Privacy Policy
Penisula Cardiology Group & Diagnostic Centre Privacy Policy
The Peninsula Cardiology Group are committed to providing quality healthcare for our patients. As a fundamental part of this commitment staff, practitioners and principals of the Practice recognise the importance of ensuring that our patients are fully informed and involved in their healthcare.
Peninsula Cardiology Group is, as a health provider bound by the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002(NSW), and the Privacy Act 1988 , this includes both the Australian Privacy Principles and the NSW Health Privacy Principles. These principles set the standards by which we handle personal information collected from our patients.
Purpose
Our practice is committed to protecting the privacy of our patients. We will ensure that our processes for the collection, storage, access and destruction of personal and health information are in compliance with our legal obligations and professional expectations.
Consent
Prior to any collection of your personal information we will seek and obtain your consent or that of your carer/next of kin. We will inform you of your rights and responsibilities relating to your privacy. You may alter or withdraw your consent at any time. However, you must let us know if you wish to change or limit your consent.
What we collect and why
As part of our commitment to providing quality healthcare it is necessary for Peninsula Cardiology Group to collect, store and protect patient’s personal information. Your personal details, your condition and treatment will be kept confidential by medical and other practice staff.
Your medical file is handled with the utmost respect for your privacy. The file will be accessed by your medical practitioner or when necessary by other medical practitioners working within the Practice when your normal practitioner is on leave. It is also necessary for our staff to handle your medical file to address administrative and nursing requirements of maintaining our Practice. All of our staff members are bound by strict confidentiality agreements as a condition of their employment and are well versed in the principles and importance of doctor-patient confidentiality.
You are not obliged to provide us with information, and you can request to remain anonymous or to use a pseudonym. You need to understand that anonymity can affect the level of care and treatment we provide to you, and we may have to decline your request if it is impractical for us to agree to.
Sharing your information
Your information will not be disclose without your permission unless the law requires it to be given to a designated person or authority, e.g Medicare. Your consent is obtained when you first come to the practice. You can change or limit your consent , but you must discuss this with us.
Keeping your information safe
We will store information securely and protect it from unauthorised access, use or disclosure. We will not keep it any longer than necessary and it will be disposed of securely. We will ensure that your personal and health information is relevant, accurate and up to date. Wherever practicable we will only collect information from you personally. However we may also need to collect information from other sources such as your treating General Practitioner, other Specialists, Radiologists, Pathologists, Hospitals and Health Care Providers and in an emergency from other family members. We will make every effort to confirm with you the information collected from another source as soon as practicable.
Each patient will have a confidential record kept of their illness and treatment, and access is limited to professionals involved in your treatment.
Requesting access to information
Access to information must be requested in writing by you. This assists us in handling all requests properly. All requests will be discussed with the treating doctor. We may deny access to your medical records in certain circumstances permitted by law, for example if disclosure may cause a serious threat to your health or safety.
There is a fee for the administrative costs of retrieving and providing you with copies of your medical record. If you are requesting access to the information of another patient, we may not grant access without that person’s consent. This can include access to a family member’s health records.
Making corrections
If you believe that the information we have about you is not accurate, complete or up to date, we ask that you initially contact the practice to make an appointment to attend in person, so that we can verify your identity before correcting the information.
Making a complaint
If you suspect your privacy may have been breached or you are unhappy with our response to a request for access, we ask that you speak with the practice manager or your treating doctor as soon as possible. We may request that you make your complaint in writing. Again, this helps us investigate your concerns thoroughly. We will respond within 30 days of receiving your complaint. If you are dissatisfied with our handling of your complaint or the outcome you may make an application to the Australian Commissioner or the Privacy Commissioner within New South Wales.
