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Your personal information and privacy

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Patients and visitors

Your personal information and privacy

We keep your information secure and make sure only authorised people access it. There are strict policies and procedures to maintain privacy and to manage this information.

In some cases some of this information may be displayed in areas that are accessed by the public (e.g. your name on ward cubicle door).

You don't have to provide us with the information we request. However if you choose not to, we may not be able to treat or care for you properly.

You have the right to access your clinical record (or the clinical record of someone you are the guardian or agent for) but this is done through a request process so we can make sure we release the right information to the right person.  The process is explained below, and a request form is included. Proof of indentity is important.

Queries or concerns about your information

If you have any queries or concerns about how your personal information has been managed, please contact us to see if we can resolve the problem. You can:

Email us at hnzprivacy@health.govt.nz; or Write to us at Privacy Officer – Te Whatu Ora, PO Box 793, Wellington 6140, New Zealand

If you’re not satisfied with our response to your concerns, you can contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. For more information see the Office of the Privacy Commissioner website here: https://www.privacy.org.nz/your-rights/making-a-complaint/

 

When receiving treatment from any Waikato DHB service, we will collect information about you and your health including:

  • personal information such as your age, date and place of birth, address, contact person and ethnicity
  • your health history
  • your family's health history.
  • To provide you with appropriate care.
  • To keep you and others safe.
  • To plan for and fund health services.
  • For administrative and quality improvement purposes.
  • To carry out teaching and research.
  • For statistical purposes.

We share patient information with others involved in your care, such as your GP and other district health boards (DHBs).

  • If you are registered with a GP or medical centre, it is important for them to know about your assessment and treatment in hospital. Waikato GPs have access to your clinical record on our clinical computer system. This includes information such as your hospital test results, appointments, medications and treatments. If your GP is accessing this computer information about you, they need to ask your consent and record it in your GP patient notes.
  • We share patient information with other DHBs within the central North Island (known as Midland DHBs) if they are or have been involved in your care. This is done through a secure shared computer system.

If you are unhappy about us sharing your information, please let our staff know as soon as possible.

  • You can request access to personal information held by us about you. However you do not have the right to immediate access.
  • We have 20 working days to respond to your request. If your request is urgent you must state the reasons why (as provided for in the Privacy Act). 
  • Before releasing personal information it will be checked to make sure that confidential information remains confidential and that other people's privacy is protected.
  • Requests must be made in writing, preferably using the Patient’s clinical notes release request form [PDF, 453 KB].
  • Our staff must offer you reasonable help with making the request, including how you can meet the personal identification requirements.