Collection Notices

St Vincent's Health Australia Limited (SVHA, we or us) provides the Medicare Mental Health Check In (the Service) and the associated website at www.medicarementalhealthcheckin.gov.au(opens in a new tab) (the Website). Medicare Mental Health Check In provides free support to people at risk of, or experiencing, mild mental ill-health or transient distress, so they can get the right support when they need it. The Service and Website is funded by the Australian Government under a contract with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (the Department).

This collection notice provides you with information required by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act), in relation to the handling of your personal information when you create an account to use the Service, if you use self-guided resources for your own treatment (Self-Guided Support), and if you receive treatment through advice and support services from our clinical staff (via phone, video or other means we may make available) (Guided Support).

Are you supporting or caring for someone?

The Collection Notice below is intended to be read by help seekers who register and create an account to use the Services. If you are supporting someone who is receiving the Services, we have prepared a separate Collection Notice that describes how we may collect and handle your personal information.


This Collection Notice should be read in conjunction with our Privacy Policy. Among other things, our Privacy Policy contains information about how you may access and seek correction of your personal information, and how you may make a complaint about our privacy practices (including if you believe we have handled your personal information contrary to the Australian Privacy Principles).

Collection of your Information
Who is collecting your personal information?

St Vincent's Health Australia Limited ABN 75 073 503 536. You can contact us: 

What information is collected?

In delivering Self-Guided and/or Guided Support, we may collect:

  • information provided to us by a healthcare provider where they refer you to us (for example a GP, specialist, community health centre, hospital, Medicare Mental Health service or other health-related provider) – this may include your name, address, emergency contact or next of kin and your general practitioner;
  • information you give us to create and use an account for the Service, which will include your name and contact details, and may include other information that you optionally choose to provide;
  • information that you choose to provide to us, or that we otherwise collect or generate (including by our practitioners), when you use Self-Guided and/or Guided Support – this may include information about your health history, family history, past and current treatments, lifestyle factors, symptoms and care, and other information which assists our clinical staff to provide appropriate care; and
  • feedback and outcome measures relating to your progress through Self-Guided and/or Guided Support, including if you complete a questionnaire or survey.
Anonymity and pseudonymsYou are not permitted to create an account anonymously, as we need to be able to identify the users of Self-Guided and Guided Support including if we have a clinical need to do so. You may, however, additionally provide us with a preferred name (which may be a pseudonym), which will be used for most interactions with you.
Why we collect your personal information

We collect your personal information to develop, provide, monitor and improve the Service. We also collect your personal information for other purposes as disclosed in our Privacy Policy, including to comply with our obligations under our contract with the Department, and as otherwise permitted or required by law.  

The Department may use your personal information to check whether we are complying with our obligations, manage complaints (but, for so long as we are providing the Service, only where the complainant has consented to the release of their personal information to the Department), exercise its rights under its contract with us, and take over responsibility for providing the Service and Website (see the Privacy Policy for more details about how the Department will handle personal information it receives). 

Your personal information will be used to send you communications in connection with the provision of Self-Guided Support and/or Guided Support that we consider appropriate (for example, session reminders, system notifications and safety‑related alerts). We will only send other communications in connection with the Service (for example, newsletters or service updates) where you have explicitly opted in, and you can opt out of these communications at any time.

What happens if you do not provide your personal information?Participation in Self-Guided Support and Guided Support is entirely voluntary. However, if we cannot collect your information, you will not be able to create an account or use Self-Guided Support or Guided Support.
Who we disclose personal information to

We may disclose your personal information:

  • to our service providers (including professional advisers);
  • to medical and other healthcare professionals involved in your care;
  • to persons such as a carer or family member that you may choose to involve in your use of the Services; 
  • to anyone authorised by you to receive your personal information (which may include other health services) (your authorisation may be express or implied);
  • to crisis or emergency services where we reasonably believe it is necessary to prevent a serious threat to the life, health or safety of you or another individual or public health and safety; and
  • as otherwise permitted or required by law.

Under our contract with the Department, we may be required to disclose your personal information to the Department and others, including:

  • by transferring your health information to another health service provider when directed to do so by the Department, so long as compliance with such a direction is not contrary to any applicable law;
  • to manage complaints (but we will only disclose your personal information to the Department as a complainant with your consent unless otherwise permitted by law);
  • to meet our reporting, audit and access obligations under that contract;
  • in connection with the Department exercising various rights under that contract, and in connection with transition of the Service and the Website to the Department or its nominee when our contract ends; and
  • so that the Department can oversee the Service and conduct or commission evaluation and other research activities in relation to the Service (see the Privacy Policy for more details).

We and the Department may also de-identify your personal information, and use and disclose it for a range of purposes. These purposes may include to improve the Service and Website, for quality assurance and evaluation of the Services, and for medical research and training purposes.  

We may invite you to participate in optional and additional evaluation and research activities in relation to the Services, which may be on an identifiable basis, to the extent that your contact details, such as name and email address, may be used to notify you of this opportunity. Your participation in any such evaluation and research activities is entirely voluntary. These evaluation and research activities may be run by third parties engaged by the Department, in which case:

  • we are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties, and we encourage you to review their privacy policy and disclosures once you are invited to participate in any follow-up evaluation or research activities; and
  • if you choose to participate in these activities, we may disclose certain personal information about you to those third parties, as described at the time we invite you or as you subsequently give your consent for. There will be a follow-up email for you to opt-in to (identifiable) evaluation activities by third parties.
Overseas disclosuresWe store your personal information in Australia. We do not disclose your personal information to overseas recipients.
Who is collecting your personal information?

St Vincent's Health Australia Limited ABN 75 073 503 536. You can contact us: 

What information is collected?

In delivering Self-Guided and/or Guided Support, we may collect:

  • information provided to us by a healthcare provider where they refer you to us (for example a GP, specialist, community health centre, hospital, Medicare Mental Health service or other health-related provider) – this may include your name, address, emergency contact or next of kin and your general practitioner;
  • information you give us to create and use an account for the Service, which will include your name and contact details, and may include other information that you optionally choose to provide;
  • information that you choose to provide to us, or that we otherwise collect or generate (including by our practitioners), when you use Self-Guided and/or Guided Support – this may include information about your health history, family history, past and current treatments, lifestyle factors, symptoms and care, and other information which assists our clinical staff to provide appropriate care; and
  • feedback and outcome measures relating to your progress through Self-Guided and/or Guided Support, including if you complete a questionnaire or survey.
Anonymity and pseudonyms
You are not permitted to create an account anonymously, as we need to be able to identify the users of Self-Guided and Guided Support including if we have a clinical need to do so. You may, however, additionally provide us with a preferred name (which may be a pseudonym), which will be used for most interactions with you.
Why we collect your personal information

We collect your personal information to develop, provide, monitor and improve the Service. We also collect your personal information for other purposes as disclosed in our Privacy Policy, including to comply with our obligations under our contract with the Department, and as otherwise permitted or required by law.  

The Department may use your personal information to check whether we are complying with our obligations, manage complaints (but, for so long as we are providing the Service, only where the complainant has consented to the release of their personal information to the Department), exercise its rights under its contract with us, and take over responsibility for providing the Service and Website (see the Privacy Policy for more details about how the Department will handle personal information it receives). 

Your personal information will be used to send you communications in connection with the provision of Self-Guided Support and/or Guided Support that we consider appropriate (for example, session reminders, system notifications and safety‑related alerts). We will only send other communications in connection with the Service (for example, newsletters or service updates) where you have explicitly opted in, and you can opt out of these communications at any time.

What happens if you do not provide your personal information?
Participation in Self-Guided Support and Guided Support is entirely voluntary. However, if we cannot collect your information, you will not be able to create an account or use Self-Guided Support or Guided Support.
Who we disclose personal information to

We may disclose your personal information:

  • to our service providers (including professional advisers);
  • to medical and other healthcare professionals involved in your care;
  • to persons such as a carer or family member that you may choose to involve in your use of the Services; 
  • to anyone authorised by you to receive your personal information (which may include other health services) (your authorisation may be express or implied);
  • to crisis or emergency services where we reasonably believe it is necessary to prevent a serious threat to the life, health or safety of you or another individual or public health and safety; and
  • as otherwise permitted or required by law.

Under our contract with the Department, we may be required to disclose your personal information to the Department and others, including:

  • by transferring your health information to another health service provider when directed to do so by the Department, so long as compliance with such a direction is not contrary to any applicable law;
  • to manage complaints (but we will only disclose your personal information to the Department as a complainant with your consent unless otherwise permitted by law);
  • to meet our reporting, audit and access obligations under that contract;
  • in connection with the Department exercising various rights under that contract, and in connection with transition of the Service and the Website to the Department or its nominee when our contract ends; and
  • so that the Department can oversee the Service and conduct or commission evaluation and other research activities in relation to the Service (see the Privacy Policy for more details).

We and the Department may also de-identify your personal information, and use and disclose it for a range of purposes. These purposes may include to improve the Service and Website, for quality assurance and evaluation of the Services, and for medical research and training purposes.  

We may invite you to participate in optional and additional evaluation and research activities in relation to the Services, which may be on an identifiable basis, to the extent that your contact details, such as name and email address, may be used to notify you of this opportunity. Your participation in any such evaluation and research activities is entirely voluntary. These evaluation and research activities may be run by third parties engaged by the Department, in which case:

  • we are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties, and we encourage you to review their privacy policy and disclosures once you are invited to participate in any follow-up evaluation or research activities; and
  • if you choose to participate in these activities, we may disclose certain personal information about you to those third parties, as described at the time we invite you or as you subsequently give your consent for. There will be a follow-up email for you to opt-in to (identifiable) evaluation activities by third parties.
Overseas disclosures
We store your personal information in Australia. We do not disclose your personal information to overseas recipients.

Our privacy practices described in this Collection Notice and our Privacy Policy may change over time. Any such changes will be reflected in this Collection Notice and our Privacy Policy. As described in our Privacy Policy, we will display a notice on our Website for at least 30 days, indicating when any revisions have been made.