Privacy
Ensuring the privacy, confidentiality and security of personal health information in HealthConnect is paramount. Without the necessary safeguards in place, the network would not be established. National implementation of HealthConnect will be based on robust privacy arrangements, namely:
- individuals will be free to agree to participate in HealthConnect in the first place and on a continuing basis;
- individuals will have access to their own information and be able to control who can see their information;
- information about an individual will only be collected and used in a health care context;
- a stringent security framework will be in place wherever health information is collected, stored or exchanged. This will include audit trials and review mechanisms built into the network to track who has accessed it; and
- privacy rules will set out:
- who is authorised to access information held on HealthConnect and for what purposes;
- consent processes;
- offences, penalties and sanctions for privacy breaches; and
- complaint mechanisms where these are not adequately covered by the existing privacy and legislative frameworks.
For further information on privacy and HealthConnect, click on the following links:
Privacy Fact Sheet (PDF 35 kb)
Privacy Protocol Documents for HealthConnect trials
Privacy legislation
The Australian Government is currently working with States and Territories to develop a National Health Privacy Code (the Code) to support health information initiatives and ensure consistency across the public and private sectors. It is anticipated providers taking part in HealthConnect would be bound by the Code that would provide privacy protection within the context of the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988.
A national public consultation process on the Code concluded in April 2003. Public comment demonstrated that there is overall strong support for a nationally consistent approach to the protection of personal health information.
Health Ministers at the Australian Health Ministers' Conference (AHMC) in November 2003 referred the Code to the States and Territories for consideration. It is anticipated that Health Ministers will present the views of jurisdictions on the proposed Code and implementation options at a meeting of AHMC in 2004. If implemented, the Code will provide a set of health privacy principles that would apply to the collection, use, disclosure and storage of personal health information held in both the public and private sectors across Australia.
General privacy legislation and a requirement to abide by HealthConnect rules apply to the HealthConnect trials.