For Patients: Information Requests & Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Joondalup Health Campus complies with the Privacy Act 1988, including the way we collect, store, use and disclose health information.

We only collect information that is necessary for the provision of your health care. All information is collected and stored within your medical record. Information is sought directly from you wherever possible to ensure we are able to provide you with optimal health care. There may be occasions where information needs to be sought from other health professionals. In the case of an emergency, we may also need to collect information from a family member, friend, carer or other person.

Use and disclosure
We may use or disclose your information for purposes directly related to your treatment, and in ways that you would reasonably expect for your ongoing care. This may include the transfer of relevant information to your nominated GP, to another treating health service or hospital, to a specialist for a referral, for pathology tests, x-rays, and so on.

We are required to disclose some patient information to state and Commonwealth government agencies to comply with laws regarding the reporting of notifiable diseases and statistics, for example, the registering of births and deaths. Your personal information may be required as evidence in court if subpoenaed.

We may use or disclose patient information for billing, statutory reporting and other purposes required for the operation of our health service, including safety and quality improvement initiatives and billing. For example, where relevant, we may need to disclose patient information to Medicare, private health funds, or WA Health under the Public Health Act.

We may use your information to contact you regarding patient satisfaction surveys that help us to evaluate and improve our services.

We may use or disclose your information for the following purposes in accordance with Statutory Guidelines issued under privacy law:

• For public interest research projects complying with strict protocols and approved by a Human Research & Ethics Committee
• For staff and student training purposes,
• For other planning, financial or management purposes for health service activities

The Statutory Guidelines ensure that where your information is needed for these purposes and it is impracticable to seek your consent, a minimum amount of personal information is used, and the personal information is handled in accordance with strict standards.

We will seek your consent prior to the use or disclosure of patient information for purposes other than those listed above, such as for fundraising activities.

Applying for access to your medical record
You are entitled to request access to your medical record or parts thereof, as held by Joondalup Health Campus. Normally you will be asked to apply for access in writing and to provide proof of identification.

For further information please contact our Privacy Officer on (08) 9400 9612.