We have a legal obligation to provide various data sets of information about our patients to various entities, including but not limited to:

• State Health Departments (all patients and all notifiable diseases)
• Hospital Casemix Protocol Data (all privately insured admitted patients)
• Private Hospital Data Bureau

Apart from the uses listed above or otherwise permitted under the Privacy Legislation, using or disclosing your personal information will be done only with your consent. In addition, your information will be disposed of confidentially, in line with accepted document disposal schedules. If you have concerns about the use or disclosure of any of your information, contact our office on 08 9349-5555

Your health information is the basis for planning your care and treatment. All the information you provide will assist us in understanding your needs and help us to provide you with suitable treatment. If you choose not to share some of your health information it may affect the quality and outcome of your treatment.

The following information may be held about you:

• name, contact details
• nationality and language spoken
• health information including; diagnoses, operations, medical and nursing observations, medications, past illnesses and family medical history
• transaction details associated with services we have provided to you
• any additional information provided to us by you

• All Westminster Day Surgery employees and contractors have a duty to protect the confidentiality of your information at all times.
• Your personal information is stored:
• On our electronic patient management system which is accessed only as required by relevant caregivers. It is monitored to ensure that unauthorized personnel can not access your information.
• As a paper health record in a secure environment that is accessible only by authorized hospital caregivers or where off-site storage is required, by authorized professional storage contractors.
• As a guide, the law generally requires us to retain your medical records for seven years; however we may retain some information for shorter or longer periods than this.

• Your information is used by those involved in your care and treatment. Information may also be used within the hospital for planning, quality improvement and research. These activities provide the opportunity for improvements in care that benefit the community.
  
  
• With your consent we will provide information to your local doctor and other healthcare professionals involved in providing treatments or services to you following discharge. This information provides these healthcare professionals with a summary of your stay and any special requirements or instructions they may need to be aware of.
  
  
• Information about your stay (dates of admission and discharge) is forwarded to your private health insurer to enable your claim to be processed. The State Government and Private Hospital Data Bureau also receives summarized information from the hospital, however this information does not identify you and is used for funding, planning and improving health services.
  
  
• In some circumstances we are required by law to collect and release information. Details about patients who have specific conditions (for example, some infectious diseases and types of cancer) must be reported to databases or registers maintained securely by the State Government or other health care bodies. Information may also be provided to a court or tribunal when subpoenaed.
  
• In an emergency situation we will release information about you to facilitate your immediate care. In all other circumstances your consent will be obtained before any personal information is released.

Under the Privacy Act 1988, you generally have the right to access the personal information that we hold about you. This includes information we store electronically on a computer database, as well as documents which make up your personal health record.

• You can access the personal information we hold about you and advise if you think that it is inaccurate, incomplete or out-of-date.
• You can request access to your information by visiting the hospital where your records are held.

If you have any questions about this policy, or any complaint regarding the treatment of your privacy, we invite you to contact the Director of Nursing of the hospital where your records are held, during business hours on: 08 9349 5555

Westminster Day Surgery is bound by the National Privacy Principles for the handling of personal information. To find out about the National Privacy Principles, contact the Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner -
Website: http://www.privacy.gov.au
Privacy Hotline: 1300 363 992