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Privacy Policy

Introduction 

By law, your medical records and health information must be kept safe and private by all medical and  healthcare professionals. Monash House Research Centre is committed to protecting patients’ privacy and  information that we collect and use. 

Monash House Research Centre must follow privacy and health records laws, including the Privacy Act 1988  (and the 13 Australian Privacy Principles) and the Heath Records Act 2001 (VIC). These laws apple to our  relationships with patients, employees and service providers. We expect all health professionals and  organisations we work with to also follow these privacy principles.  

In this Privacy Policy, “you” refers to any individual about whom Monash House Research Centre collect  personal information and “Clinical Trial” means a clinical trial or clinical research conducted or proposed to be  conducted by Monash House Research Centre. 

What is personal information? 

Personal information: Information or an opinion (including information or an opinion forming part of a  database), whether true or not, and whether recorded in material form or not, about an individual whose  identity is apparent, or can be reasonably be ascertained from the information or opinion.  

Sensitive Information: Is a subset of personal information that is afforded a higher level of protection by  privacy laws. It includes health genetic and biometric information as well as information about an individual’s  racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs or affiliations; political, professional or trade  associations or trade unions, philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation or practices and criminal record or health  information about an individual. 

Why does Monash House Research Centre collect personal information? 

Monash House Research Centre collects and holds personal information from individuals who receive or have  received care or services to understand their needs and provide the necessary service and advice. The  patient’s medical history helps us to determine the most suitable and effective treatments, avoiding  unnecessary repeat tests. We also use this information to contact the individual with relevant advice or details  about the service being provided. Additionally, we use personal information to improve the quality of our  services, manage and administer them, and comply with legal requirements where necessary. 

What personal information do we collect and hold? 

Monash House Research Centre collects personal information that it considers necessary to provide its range  of services, including medical research and Clinical Trial activities. 

  • Personal Information collected by Monash House Research Centre may include: • Name, date of birth, address, sex/gender, contact details. 
  • Medical information including medical history, medications, notes, allergies, adverse events,  immunisations, ethnic, social and family history, risk factors, physiological measurements together  with Clinical Trial specific notes and related information. 
  • Personal information about you that is required (or reasonably needed) to be collected for the  purposes of any Clinical Trial protocol in a connection with any Clinical Trial that you may or do  participate in. 
  • Clinical samples and images. 
  • Your referring Health Service Practitioner, if applicable. 
  • Services provided to you. 
  • Records of communications with Monash House Research Centre. 
  • When applying for or working with Veritus Research, information may include your education and  work history, skills and capabilities. Other personal information including bank account and credit  account details may be collected in order to enable your agreed expenses to be reimbursed.

Can individuals deal with us anonymously? 

Where it is lawful and practicable to do so, individuals may deal with us anonymously or use a pseudonym (e.g.  when enquiring about our services generally). However, it is generally not possible to remain anonymous as a  patient. 

How do we collect personal information? 

Monash House Research Centre collects personal information from you when you: 

  • Sign a consent form before taking part in a Clinical Trial. 
  • Use Monash House Research Centre Services. 
  • Participate in a Clinical Trial. 
  • Visit the Monash House Research Centre website, send an email or SMS, text or telephone. • Fill in questionnaires and forms. 
  • Apply for or work with Monash House Research Centre as an employee, contractor, or volunteer. 

In some circumstances, personal information about you may also be collected from other sources. This may  include information from: 

  • Any person who assists Monash House Research Centre to recruit potential Clinical Trial participants
  • Any person responsible for any part of a Clinical Trial in which you participate. 
  • Your guardian or responsible person. 
  • Your Health Service Practitioner and other healthcare providers. 
  • Persons identified or described under the heading “With Whom is Your Personal Information Shared”.
  • When applying to work for or with Monash House Research Centre, third parties including referees. 

How Is Personal Information Used 

Monash House Research Centre collects personal information primarily for the purposes of medical research  and Clinical Trial activities, to comply with Clinical Trial protocols, laws and regulatory and other guidelines  relating to the conduct of Clinical Trials. By providing your personal information, you agree that it may be used  for the following purposes: 

  • In-connection with your recruitment and participation in current or future Clinical Trials.
  • To keep a history of your participation in a Clinical Trial. 
  • To enable Monash House Research Centre to offer you participation in future Clinical Trials.
  • Manage the services provided to you including re-imbursement of agreed expenses.
  • To research, develop and improve Monash House Research Centre services and business operations  and processes. 
  • To conduct surveys to determine your satisfaction. 
  • To promote Monash House Research Centre services, capabilities and therapeutic areas of interest.
  • For business related activities, such as audits, accreditations, training and to comply with Monash  House Research Centre legal obligations. 
  • To engage with you as an employee, contractor, or volunteer. 

How Is Your Personal Information Stored and Protected 

Your personal information may be stored in physical and electronic form. Monash House Research Centre uses  its best endeavours to ensure personal information is stored securely by Monash House Research Centre or its  outsourced services providers and protected from unauthorised access. 

Some of the ways Monash House Research Centre does this include: 

  • Requiring our staff and outsourced service providers to maintain confidentiality.
  • Implementing physical and electronic document storage security including security measures for  access to Monas House Research Centre computer systems.

Please note, is not possible to guarantee that data transmission over the internet or via email, either to or from Monash House Research Centre, will be completely secure. 

To whom do we disclose personal information? 

Monash House Research Centre sometimes shares personal information with the following individuals and  organisations: 

  • With third parties who work with Monash House Research Centre to conduct a Clinical Trial, such as  sponsors and investigators. These third parties are required to comply with this policy and relevant laws. 
  • Health care providers. 
  • Monash House Research Centre staff and related bodies corporate. 
  • Outsourced service providers who assist Monash House Research Centre to provide services and are  required to comply with this policy and relevant laws including: 

— information technology providers; and 

— professional advisers. 

  • Organisations involved in a sale/transfer of Monash House Research Centre assets, business or  shares. 
  • Government and regulatory authorities as required by law. 

Only people that need to access your personal information will be able to do so. Other than as set out in this  policy, Monash House Research Centre will not share your personal information with any third party without  your consent. Where practicable, before personal information is provided to a third party it will be de identified so as to no longer be capable of identifying you. 

Access to and correction of information: 

Medical records are the property of Monash House Research Centre. However patients have a right to access  them subject to some exceptions allowed by law. Patients can contact the Privacy Officer at Monash House  Research Centre to request access. A fee may be charged for collating and providing access to personal and  health information. 

Trans border data flows: 

Monash House Research Centre may access or use information we collect, including personal information  outside Australia, in order to provide the services, medical research and Clinical Trial activities. Information  may also be stored on servers located outside Australia. 

How do we manage privacy preferences and capacity? 

Monash House Research Centre accepts the admission of children under the age of 18 years old (but no  younger than 6), therefore children under the age of 18 will be required to have a parent or guardian present  when managing privacy preferences. 

If an individual lacks capacity to make privacy decisions for themselves, we will refer to or manage requests for  access and consents in relation to personal information with the individual’s Enduring Power of Attorney or  Substitute Decision-maker. 

How to opt out of direct marketing? 

We will only use personal and health information for the purposes of direct marketing and promotional  activities with the individual express consent. All direct marketing communications will include the option for  an individual to opt out of receiving direct marketing communication. Individuals can opt out at any time. 

How do we store and secure personal information? 

Monash House Research Centre stores personal and health information electronically and in paper form. The  security of personal and health information is very important to us and reasonable steps are taken to protect it from misuse or loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Some of the ways we do this  include: 

  • Requiring Monash House Research Centre staff to maintain confidentiality 
  • Implementing document storage security i.e. Dox electronic medical storage including the auditing  processes to ensure the safety and security of data and retrievability 
  • Imposing security measures for access to our computer systems. 
  • Providing a discrete environment for confidential discussions and treatment 
  • Allowing access to personal and health information only where the individual seeking access to their  own information has satisfied our identification requirements 
  • Personal and health information is retained for the period of time determined by law and disposed of  in a secure manner. 

Keeping personal information accurate and up-to-date: 

Monash House Research Centre takes all reasonable steps to ensure that the personal and health information  it collects uses and discloses is accurate, complete and up-to-date. However, the accuracy of that information  depends largely on the quality of the information provided to us. It is therefore suggested that patients: 

  • Let Monash House Research Centre know if there are any errors in their personal or health  information, and keep Monash House Research Centre up-to-date with changes to their personal  information (e.g. Name, address and contact details). 

How can we be contacted? 

You may contact us in any of the following ways: 

By telephone: (03) 8394 0700 

By letter: Privacy Officer, Monash House Research Centre 

271 Clayton Road 

Clayton Vic 3168 

Online: Through the feedback form on the patient feedback page of our website 

Individuals who have any questions about privacy, this policy or the way we manage personal information or  who believe that we have breached their privacy rights should contact the Complaints Officer of Monash  House Private Hospital with their question or complaint. 

Monash House Research Centre will endeavour to acknowledge receipt of a written complaint within 7 days  and provide a written response to the complaint within a reasonable time frame. It may be necessary to  request further information from the complainant before the matter can be resolved. Any such request will be  made in writing. If the individual is not satisfied that Monash House Research Centre has resolved their  complaint, they have the right to make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner  (OAIC) or the Health Services Commissioner. If they wish to make a complaint or to find out any more  information about their privacy rights the OAIC or Health Services commissioner can be contacted as follows: 

Australian Information Commissioner 

By telephone: 1300 363 992 

By email: enquiries@oaic.gov.au 

Online: OAIC privacy complaint form

Health Services Commissioner (Victoria) 

By telephone: 1300 582 113 

By mail: Health Services Commissioner, 26th Floor, 570 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 Online: Health Services Commissioner online complaint form 

REFERENCES 

Freedom of Information Act 1982 

Federal Register of Legislation – Freedom of Information Act 1982 Privacy Act 1988 

Federal Register of Legislation – Privacy Act 1988 

NSQHS standard 1. Clinical Governance