How the Parkville Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Service is protecting your privacy

This page outlines:

• We collect personal information so that we can provide you with appropriate treatment
• We comply with laws governing the collection, use and disclosure of patient information
• You have the right to refuse disclosure of your information to providers outside the Parkville Precinct

 

What information does the Parkville Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Service collect about you?

The Parkville Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Service (PYMHWS) collects information such as your name, address and contact details, as well as information about your health and the treatment you are given when needed.

New information is added to your record every time you attend or have contact with PYMHWS.

 

How we collect, store and use information

We collect and maintain personal and medical information in order to provide you with appropriate care and treatment. The information we collect during your visits is stored securely in our electronic medical record (EMR).

This system is shared by the PYMHWS, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, The Royal Children’s Hospital, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and The Royal Women’s Hospital (collectively known as the Parkville Precinct). The EMR can be accessed by staff from all of these health services but only when they are directly involved with your care or treatment.

Visit PYMHWS.org.au to find out more about the EMR.

The shared EMR is hosted on the Royal Children’s Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre servers and this is where your data is physically held.

The Royal Children’s Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre collect patient information from each health service to host, manage and support the shared EMR.

The PYMHWS, The Royal Melbourne Hospital and The Royal Women’s Hospital have access to collect and upload information to the shared EMR about their care of patients.

Some historical medical records are stored securely by the Parkville Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Services Health Information Services in clinical information systems and paper medical records. PYMHWS may use and disclose your personal information to third parties and service providers that are partnering with us to deliver our services, including to ensure standard of safety and quality of our services. Where information is disclosed to any third party, we ensure that your personal information is stored securely, in line with Australian privacy requirements.

We may also use your information for internal teaching or for research approved by a Human Research Ethics Committee and cleared by the PYMHWS through a strictly controlled approval process that meets National and State standards.

Your information may also be used within the PYMHWS for planning, accreditation and evaluation, quality improvement, complaint resolution, funding and reporting requirements. Steps are taken to remove details that identify you in any reports and publications.

Protecting patient privacy

The Parkville Precinct is committed to protecting privacy by keeping the information we collect about you secure from unauthorised access, use, disclosure or loss.

All paper and electronic systems across the Parkville Precinct 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 information. Staff access to these systems is audited regularly by each health service to monitor compliance.

Parkville Connect

The Parkville Connect portal allows the sharing of certain information in the EMR with your nominated local doctor and their practice, and by other community health care providers you have consented to access your information.

This will provide quick access to your information and inform shared care between the hospital, your local doctor and other community health care providers.

Health Hub

The Health Hub portal allows patients and approved proxies to access some of their hospital information from the EMR.

This includes information about appointments, certain test results, some clinic notes and correspondence from the Parkville Precinct.

More information is available at health-hub.org.au

Care Everywhere

Care Everywhere is an information sharing platform available in the EMR that allows other health organisations with the same EMR software to retrieve your health information, with your consent, when it is required for your care outside of the Parkville Precinct.

Who do we provide your health information to?

We may disclose your information to others outside the PYMHWS, including your doctor and other health and care community support providers, if this is necessary for your further treatment. If you are an inpatient, we will tell your relatives and friends where you are and your general condition, if they call or visit. We will discuss your care in more detail with your nominated contact or authorised representative.

We will disclose your information to any person or organisation authorised by you. This will usually involve you signing a release document.

PYMHWS may also be obliged to release your information without your consent:

• where required by law (e.g., by Act of Parliament or in the case of a legal claim)where required by government authorities and departments (e.g., registration of births, deaths, diseases, and treatments)
• for mandatory reporting (e.g., reporting to Child Protection, child and family services or Victoria Police)
• when requested by Risk Assessment or Information Sharing Entities under the Victorian Government Family Violence and Child Information Sharing Schemes
• when there is a reasonable belief that there is a serious threat to an individual’s health or safety or to the health and safety of others
• when this will reduce or prevent a serious threat to public health or safety
• for quality and safety purposes (as authorised by the Health Services Act 1988). This would be limited to entities responsible for investigating failures in quality and safety and for health system quality and safety oversight. These departments include:
  • the Victorian Department of Health
  • Safer Care Victoria
  • the Victorian Agency for Health Information and/or
  • another health service entity.

Any sharing would be subject to and comply with existing data security and storage requirements set out in the Health Privacy Principles and Information Privacy Principles. The sharing and use of information is designed to address any quality and safety issues that may have affected you to ensure they inform continuous service improvement.

PYMHWS is participating in the Australian Government My Health Record. Your discharge summaries and some pathology and radiology reports may be uploaded to your My Health Record, if you have one.

Please tell us at the beginning of your visit if you do not want these clinical documents uploaded to your record. For more information go to myhealthrecord.gov.au or Help line 1800 723 471.

Can you refuse to disclose your information?

Yes, you have the right to refuse disclosure of your information to providers outside the Parkville Precinct. You may exercise this right by completing a Refusal of Consent to Disclosure and Use of Information form.

However, refusing permission to disclose your information might affect you receiving appropriate care and treatment in the future. If you have any questions about disclosing your information, please speak with a staff member involved in your care.

There are some exceptions where the PYMHWS may need to share your information without your consent. These are outlined in the previous section.

Who might contact you after you have been treated by PYMHWS?

A member of your health care team for follow up, including to improve the way we provide care

PYMHWS researcher to invite you to participate in a research project.

 

What if you are unable to give consent?

If you are unable to give permission for your information to be released, permission may be sought from your authorised representative. People who are permitted to act as an ‘authorised representative’ for a patient are specified by law.

Your authorised representative may exercise the same rights as you in withholding consent to the use, disclosure or access to your information.

 

How long do we keep information about you?

PYMHWS complies with the statutory requirements for minimum information retention according to the Public Records Office of Victoria.

Generally, inpatient records are kept for a minimum of 15 years after last attendance, or until the age of 25 if the patient was a child when receiving treatment, whichever is the longest.

Outpatient and Emergency Department records are kept for a minimum of 12 years and up to 20 years from the date of the patient’s last attendance.

For psychiatric inpatients and outpatients, records are kept for a minimum of 25 years, or until the age of 43, whichever is the longest.

Radiology images are kept for a minimum of five years after creation.

Records of deceased patients are kept for 12 years from the date of death.

How can you gain access to your information?

The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act gives you the right to access your medical record. It also allows you to request for your records to be amended.

Requests for access must be made in writing to the FOI Office:

Mail: Freedom of Information Officer

The Parkville Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Service

35 Poplar Road

Parkville Victoria 3052

Email: HIS@pymhs.org.au

A fee may be charged for this service.

Please note that a separate Freedom of Information and You brochure is available. If you have any questions phone 03 9966 9570 or email HIS@pymhws.org.au