Privacy
Mid North Coast Local Health District (MNCLHD), which is part of NSW Health, is committed to safeguarding the privacy of health information and other personal information it deals with and has implemented measures to comply with its obligations under the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 and the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998.
This privacy policy provides you with details of what personal information or health information may be held about you by MNCLHD, how you can access this information and the purposes for which your personal information is used and disclosed.
Collection of your information
Personal information includes any information or opinion about an individual whose identity is apparent or can be readily identified from the information or opinion.
Health information includes information or an opinion about the physical or mental health or a disability of an individual or a health service provided to an individual.
The types of personal information which MNCLHD may collect includes an individual’s name, date of birth, phone number, email address, address, health information and employment information.
Personal information and health information may be collected by MNCLHD in a number of circumstances, including when an individual:
- contacts us or one of our hospitals or community health centres, either by phone, fax or email or via our website
- attends one of our hospitals or community health centres as a patient or next of kin
- subscribes to receive regular newsletters, health alerts or media releases from us, including via our website
- attends an event hosted by us; or
- applies for employment with us.
If an individual does not provide the information requested, MNCLHD may not be able to provide them with our services.
We collect information directly from you wherever it is reasonable and practicable to do so. In certain circumstances where this is not the case, such as in an emergency, we may also collect information from someone else.
If you provide personal information or health information to MNCLHD about someone else, you must ensure that you are entitled to disclose that information to us and that, without MNCLHD taking any further steps required by privacy laws, we may collect, use and disclose such information for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. For example, you should take reasonable steps to ensure the individual concerned is aware of the various matters detailed in this Privacy Policy, including the fact that the information is being collected, the purposes for which the information is being collected, the intended recipients of the information, the individual’s right to obtain access to the information and MNCLHD’s identity and how to contact it. The individual must also provide the consents set out in this Privacy Policy in respect of how MNCLHD will deal with their personal information or health information.
Purposes of collection
MNCLHD collects personal information and health information in relation for the primary purpose of providing and administering health services.
MNCLHD may also collect personal information and health information for purposes related or ancillary to the primary purpose of collection, including:
- to respond to requests for information received by MNCLHD
- for complaints handling purposes
- funding, planning, management, evaluation or improvement of our services, including conducting market research and surveys and assessing customer satisfaction
- billing and debt recovery;
- training of our employees or contractors
- to assess, process and manage an application for employment
- research, or the compilation or analysis of statistics; and
- where required or authorised by or under law.
By providing us with your personal information and health information, you consent, and you must procure that any person whose information you disclose to MNCLHD has consented, to the collection of your or that third party’s information (if disclosed) by MNCLHD and has also consented to the uses and disclosures of any personal information and/or health information as described in this Privacy Policy.
In particular, MNCLHD may use or disclose personal information and/or health information to:
- other companies and contractors which it retains to provide services, including entities located outside New South Wales and outside Australia, who will need to have access to the information to perform their obligations
- enable appropriate health services to be provided to you, for example to other treating health services, hospitals or medical specialists involved in your care and treatment, to your nominated GP, to the Ambulance Service of NSW, in order to process pathology tests, x-rays and so on, to pastoral care workers and to students and other staff for training purposes.
Access to your information
You are entitled to request access to all personal information and health information held by MNCLHD. Normally you will be asked to apply for access in writing and provide identification.
You may be charged a fee if you request copies of your personal information or health information. MNCLHD may decline access to your information in special circumstances, such as where giving access would put you or another person at risk of mental or physical harm.
If you believe the information that MNCLHD holds about you is incorrect and an error has been made, please let MNCLHD know and we will correct the information. If MNCLHD believes the information is correct, you may request for your view to be noted on the record.
Security of your information
MNCLHD takes reasonable steps to ensure the security of personal information and health information held by it from such risks as loss or unauthorised access, destruction, use, modification or disclosure. MNCLHD’s IT systems are password protected and it uses firewalls and encryption (security measures for the Internet). MNCLHD also maintains physical security over our paper files, data stores and premises, including locks and security systems.
Google analytics
This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”). Google Analytics uses ‘cookies’, which are text files placed on your computer, to help the website analyze how users use the site.
The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google will use this information for the purpose of
evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity for website operators and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where
required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google’s behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate
settings on your browser, however, please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website. By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for
the purposes set out above.
For further information on the privacy policy concerning Google Analytics visit the website.
☎ Contact us
If you have questions or a complaint about the privacy of your personal information or health information, please contact us.