For Patients: Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

When you are admitted to hospital, you will be given a Privacy Statement which you will be asked to sign.

Ramsay Health Care is bound by the National Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and other laws about how private health service providers handle personal information. Ramsay Health Care complies with privacy laws in the way we collect, use, dispose and store your personal information.

The Privacy Statement below is a short version of how Ramsay Health Care will handle your personal information. For further information or to receive a copy of our full Privacy Policy, please ask a staff member, visit our website (www.ramsayhealth.com.au) or telephone the Hospital and ask to speak with our Privacy Officer. You can also write to our Privacy Officer to ask for more information.

Ramsay Health Care collects your personal information so that it can provide you with health care and for directly related purposes. For example, Ramsay Health Care may collect, use or disclose personal information:

• For use by a multidisciplinary treating team
• When working with health professionals, Medicare or your health fund
• In an emergency where your life is at risk and you cannot consent
• To manage our hospitals, including risk management, quality assurance and accreditation processes
• To teach health care workers
• To keep medical records as required under our policies and by law or
• For other purposes required or permitted by law.
• Personal information may be shared between Ramsay Health Care facilities to coordinate your care. Some of our services are provided by outside organisations. This may mean that we share your personal information with third parties. For example, the contractor who conducts our patient satisfaction surveys may write to you for feedback about your experience with Ramsay Health Care. Your medical records may also be archived with an outside organisation. When we outsource our services, we make sure that their contracts with Ramsay Health Care comply with all laws about the privacy and confidentiality of your personal information.

Ramsay Health Care usually collects your personal information directly from you, but sometimes may need to collect it from someone else (for example, a relative or another health service provider). We will only do this if you have consented or where your life is at risk and we need to provide emergency treatment.

We will not use or disclose your personal information to any other persons or organisations for any other purpose unless:

You have consented

• The use or disclosure is for a purpose directly related to providing you with health care and you would expect us to use or disclose your personal information in this way
• We have told you that we will disclose your personal information to other organisations or persons or
• We are permitted or required to do so by law.

You have the right to access your personal information in your health record. You can also ask for us to change your health record if you think that it is inaccurate.