When dealing with your child's personal information, we observe our obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 and comply with the following legislations.

The Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 and the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 both aim to protect the privacy of individuals’ information that is held by public sector agencies. 

The Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (PPIP Act): 

• protects your privacy rights in NSW by making sure that your personal information is properly collected, stored, used or released by NSW public sector agencies via the Information Protection Principles (IPPs) 
• gives you the right to see and ask for changes to be made to your personal information
• allows you to make a complaint to the NSW Privacy Commissioner if you believe a NSW public sector agency has misused your personal information or breached one of the IPPs. 

The Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (HRIP Act): 

• protects your privacy rights in NSW by making sure that your health information is properly collected, stored, used or released via the Health Privacy Principles (HPPs)
• gives you the right to see and ask for changes to be made to your health information 
• allows you to make a complaint to the NSW Privacy Commissioner if you believe a NSW public sector agency, health organisation or health service provider has misused your health information or breached one of the HPPs.

You may also request access to government information under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009.

To provide your child with appropriate treatment, we may collect a range of health information about your child.  

This may include information about their health, pathology and diagnostic test results, x-ray and other imaging, and information about their medication. 

We collect health information directly from you wherever possible. If this is not possible, or in an emergency, we may refer to your child’s previous health records, other health care providers and your child’s My Health Record. 

We may also need to collect information from a parent, family member, friend, carer or other person such as an interpreter who can help us to provide your child with appropriate health care.

Your child’s health information may be used by the NSW public health service, or disclosed outside the health service, to enable appropriate care and treatment to be provided to you. 

For example, their information may be used or disclosed to

• other health services, hospitals or medical specialists involved in your child’s health care
• your nominated GP, including information provided with your child’s discharge referral documents
• the Ambulance Service of NSW
• My Health Record
• contact you at home regarding follow-up appointments
• your carer to assist with your child’s care.
• contact you for feedback on the services your child has received. to pastoral care workers, including hospital chaplains, providing spiritual and pastoral care
• students and other staff for training purposes
• other health services and authorised third parties to help prevent a serious and imminent threat to someone’s life, health or welfare, such as in an emergency.
• for purposes relating to organ or tissue donation.  This may include next of kin contact details.
• for operational and management activities, including funding, planning, safety and quality improvement
• investigate a complaint or incident
• manage a legal action or claim brought by the patient against the health service.

If you do not wish for us to collect, use or  disclose certain information about your child,  you will need to tell your child’s health care team. We will discuss with you any consequences this may have for your child’s health care.

The law also allows or requires your health information  to be disclosed to other third parties, for example: 

• to State and Commonwealth government agencies for statutory reporting purposes (such as to report infectious diseases, cancer and other notifiable diseases), to report births and deaths, and to provide Medicare details.
• researchers for public interest research projects,  as approved by a Human Research Ethics Committee
• other health services or law enforcement agencies, such as the police, if you provide us with information relating to a serious crime, including serious assault, domestic violence or child abuse
• other agencies where the information relates to the safety, welfare or wellbeing of a child or young person
• to comply with a subpoena or search warrant where a child’s health information is required as evidence in court.