Operations Manager

Melanie Mulligan, RN1,  Ba of Nursing, Grad Cert (Critical Care)

Worked extensively within the aged care sector on the Mornington Peninsula

Practice Nurse for a solo GP

Experience in Chronic Disease management and prevention

Worked abroad as a Repatriation Nurse throughout Europe and the insurance industry.

Business Manager

Julie Cartwright RN1  (Crit Care Cert), Ba Business (Accounting), CPA MBA
AGPAL surveyor
Business manager of a large medical centre

Quality and Education Manager
Georgina Hall RN1, Grad Dip (Emergency), Grad Cert (Child)
Worked in aged care in both the private and public sector

Worked abroad in both the public and private sectors with older people.

Studied Asthma Management at Education for Health, in England

Privacy Policy

Primary Care Management (PCM) is committed to ensuring that your patient’s personal health information is professionally managed in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 and all relevant state privacy legislation.

In Victoria, the Health Records Act 2001:

· Establishes standards called Health Privacy Principles (HPP’s) for the collection, handling, and disposal of health information in the public and private sectors; and

· It creates a right of access for Victorians to health information about them, held in the private sector.

What are the Health Privacy Principles?

1. Collection: Only collect health information if necessary for the performance of a function or activity and with consent. Notify individuals about what you do with the information and that they can gain access to it.

2. Use and Disclosure: Only use or disclose health information for the primary purpose for which it was collected or a directly related secondary purpose the person would reasonably expect. Otherwise, you generally need consent.

3. Data Quality: Take reasonable steps to ensure health information you hold is accurate, complex, up to date and relevant to the functions you perform.

4. Data Security: Safeguard the health information you hold against misuse, loss, unauthorised access and modification. Only destroy or delete health information in accordance with HPP4.

5. Openness: Document clearly expressed policies on your management of health information and makes this statement available to anyone who asks for it.

6. Access and Correction: Individuals have a right to seek access to health information about them held in the private sector, and to correct it if it is inaccurate, incomplete, misleading or not up to date.

7. Identifiers: Only assign a number to identify a person if the assignment is reasonably necessary to carry out your functions effectively.

8. Anonymity: Give individuals the option of not identifying themselves when entering transactions with organisations where this is lawful and practicable.

9. Trans Border Data Flows: Only transfer health information outside of Victoria if the organisation receiving it is subject to laws substantially similar to the HPP’s.

10. Transfer/Closure of the Practice of a Health Service Provider: If you’re a health service provider, and your business is being sold, transferred or closed down, without you continuing to provide a service, you must give notice to past service users.

11. Making Information Available to Another Health Service Provider: If you’re a health service provider, you must make health information relating to an individual available to another health service provider if requested by the individual.

Who do the Health Privacy Principles apply to?

HPP’s apply to:

· Personal information collected in providing a health, mental, disability, aged care or palliative care service: and

· Health information held by other organisations

AND are binding.

A contravention of the HPP’s is “an interference with the privacy of an individual”.

What do we do with the information we collect from you?

The patient health information we collect from you is used to ensure that you receive quality health services from PCM. Accordingly, any personal health information we collect may need to be shared among other members of the health care team, including nursing and allied health providers and pharmacist.

Client satisfaction

We may use the health information we collect from you to monitor the quality of care we provide, the appropriateness and effectiveness of the services we offer, and your overall level of satisfaction.

How do we treat your information confidentially?

Apart from the uses listed above, we will only use your patient health information with your consent. We will dispose of your information confidentially, by shredding.

How do we keep your information secure?

Your information is stored in our electronic management system and can only be accessed by authorised PCM personnel. PCM adheres to the General Practice Computing Group Guidelines for the management of patient records and electronic information.

Paper records are also stored in a secure environment that is accessible only by authorised PCM personnel.

Feedback

If you have concerns or complaints about our service, please contact the Manager in the first instance on 03 9783 3197. If you feel that your issue has not been resolved to your satisfaction, please contact the: Health Services Commissioner, Complaints and Information, 30^th Floor, 570 Bourke Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000.

Tel: Toll Free 1800 136 066