Privacy and personal information
SCHS takes a holistic approach to the needs of clients and the community with an emphasis on continuous quality improvement and excellence in service delivery based on the principles of collaborative primary care.
Sunraysia Community Health Services (SCHS) respects and protects the privacy of our patients and clients in line with Australian privacy laws.
The collection, storage, use and disclosure of patient and client information is subject to the provisions of the Privacy Act and the Health Records Act.
Your Privacy
SCHS will keep your personal information private. There are laws that make sure we keep your information private.
Collecting information helps us to know what services you need and to plan the best care with you. You don’t have to tell us all of your health information but it will help us understand the best way to work with and help you.
The collection, storage, use and disclosure of patient and client information is subject to the provisions of the Privacy Act and the Health Records Act.
We collect some information about you so that we can care for you in the best possible way.
We usually collect the following kinds of information:
- Name and contact details
- Nationality and language spoken at home
- Carer details, next of kin or preferred contact person
- Health information, including previous diagnoses, past and present treatments, medications, family medical history
- Medicare number, Health Care Card number and pension number (if applicable)
- We store your personal information safely and securely. Only the people who are involved in your care and treatment can access your personal information.
SCHS may use your information for planning, quality improvement, research, and reporting to government agencies. This will not include any sensitive or personal information.
Sharing your information
We will ask for your written/verbal consent if we need to share your information with other service providers or in order for us to refer you to another agency or service.
You have the right to ask us not to share your information with others and to have your personal information kept private.
There are circumstances when SCHS is required by law to share information, for example:
- Cases of legal action under a court order
- Reporting of notifiable diseases
- Investigations of child abuse or neglect
- Family violence cases
- Situations where a client is at risk of hurting themselves or another person, or whose current condition reduces their ability to make decisions
Making a Privacy Complaint
If you have a complaint about privacy at SCHS please complete our Feedback form. We will look into the issue and keep you informed of the progress of the investigation.
If your issue is not resolved you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner on 1300 363 992.
Go to the OAIC – Australian Privacy Principles for more information.
Accreditation
Sunraysia Community Health Services endeavours to provide high quality, flexible and responsive service delivery and health promotion through a focus on service monitoring, review and evaluation. SCHS is accredited through DNV against ISO9001:2015, National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) (Standards 1-6) and the Department of Health and Human Services, Human Services Standards (HSS). We are pleased to have achieved a further 3-year accreditation for the services provided to our community.
Sunraysia Community Health Services
