Privacy and Information Sharing
GV Health Personal Information Collection Statement – information for consumers of GV Health services about the use and collection of their personal and health information
PROTECTING YOUR PRIVACY
GV Health is committed to protecting your privacy by keeping the information we collect about you secure from unauthorised access, use, disclosure or loss.
GV Health adheres to the following legislation to protect your personal and health information: the Health Services Act 1988 (Vic), the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic), the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) and the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic).
WHAT INFORMATION IS COLLECTED?
GV Health collects your personal and healthcare information in order to provide services to you.
Personal information is information or an opinion about you where your identity is clear or where someone could reasonably work out that it related to you. Personal information can include:
• your name
• email address
• postal address
• phone number
• signature
• Medicare number
• photographs or surveillance footage of you
• comments written about you
• local doctor.
Health information is any personal information about your health or disability. It includes information or opinion about your illness, injury or disability. Some examples of health information include:
• notes of your symptoms or diagnosis
• information about a health service you’ve had or will receive
• specialist reports and test results
• prescriptions and other pharmaceutical purchases
• your genetic information
• information about allergies
• your wishes about future health services
• your wishes about potential organ donation
• appointment and billing details.
GV Health is bound by the 10 Information Privacy Principles under the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 with respect to your personal information and the 11 Health Privacy Principles contained in the Health Records Act 2001 with respect to your health information.
HOW IS MY INFORMATION STORED?
GV Health uses both a paper based and electronic record management system to store information about you.
In November 2024, 14 health services within the Hume region, including GV Health, began sharing a regional Patient Administration System (PAS). A list of the health services participating in the regional PAS is available here.
The PAS is a software system used across these health services to manage nonclinical patient data and improve administrative processes. PAS systems store and manage patient personal and health information and include such things as demographics (name, address, DOB), contact information, demographic information, next of kin, health insurance details, allergies and other non-clinical information. The PAS also keeps a record of patient interactions and is linked with the patient’s clinical record held by each separate health service.
The health services also implemented regional access and flow (Hume Access to Care) software which enables all 14 health services to review data relating to bed allocation and patient flow in order to ensure that patients are allocated to the most appropriate hospital bed. This software is designed to improve patient care and promote efficiency within the health system. The data held in the Hume Access to Care software includes some patient demographic details from the PAS and information that tracks the patient journey from admission to discharge which includes the patient location, status and any movement within the health service and region. The platform also helps facilitate clinical and logistic processes and displays patient care activities such as tests, treatments and appointments, highlights patient flags and risks and provides a digital internal referrals system.
WHO HAS ACCESS TO MY INFORMATION?
All paper and electronic systems that contain your information are managed and maintained appropriately. There are strict privacy laws, policies and procedures that are in place to govern the collection, use, release and disposal of your health information.
Staff access to these systems is audited regularly by each health service to monitor compliance. Staff are bound by these laws and a strict code of conduct which requires them to maintain the confidentiality of your information.
HOW IS MY INFORMATION USED?
GV Health collects the health information needed to provide you with the best possible care and treatment. Your healthcare team may include the doctors and nurses looking after you through to support services like physiotherapists, pharmacists, nutritionists, interpreters and pastoral care as well as administrative staff.
Your health information may also be shared with healthcare providers outside of GV Health, including those who provide services on our behalf. These providers are bound by privacy and confidentiality obligations when handling your health information.
We may also use your information for planning, evaluation, quality improvement, research that may include clinical research trials and teaching purposes. If this information is used in reports and publications we remove any data that may identify you.
Research activities follow strict guidelines and all research activities must be approved by the GV Health Research and Ethics Committee.
GV Health may also need to collect information about you from Medicare, your private health insurance Company, travel insurance company or the Department of Home Affairs (Immigration and Citizenship) to check your eligibility for care.
WHAT HAPPENS TO MY INFORMATION?
When you become a patient or client of GV Health, a record is created using details such as your name, address, contact details and other information including your condition, test results and the outcome of your treatment.
Each time you attend GV Health, new information is added to your record. Electronic images such as clinical photography and telemedicine are sometimes used to help treat you. This information is recorded in our medical records systems.
Information held by GV Health about you is confidential. Your information is protected and stored securely. This applies to both paper based and digital information.
If you are an inpatient, we may provide general information about your condition to your next of kin or a near relative. Let us know if you have any concerns about this.
After an emergency or outpatient visit or discharge from hospital, we prepare a summary of your visit, your medication needs and any special instructions about your care. This information will be provided to your local doctor or other community healthcare providers that you believe need this information.
Other hospitals, or new healthcare providers you visit may request information about you so that they can treat you. When this happens, we ask that they provide written approval from you before we release information. However, in an emergency situation, we will release information to assist with your care.
In some circumstances GV Health is required by law to release health information. Some details about patients who have specific conditions (for example, some infectious diseases and types of cancer) must be reported to databases or registries maintained securely by the Department of Health (DH).
Information may also be provided to a court or tribunal when subpoenaed.
GV Health reports statistical information to DH relating to the services we provide. This information is summarised and does not identify you. It is used for funding, planning and improving health care services.
AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT ‘MY HEALTH RECORD’
If you are registered with the Australian Government’s My Health Record, GV Health may upload your discharge summaries and some pathology and radiology reports to My Health Record.
If you do not wish to have these clinical documents uploaded, please let us know at the start of your visit. More information is available on the website below.
CAN I REFUSE TO SHARE MY INFORMATION?
You have the right to decide not to share your information or to restrict access to your record, however, it may affect our ability to provide you with the best possible care. Talk to us if you wish to limit access to all or part of the information we hold in your medical record.
HOW CAN I ACCESS MY INFORMATION?
You have the right to request access to your personal and health information.
To access this information, you need to make an application by completing a freedom of information request form. This form is available on our website or can be requested via the Freedom of Information (FOI) Officer. An application fee and costs may apply.
It is important your medical record contains up-to-date information at all times. If there is information in your record which is incorrect or you do not agree with, you have the right to request that it is corrected. GV Health will respond to requests for correction as required by law.
If your personal details are wrong or they have changed, please let us know at your next visits. We will make sure medical record is updated.
Requests for access to your information can be made:
In writing:
FOI Officer – GV Health
Graham St, Shepparton, 3630
By email:
foi@gvhealth.org.au
HOW CAN I ACCESS MY INFORMATION?
If you have any questions or concerns about the privacy of your health information, you can contact the Privacy Officer – privacy@gvhealth.org.au.
If you are a current inpatient, please discuss your concerns with your treating team so the matter can be resolved now.
You can provide feedback to GV Health in various ways. You can talk to us in person, over the telephone or online.
OTHER CONTACTS
For more information about the management of personal information and medical records, you can visit the following websites:
Department of Health
www.health.vic.gov.au
Health Complaints Commissioner
www.hcc.vic.gov.au
Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner
www.ovic.vic.gov.au
My Health Record
www.digitalhealth.gov.au
- ADDRESS
Goulburn Valley Health
Graham Street
Shepparton, 3630
- CONTACT
Emergency: 000
FOI Officer: (03) 5831 0042
Nurse on call: 1300 60 60 24
for non life threatening injury/illness
- RELEVANT DOCUMENTS