NSW Ambulance is committed to safeguarding the privacy of our patient’s information and has implemented measures to comply with its obligations under the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002.
All Staff are bound by the act and by NSW Health Privacy Policy. Our paramedics, doctors, nurses and other staff are bound by law, by NSW Health privacy policies and by a strict code of conduct to maintain confidentiality of patient information.
Collection of Personal Information
Your personal information includes your personal details and personal health information relating to your treatment/care.
We collect your personal information so that we can provide you with treatment and advice. We only collect information that is relevant and necessary for your treatment and to manage the health services we provide.
We collect information directly from you, wherever possible. In an emergency, we may also need to collect information from a family member, friend, carer or other person who can help us to provide you with the best care.
Your information may be held in paper or electronic files, or audio files (for example, when you make a triple zero call). We take all reasonable steps to ensure the information we collect about you is stored securely. We are required by law to retain health records for certain periods of time, depending on the type of record. We have appropriate systems and policies in place to protect your information from loss, unauthorised access and misuse.
Use and Disclosure
All staff are bound by law to use or disclose your information for purposes directly related to your treatment, and in ways you would reasonably expect for your current and future care.
Your personal health information may be shared within the NSW Public Health Service or outside the health service to persons involved in your care, in order to determine the best treatment for you and to assist in the management of the health services provided to you.
We may be required to disclose some patient information to Courts and Tribunals and to State and Commonwealth government agencies to comply with laws regarding the reporting of notifiable diseases and statistics. Your personal information may be required as evidence in court when subpoenaed.
We may use or disclose patient information for billing and other purposes required for the operation of NSW Ambulance, including safety and quality improvement initiatives. Where relevant, we may need to disclose patient information to private health funds, the Department of Veterans Affairs or The Australian Council on Healthcare Standards.
We may use your information to contact you regarding patient satisfaction surveys that help us to evaluate and improve our services.
We may use or disclose your information for the following purposes in accordance with Statutory Guidelines issued under privacy law:
- For public interest research projects complying with strict protocols and approved by a Human Research & Ethics Committee
- For staff and student training purposes
- For other planning, financial or management purposes for health service activities.
The Statutory Guidelines ensure that where your information is needed for these purposes and it is impracticable to seek your consent, a minimum amount of personal information is used, and the personal information is handled in accordance with strict standards.
We will seek your consent prior to the use or disclosure of patient information for purposes other than those listed above, such as for fundraising activities.
Access to your Information
You are entitled to request access to all personal information including your health record held by NSW Ambulance.
Complaints
If you have a complaint relating to your privacy on the grounds that you believe a health service provider has contravened an Information Protection Principle or Health Privacy Principle, you may wish to request an internal review to be carried out by NSW Ambulance.
For information regarding the internal review process please refer to the Privacy Internal Review Guidelines NSW Health.
If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the internal review, you may lodge an appeal with the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, who will further investigate your complaint.
For further information:
- Contact the Privacy Contact Officer (details below)
- Contact the Office of the NSW Privacy Commissioner on telephone (02) 8868 8585 or go to the Privacy NSW website
Key Privacy Resources
For information relating to NSW Ambulance and NSW Health’s compliance with privacy law, please refer to the following documents:
Legislation
The Privacy Acts and related Regulations and links are listed below:
Acts:
- Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002
- Statutory Guidelines pursuant to the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002
- Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998
Regulations:
- Health Records and Information Privacy Regulation 2017
- Health Records and Information Privacy Code of Practice 2005
- Privacy and Personal Information Protection Regulation 2014
- Privacy Code of Practice (General) 2003
Contact the Privacy Officer at NSW Ambulance:
Mail
Privacy Officer
NSW Ambulance
Locked Bag 105
Rozelle NSW 2039
Phone
(02) 9320 7309
Email
Make contact via email.