Orbost Regional Health is committed to compliance with the Information Privacy Principles of the Privacy Act 1988 (Commonwealth, amended 2000) and the Health Records Act 2001 (Victoria), which specifies strict security measures to be used to prevent unauthorised access to patient information.

Orbost Regional Health is required at times to pass on statistical information it collects about the people who receive services here. The information is generally used for planning of future services and resources, but sometimes may be for mandatory reporting of certain diseases, information to courts of law or in an emergency situation, (if this occurs, you will be advised when the information is released).

Some patient information will be sent to the Victorian Department of Human Services. This Department also abides by the information privacy principles. The Department of Human Services will forward some of this information to the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged care for statistical purposes.

Personal health information is stored securely at Orbost Regional Health. We will keep your health records for a minimum of 7 years after your last visit. Health record information may be requested in writing, however some limits may apply where particular circumstances prevent us from releasing information and a small fee applies.

You have the right to correct any information in the record which you believe to be incorrect, incomplete, out of date or misleading. However, information held on the health record cannot be removed, though it may be requested that a correcting statement be added to it.

Orbost Regional Health staff members abide by Codes of Conduct and contractual agreements to treat information confidentially. Only information relevant to your care will be shared with other professional health providers, if this is necessary, and this will only happen when consent has been obtained. You have the right to refuse sharing of information with other health professionals. Any concerns or questions about sharing of information may be directed to our staff. In some cases, people may not be able to give consent because they are legally unable to make a decision about release of their information. In such cases, we will seek a decision from the persons representative (usually guardian or family).

If you are not satisfied with the way in which we handle personal information or deal with concerns, a formal complaint may be made to the Health Services Commissioner on 03 8601 5222.