​Health Information Privacy Statement

Your privacy and confidentiality will be fully respected. This fact sheet sets out why we collect your information and how that information will be used.

 

Legal compliance

 

We comply with the Health Information Privacy Code 2020 and the Privacy Act 2020. Collection of information is authorised under the Health Information Privacy Code 2020, the Privacy Act 2020, and related health legislation such as the Health Act 1956. If you have any queries about anything in this statement, email office@jpearsonmedical.co.nz

 

Purpose

 

We collect your health information to provide a record of care. This helps you receive quality treatment and care when you need it. We also collect your health information to help:

 

- Keep you and others safe

- Carry out authorised research

- Train healthcare professionals

- Plan and fund services

- Prepare and publish statistics

- Improve government services

 

Collection of your information

 

We collect your personal and health information so that we can provide you with care and treatment, communicate with you and inform you of health services that may be relevant to you, such as screening programmes. We collect information from you directly, or from someone you have agreed we can speak to, for example whānau, a support person or a relative.

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We will talk to you first to collect information unless there is good reason not to — for example, if you are sick and cannot agree to the information being provided to us. To provide health services to you, your information is collected from other healthcare providers and organisations. These providers have their own policies for sharing your information with us.

 

Health providers we work with and receive information from can include other doctors, specialists, hospitals, laboratory and radiology and other results providers, community and social service providers, social workers, and other health professionals such as dental and optometry providers. Other organisations such as ACC and insurers, the Ministry of Social Development and Police may also send us information as required. We will inform you if and when we collect information from other healthcare providers when you are not reasonably aware that the information is being sent to us. When it is clear that you are already aware the information is being passed to us, we will not inform you separately — for example, a medical specialist's letter written to us about a consultation you attended, a hospital discharge summary, or a note from a provider such as a physiotherapist or community nurse that makes clear you already know the information is being sent to us. Such information will be addressed at a future appointment where relevant.

 

Some information we receive might contain a recommendation that you take action — for example, Healthline advising you to see an after-hours doctor or GP within 24 hours. As you are already aware of this advice and are in the best position to action it, we will trust you to do so.

 

Confidentiality and information sharing

 

Confidentiality and information sharing is really important to us.

 

- Your health practitioner will record relevant information from your consultation in your notes.

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- Your health information will be shared with others involved in your healthcare and with other agencies, with consent, or if authorised by law.

 

- You don't have to share your health information; however, withholding it may affect the quality of care you receive. Talk to your health practitioner if you have any concerns.

 

- You have the right to know where your information is kept, who has access rights, and, where the system has audit-log capability, who has viewed or updated your information.

 

Information quality

 

We are required to keep your information accurate, up to date and relevant for your treatment and care.

 

How we use and share your information

 

We use your personal and health information to provide you with healthcare and to support the safe, effective running of our services, and we share it only when it is necessary for your care, required or permitted by law, or needed to meet funding, safety, and regulatory obligations. We share necessary and relevant information with other healthcare providers and professionals involved in your care. We will usually tell you before we share your information, although we might need to share information without telling you first — for example, because we are concerned about your or someone else's life or health. There are times when, by law, we are required to share information — for example, when requested by Manatū Hauora | Ministry of Health, or the Health and Disability Commissioner. If concerns are raised about the care or services we provide, we may disclose relevant health information to our regulators, insurers, indemnity providers, or legal advisers for the purpose of managing and responding to those concerns.

 

Use of your health information

 

Below are some examples of how your health information is used:

 

- If we are contracted to a Primary Health Organisation, that organisation may use your information for clinical and administrative purposes, including obtaining subsidised funding for you.

 

- Te Whatu Ora / Health New Zealand uses your information to provide treatment and care, and to improve the quality of its services.

 

- A clinical audit may be conducted by a qualified health practitioner to review the quality of services provided to you. They may also view health records if the audit involves checking on health matters. - When you choose to register in a health programme (e.g. immunisation or breast screening), relevant information may be shared with other health agencies.

 

- Manatū Hauora / Ministry of Health uses your demographic information to assign a unique number to you on the National Health Index (NHI). This NHI number helps identify you when you use health services.

 

- Manatū Hauora / Ministry of Health holds health information to measure how well health services are delivered and to plan and fund future health services. Auditors may occasionally conduct financial audits of your health practitioner, and may review your records and contact you to check that you received those services.

 

- Notification of births and deaths to the Births, Deaths and Marriages register may be performed electronically to streamline a person's interactions with government.

 

Holding your information

 

Information is kept for as long as legally required and for our specific organisational purposes. We are legally required to keep your health information for a minimum of ten years after the last time we provided you with a health service.

 

Research

 

Your health information may be used in research approved by an ethics committee, or when it has had identifying details removed. We may use your health information in research when we have obtained your consent and the study has received ethics approval. Under the law, you are not required to give consent to the use of your health information if it is for unpublished research or statistical purposes, or if it is published in a way that does not identify you.

 

Your right to access and correct your information

 

You have the right to access and correct your health information. - You have the right to see and request a copy of your health information. You don't have to explain why you are requesting it, but you may be required to provide proof of identity. If you request the same information again within 12 months, an administration fee may apply.

 

- You can ask for health information about you to be corrected. Our staff will provide reasonable assistance with this.

 

- To make a request to see or correct your information, please contact the practice manager. If we are not the right people to respond to your request, we will let you know and, where appropriate, transfer your request to the right place — for example, it may be better for another treatment provider to respond to you directly.

 

- We will respond to you as soon as we can. If a response is going to take longer than 20 working days from the date of your request, we will let you know and keep you updated.

 

- We will talk to you about how to give you the information — for example, as printed hard copy, or by email. It is important that you receive your information safely; this may mean agreeing to send documents by courier requiring your signature, or having the information collected in person.

 

- If collected in person, you will need to provide identity information such as a driver's licence or Kiwi Access Card. We only need to see this — we don't keep a copy.

 

- If your caregiver or representative asks us for information about you, we must generally provide this, unless a specific legal circumstance applies, most commonly:

 

- We don't think it is in your best interests to provide the information - We believe you do not want the information to be provided

 

- There is a reason under the Privacy Act why the information should not be provided We may first ask your representative for further information so that we know we are speaking to the right person and that they are authorised to act on your behalf.

 

- If your healthcare provider chooses not to change information you've queried, you can have this noted on your file. Many practices offer a patient portal allowing you to view some of your health records online — ask us if this is available so you can register.

 

Complaints

 

It is okay to complain if you are not happy with the way your health information is collected or used. Talk to us in the first instance — we will work with you and do our best to resolve your concern, and we are always open to improving our processes and systems. If we are unable to resolve your concern, you have the right to complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, toll-free on 0800 803 909, or via their website (privacy.org.nz).

 

For further information

 

Visit legislation.govt.nz to access the Health Act 1956, Official Information Act 1982 and Privacy Act 2020.

 

Contact

 

Working hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 am to 5:30 pm.

Closed on public holidays.

 

Email: office@jpearsonmedical.co.nz

Healthlink EDI: jpearson

Address: Ferrymead, Christchurch. PO Box 41042 For medical emergencies, dial 111.