Maintaining
the confidentiality of your personal information is important
to us at Eastern Health and you can feel confident that we will
protect your privacy. We comply with all Victorian legislation
relating to confidentiality and privacy, including the Health
Services Act 1988 (Vic), the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) and
the Information Privacy Act (2000).
We
cannot use or release your personal information without your agreement,
except if it is authorised or allowed under law. The existing
provisions of the Mental Health Act and Freedom of Information
still apply.
Collecting
your personal information
We will only collect information about you that is necessary for
your health care and our related management functions and we will
try to do this in a fair, lawful and sensitive way. Wherever possible,
we will collect information directly from you rather than from
another person and we will do our best to tell you if this is
necessary.
When
we collect information from you, you have the right to ask why
we are collecting it, the people and/or organisations we would
usually pass it on to and the consequences for you if the information
is not provided.
Consent
to release information
At
the commencement of your treatment you will be given the opportunity
to indicate if you wish to refuse consent to the release of your
health information to any specific person(s). You will be given
a form (Release of Information Form) where you can record this.
If
you do not complete this form we will assume that you agree to
the release of your personal information, as listed in this brochure.
If
English is not your first language, and you have difficulties
in understanding or reading English, please ask for a professional
interpreter to be made available. It is important that you fully
understand any document you are signing.
How
your information is used
Generally,
your information is used by those involved in your direct care
and treatment. It may however be necessary to pass on some of
your information to other health care workers or services, so
that they can provide your ongoing care.
We
usually send information to your referring doctor and we sometimes
send a letter following a visit to an Eastern Health service.
For example, an outpatient or emergency department visit. This
information summarises your stay in hospital, your medication
and any special instructions your doctor needs to know about.
If you do not wish this information to be sent to your doctor,
please tell us.
If
you see a new doctor, he or she may contact Eastern Health to
obtain information about you. This information is required to
assist with your treatment. In an emergency situation we will
release information about you to the treating doctor(s).
We
may also use some of your information for other reasons permitted
under the privacy laws, for example, for sending accounts, planning,
and management.
So
that we can continually improve our health services some information
will be used to help us evaluate the treatment and services we
provide. For example clinical audits, quality improvement activities
and to obtain statistics for studies.
You
may also be asked to agree to the release of some information
for research, however you are not obliged to agree to this. Before
using your information, whenever possible we will seek your consent
or remove any details which identify you.
Other
people who may receive information about you
Information
about your condition may be provided to your next of kin, your
main carer or a nominated friend or relative, unless you request
us not to.
We
do everything we can to make sure that the information we hold
about you is accurate, complete and up to date. However you also
have a responsibility to provide us with complete and accurate
information and advise us when changes occur. Not telling us about
relevant information may put your health at risk.
We
are required by law to hold some records for extended periods
but we will not keep information longer than we need to.
All
of the hospitals and services within Eastern Health maintain strict
confidentiality policies with respect to who can see and use your
personal health information.
If
you attend any hospital or service within Eastern Health, some
information about you may be shared between the health professionals
treating you. This includes both Eastern Health and community
services staff, for example, the Royal District Nursing Service
staff. This information sharing is necessary to ensure that you
receive quality care and avoid duplication of tests and assessments.
Whether
you are a public or private patient, if you attend a clinic and
later require treatment in one of our hospitals, it will be necessary
for hospital staff to access your medical file.
Hospital
religious representatives and representatives from Veterans Affairs
have access to your name and ward. You have the right to refuse
visitors if you wish.
Any
external person or other organisation seeking access to health
information held by Eastern Health is required to sign a confidentiality
agreement. If you have authorised us in writing to release the
information no agreement is needed.
For
your ongoing care, we may occasionally need to transfer health
information about you to organisations outside Victoria. We will
only do this where you consent and where we believe that similar
privacy obligations apply or where it is in your interest for
us to do so (and it is not possible to obtain your consent).
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