duties required and to deliver care and services to our residents where required
- to meet our obligations under relevant laws including the Residential Care and Disability Support Services Act 2018 and the Retirement Villages Act 2003.
- to improve the care and services we offer through quality improvement activities such as training.
Disclosure of personal information
Residents
With our residents’ consent, we disclose relevant personal information about our residents to other persons/organisations involved in providing the resident with care and services. This can include, for example, a resident’s doctor and allied health service providers. For home care residents, it can also include persons such as cleaners, gardeners and maintenance personnel contracted to provide services to the resident within their home. From time to time with our resident consent, we may also disclose residents’ personal information to third parties including:
- government agencies where this is necessary for us to receive funding and/or comply with our legal obligations to notify the government and police of certain matters
- our professional advisers.
Employees and service providers
We generally only disclose certain personal information about our employees and service providers with their consent. However, from time to time we may have to disclose certain personal information about our employees and service providers to relevant authorities and our professional advisers.
Accessing and correcting your personal information
Except in certain situations, you have the right to access your personal information and ask us to correct it. We will take reasonable steps to update or correct, as soon as possible, any information in our possession that is inaccurate, incomplete, out-of-date, irrelevant, or misleading. We may refuse to grant you access where this is permitted or required by law, for example, where this would have a detrimental impact on the privacy of another person. If we do refuse to grant access, we will give you written reasons. If you would like to access your personal information, please contact the Village General Manager.
Making a complaint about a breach of privacy
You have the right to complain if you believe we have breached this policy or your rights under the Privacy Act 2020. To lodge a complaint, please write to the Village General Manager at:
The Sterling, Kaiapoi, 1 Camellia Lane, Kaiapoi, 7630.
You can also make a complaint by:
- Using a service improvement form available from reception at the Village
- Telephone one of our managers
- Email one of our managers
- Make an appointment to see a manager in person.
Our complaints system
We will consider your complaint and respond within a reasonable time. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Residents’ Committee. You can also contact the:
- Statutory Supervisor
- The Registrar of Retirement Villages
- The Retirement Commissioner.
Online Privacy
We use “cookies” on our website which collect user information and data for statistical and analytic purposes. Cookies are a small file that is placed on your computer by a web server when you access a website; they do not identify the individual user, just the computer. Cookies are often used on websites. Most internet browsers accept cookies by default. You can control the use of cookies by configuring the preferences and settings in your browser and/or firewall.
