Privacy Statement

What information do we collect and why?

UCH collects personal information from people applying to work with us, either as employees or volunteers, and people applying to receive care and/or accommodation.

The nature of the information depends on the purpose for which we are collecting it and the relationship between the individual and UCH.
For instance we collect the name, address and contact information for most people.

Residents and Clients

When people apply for accommodation and/or services we collect information about their age and financial status to determine their eligibility for specific programs and/or so that we can charge the correct fees. We also collect health information the level of which varies according to what sort of program the person has applied for.
For example, for applicants for Independent Living Units (ILUs) we need sufficient information about health and abilities to make sure they can live independently in the accommodation provided. When people move in we collect more information, including main language spoken, details of local doctor, main contact person and in some cases information on medication and allergies. Some of this information may be passed on to doctors or ambulance officers who attend in an emergency.
People applying for care programs, including residential care facilities (hostels and nursing homes) serviced units and community care, need to give us much more health information so that we can make sure of our capacity to meet their care needs. Some of this information may come from third parties such as an Aged Care Assessment Team, a doctor or relatives. We collect much the same data as we do for ILU residents plus a great deal more information about health status, medical problems, ongoing therapies, medication needs etc.
In ILUs information is usually updated every 12 months but people are encouraged to advise us of changes as they occur and we update our records immediately.
In Care programs the information is updated on an ongoing basis as care is delivered, but we have a system in place to ensure that information does not get more than three months out of date.

Staff and Volunteers

When people apply to work with us we collect information about their experience, skills and knowledge so that we can judge their abilities to undertake the work we want them to do. We also ask for the names of people who we can contact as referees.
If applicants are unsuccessful, we offer to share their personal information with other UCH managers seeking to fill similar vacancies, but will shred the originals and any copies of documents they have provided either on request or three months after is was supplied, whichever is earliest.
For staff and volunteers we update their personal information on an ongoing basis to take account of changes of address, performance of duties, training needs etc.

We may also share personal information about injured workers with external contractors as part of our injury management processes.

Protecting your Privacy

Uniting Church Homes protects privacy by keeping personal information secure from unauthorised access, use or loss.
Each resident has a central paper 'admin' file that is stored securely in an office environment. Care recipients in hostels and nursing homes also have a care file which is stored within a residential care facility. Information is also stored on computer systems. Information in paper and computer based systems is accessed by administrative and care staff to the extent needed to perform their duties.

For Community Care clients, the above records system applies, with the addition of private notes being kept in their home. Clients are responsible for keeping this information secure from unwanted access, use or loss.

All staff employed by Uniting Church Homes have a duty to protect the privacy of personal information. Strict policies provide staff with guidelines for collection, use, release and disposal of personal information. This includes controls on password allocation for accessing UCH computer systems.

Staff and volunteer records are held by the immediate manager of the individual. Such files must be kept in a locked cabinet accessible only to the relevant manager and may not be accessed by any other person without the knowledge and approval of the manager.

How is Information Used?

It is our policy that personal information is only used for the primary purpose for which it was provided. For residents and clients this means it is used to provide care and services directly by UCH staff, including on occasion 'temp' or relieving staff. For staff and volunteers, this means we use it for things like performance management for individuals and training needs analysis for individuals and the whole organisation.

Information may be shared with others involved in care, such as doctors, pharmacists, therapists etc. Normally this will be done with the knowledge and consent of clients as part of the ongoing dialogue of providing care. However, in emergencies we may share the information with people such as visiting doctors or ambulance paramedics to help them to provide the proper care and treatment.
General information about a client's wellbeing may also be provided verbally to callers enquiring after a particular person. Such information is limited and would never go into detail of medical conditions, but would be sufficient to inform people whether the client is well enough to receive visitors.

UCH also uses information for planing, quality improvement and research either within UCH or with outside research organisations. However, before this happens the information is 'depersonalised' so that external bodies using the raw information or anyone looking at the results of the research cannot identify any individuals.
We may on occasion write to or contact the people nominated as contacts to give them information about UCH programs and services and/or to seek their input via customer surveys etc. However, clients can stipulate that their contact people do not receive any such information, and each communication includes and opportunity to 'opt out' of receiving any future correspondence.

Who else has Access to your Information?

Certain basic information relating to receipt of services by clients in Commonwealth funded programs must be forwarded to the Commonwealth Department of Health & Ageing. This information is summarised rather than being used for personal treatment and care, and is used for funding, planning and improving health care quality. Commonwealth officers and staff from the Aged Care Standards Accreditation Agency can also access a sample of individual care files when they audit our claims for subsidies or monitor our performance.
In some circumstances, UCH is required by law to release information. Some details about people who have specific conditions (eg, some infectious diseases and types of cancer) must be reported to databases or registers maintained securely by the Health Department of WA, or other health care bodies.

Information may be provided to a court or tribunal when subpoenaed.

Financial details may be sent to an agency for debt collection, but only after repeated attempts to settle an account with the individual concerned.

We also provide information to clients' local doctor and health care providers on transfer, eg to hospital or another aged care facility. This information provides a summary of care needs, medication requirements and any special instructions that a health professional may need to provide proper care.
If an individual does not wish information to be sent to another health care provider, we will record this at admission/registration or at any later time when it is requested.
Other health care providers or new local doctors may contact UCH to obtain information about our clients so that they can care for them in the best possible manner. When this happens we ask them to provide written authorisation from the individual before releasing information to them.

Apart from what is described in this brochure, no personal identifiable information will be released without prior consent.

Access to your Information

The Privacy Act 1988 (The Act) gives the right to individuals to access personal information about themselves held by Uniting Church Homes.
Currently paid employees do not have this statutory right of access, but it is UCH policy to give employees access to their records on the same basis as set out in the Act.

The Act provides a reasonable time for us to respond to such requests, allows us to levy a reasonable charge, and provides a range of criteria by which we can deny access to some information (eg if granting access would violate the privacy of another person, is related to existing or anticipated legal proceedings, etc. See National Privacy Principle 6, Access and Correction, for full details.)

If you want to check or update information such as names and addresses of your nominated contact people, doctor etc, just ask a staff member and we will do whatever is necessary to update our records.

If you would like access to information collected about your care, apply in writing to the relevant manager or direct to the Privacy Officer. We will acknowledge your request in writing as soon as practicable and indicate what the cost will be (if any) and when we can give you access (usually we will seek to make an appointment within the next 10 days).

If you identify information or that is incorrect we will update it. If there are opinions expressed that you do not agree with we may agree (but are not obligated) to remove such material from the record. Your minimum statutory right is to add a comment or further information to the file

Need more Information?

If you have further questions contact our Privacy Officer during business hours:

Di Russell Taylor
Ph: 9240 0313
Fax: 9240 0329
E-mail: drtaylor@uchwa.com

Or write to:

Privacy Officer
Uniting Church Homes
PO Box 810
Balcatta WA 6914