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Ocean Breeze Health Limited

Health Information and Privacy Statement

When you enrol with or accept healthcare services from Ocean Breeze Health Limited, you understand and agree to the following.

Use of health information

Your privacy and confidentiality will be fully respected. This statement explains why we collect your information, how it is used, and when it may be shared.

Purpose

We collect and use your health information to provide a record of care. This helps ensure you receive safe, effective and quality healthcare when you need it. We also use it to:

  • Keep you and others safe
  • Plan and fund health services
  • Carry out authorised research
  • Train healthcare professionals
  • Prepare and publish statistics
  • Improve governance and healthcare services

By accepting healthcare services from us, you agree that we may collect information about you from other agencies and providers for the purpose of maintaining an up-to-date health record and providing safe and quality primary healthcare.

Collection of information

From other health providers and shared health records

We may receive or access information about you from:

  • Laboratory, radiology and other diagnostic providers
  • Authorised national or regional shared health information systems to support your care, including reviewing your medical history, prescribing information, laboratory results and radiology reports
  • Hospitals, emergency departments, after-hours providers, specialist services, allied health providers and community care providers, including discharge summaries, outpatient letters and specialist correspondence
  • Hospitals or specialist services when we follow up referrals, seek clinical advice or request updates regarding your care
  • National screening programmes, including bowel, breast and cervical screening services, including attendance, non-attendance and results notifications

From non-health agencies and organisations

We may also receive or exchange relevant information with:

  • New Zealand Police
  • Legal representatives
  • Oranga Tamariki
  • Insurance companies
  • Ministry of Social Development (Work and Income New Zealand)
  • Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC)
  • Employers, including information relating to fitness for work
  • New Zealand Police regarding firearms licence matters where authorised or required by law

Confidentiality and information sharing

Your privacy and the confidentiality of your information are important to us.

  • Your health practitioner will record relevant information from your consultations in your medical record.
  • Your health information may be shared with others involved in your healthcare, and with other agencies where authorised by you or permitted or required by law.
  • You do not have to provide your health information; however, withholding information may affect the quality and safety of the care you receive.
  • You have the right to know where your information is held, who has access to it, and whether audit logs are maintained.
  • Your information will be stored securely to prevent unauthorised access, use or disclosure.

For payment purposes, we as your contracted provider and the Primary Health Organisation (PHO) may be informed of casual visits you make to other providers if you:

  • Are under 18 years of age
  • Hold a High Use Health Card
  • Hold a Community Services Card

In these circumstances, we and the PHO will only receive:

  • Confirmation that a casual visit occurred
  • The date and time of the visit
  • Aggregated information about the location of the visit
  • The type of health practitioner involved

The reason for the visit will not be disclosed unless authorised by you.

Information quality

We are required to ensure your information is accurate, up to date, complete and relevant to your treatment and care.

Your rights of access and correction

Under Rules 6 and 7 of the Health Information Privacy Code 2020, you have the right to request access to the health information we hold about you, and to request correction of that information if you believe it is inaccurate.

  • You have the right to see and request a copy of your health information. You do not need to explain why you are requesting it, although proof of identity may be required.
  • If you request a second copy of the same information within 12 months, an administration fee may apply.
  • You may request correction of your health information. Practice staff will provide reasonable assistance.
  • If your healthcare provider chooses not to amend the information, you may request that your concerns be added to your record.

Ocean Breeze Health Limited also offers a patient portal, Manage My Health, allowing you to securely access parts of your medical record online.

Use of your health information

Examples of how your health information may be used include:

  • If the practice is contracted to a Primary Health Organisation (PHO), the PHO may use your information for clinical and administrative purposes, including obtaining subsidised funding on your behalf.
  • Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora may use your information to provide treatment and care and improve healthcare services.
  • Clinical audits may be undertaken by qualified health practitioners to review the quality and appropriateness of services provided.
  • If you enrol in a health programme, such as immunisation or screening services, relevant information may be shared with organisations involved in delivering that programme.
  • Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora uses demographic information to assign your National Health Index (NHI) number.
  • Health information may be used to measure healthcare performance, plan future services and undertake financial auditing.
  • Births and deaths information may be electronically provided to the Births, Deaths and Marriages register where authorised.

Research

Your health information may be used for research approved by an ethics committee or where identifying details have been removed.

  • Research that may identify you directly or indirectly can only be published with your consent and ethics approval.
  • Under New Zealand law, consent is not always required for unpublished research or statistical purposes where you cannot reasonably be identified.

Complaints and legal processes

If concerns or complaints are raised regarding the care or services we provide, we may disclose relevant health information to professional regulators, insurers, indemnity providers and legal advisers. This will only occur for the purpose of managing, investigating or responding to the concerns or legal processes.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with the way your health information has been collected or used, please discuss this with your healthcare provider or the practice Privacy Officer in the first instance.

If you remain dissatisfied, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner on freephone 0800 803 909.

Our website

Our website's contact form is for general enquiries only. Please do not send health information through the form or by email, as these are not secure channels. Messages sent through the form are delivered to us by Formspree, a form service whose servers are outside New Zealand. We only use these messages to reply to you. For anything about your health, please call us on 09 947 5307.

Further information

Further information is available from the Health Act 1956, the Privacy Act 2020, the Health Information Privacy Code 2020 and the Official Information Act 1982. These can be accessed at legislation.govt.nz and privacy.org.nz. You may also use the Privacy Commissioner's "Ask Us" tool for privacy-related queries.

If you have any enquiries regarding Ocean Breeze Health Limited's Health Information and Privacy Policy, please contact the Privacy Officer at admin@oceanbreezehealth.co.nz.