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Developed by Office of the Registrar and Secretary to Council
Authorised by Head of Student Health Services | Tumuaki Ratoka Hauora Ᾱkoka
Implementation date 3 September 2024
To be reviewed 3 September 2025

This Privacy Statement explains how the University of Otago Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka collects, stores, uses and shares your health information when you enrol at and use the services offered by Student Health Services Te Ratoka Hauora Ākoka (SHS).

View a list of the services provided by SHS

SHS takes care to ensure that your health information is managed in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020, Health Act 1956 and the Health Information Privacy Code 2020.

What is health information?

Health information is a broad term that covers all the information we need in order to deliver healthcare services. It’s not generally mandatory that you provide us with this information, but we may not be able to properly understand your needs or provide you with the optimal treatment if you do not provide us with the health information we need.

Health information includes:

  • General information about you, including your name, contact details, date of birth, gender, ethnicity, residency status and NHI number
  • Relevant medical history, including medical conditions, allergies, medications, and measurements
  • Health information we create about you when delivering services, including our consultation notes, test results, treatment plans, referrals and prescriptions
  • Payment information, including bills and payment records.

Collection of health information

SHS collects your health information to provide you with healthcare services, including diagnosing and treating health conditions. Our priority is to support your health and well-being - enabling you to reach your full potential and thrive during your Otago experience.
We collect health information from you directly, for example when you interact with us during consultations. We may also collect health information from third parties where required and usually with your authorisation, such as your family or other healthcare providers. We also create health information about you when we are delivering services, such as running health screens or tests, or prescribing medications for you.

We will require you to complete an enrolment form to enable us to provide you with a full range of primary health care services and to obtain your consent to share your health information with external health care providers that are involved in your health care, e.g. Hospital specialists and Emergency Department.

At your first visit to SHS , we will also require you to complete a medical history form to ensure we have all the correct details for you.

Your SHS clinician may ask you to complete a transfer of records form so we can obtain a full copy of your health records from your previous health provider. We do not automatically obtain your health records from a previous health provider as you may wish to stay enrolled with your home practice. SHS is not a member of a Primary Health Organisation ( PHO ).

How is health information used and shared?

We make sure that your health information is used and shared only in ways that support your health and wellbeing.

All SHS staff are required to sign a confidentiality agreement. Only SHS staff who are involved in providing your healthcare will access your health information.

Academic staff or other University staff outside of SHS do not generally have access to your health information without your signed written consent. For example, information contained in medical certificates and special consideration applications will be provided to other University staff only with your consent.

However, we may also need to share some health information about you with others, including University staff where we determine that the disclosure of this information is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious threat to:

  • public health or public safety; or
  • the life or health of you or others.

In addition, the University has pastoral care obligations to all our students, and we are required to comply with the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice.  This may mean that where absolutely necessary we may need to share some health information about you with others to support your health, wellbeing or safety, or the health, wellbeing or safety of other members of the University community.

If we do need to share your health information with others:

  • Where possible, we will share only anonymous information that does not identify you
  • If we need to identify you, we will always try to tell you first and explain why we need to share the information
  • We will share the minimum amount of information necessary to meet our objectives
  • We will only ever share information with the people or agencies who really need to see it.

There are also instances where we may be required to share your health information with:

  • Other healthcare providers with a legitimate role in your care, such as specialists, public hospital clinicians, pharmacists and paramedics. For other South Island based healthcare providers who are looking after you, this information is shared via HealthOne - a secure electronic record that allows your healthcare providers to quickly access information such as test results, allergies, medications, GP summaries and hospital information (detailed consult notes are not available). This helps your healthcare providers to make safer, faster and better-informed decisions about your care.
  • Te Whatu Ora, the Ministry of Health or the local PHO , if we are required under regulation or contract to provide this information, for example, where we receive funding for administering vaccinations or for HPV Screenings, or where we can claim a subsidy for you for providing General Medical Services (e.g., if you have a community service card)
  • Other health organisations, to be used in a non-identifiable manner for health statistics to assist with health funding
  • Your family/whanau, where you have authorised this or in accordance with accepted medical practice
  • Your health insurer, where you have authorised this as part of your claim process
  • ACC, where your treatment is provided as part of an ACC claim
  • Public Health (e.g., reporting infectious diseases)
  • the Coroner (e.g., if a death occurs and appears to be accidental or if the probable or likely cause of the death is unknown)
  • Legislative Committees (e.g., Child and Youth Mortality Review Committee)
  • In the event of an emergency or serious threat to health or safety, Police, medical or hospital personnel, civil emergency services, your legal representative or nominated emergency contact person, or any other person assessed as necessary to respond to the emergency.

Transfer of health records

When you leave SHS and sign up with a new GP, they will request permission to get your health records from us. We will share the information with your new GP with your approval. You will need to complete an authority to release health records form.

Where is your health information stored?

We store all the health information we hold on our patient management database, Medtech - a secure cloud-based data storage platform that is separate from the other information the University collects about you. All steps will be taken to ensure unauthorised access to this health information is not possible – for example restricted access, individual passwords and auto lock on computers.

Written notes from other medical practices that are not suitable to be scanned into your electronic file are securely kept in a locked room and only accessible to the healthcare professionals involved in your care.

How long is your health information kept?

In compliance with the Health (Retention of Health Information) Regulations 1996, the Public Records Act 2005 and the University of Otago’s Disposal Authority, we are required to retain your health information for at least 10 years after the last contact we have had with you.

Once there is no longer a need or obligation for the University to retain this information, any paper or other hard files we hold will be deleted, securely destroyed or de-identified. Computerised health records are “inactivated” when a student advises they have left our care or it becomes apparent that they will not be attending SHS again. These electronic records remain retrievable within the system, should they be required.

Access to your information and correction

You have the right to request a copy of the health information that we hold about you. If you would like to ask for a copy of your health information, please complete the authority to release health records form and email student-health@otago.ac.nz

You may also ask us to correct or remove any health information if you think it is incorrect. Please call or email SHS with your request.

In addition, when you enrol with SHS you will be invited to enrol with Manage My Health patient portal. You will be able to access your health information (including your clinical notes, lab results, vaccinations, allergies, appointments) via this online portal.

Contact details

Please contact us if you have any concerns about the collection, use or disclosure of your health information.

SHS contact details:

Student Health Services
University of Otago
3 Walsh Street
Dunedin 9054
Tel 0800 479 821 or +64 3 479 8212
Email student-health@otago.ac.nz

You can also contact the University’s Privacy Officer:

Registrar and Secretary to Council
Email privacy.officer@otago.ac.nz
Tel +64 3 479 8899

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