As an aged care consumer, there are a range of services which may require your confidential information to provide you with services. Given that aged care is often deeply personal, it’s important that your privacy is respected and maintained.
This article will help you gain a general understanding of privacy in aged care, but is not Trilogy Care’s official Privacy Policy. Trilogy Care’s official Privacy Policy is available here.
What is privacy in Aged Care?
As an aged care consumer, privacy in Aged Care means that you and your information are left alone, unobserved, and undisturbed. Privacy means that you are in control of when you express yourself and your information to others. If you have a home care package and your privacy is respected, you are able to have your own space and complete various daily activities alone without observation.
What is confidentiality in Aged Care?
Confidentially in Aged Care ensures that sensitive information, health records, remains private. In aged care services, personal information is shared only with the client's consent. You have some control over who is authorised to access your personal information, how your information is collected, and how it is used. Aged care providers should be open and transparent in their approaches to confidentially to ensure that their patients have control over their personal information.
What is disclosure?
Disclosure in aged care involves openly discussing adverse events that harm a patient with the patient, their family, and carers.
Key elements of open disclosure include:
- An apology or expression of regret, using the words ‘I am sorry’ or ‘we are sorry’
- A factual explanation of what happened
- An opportunity for the patient, their family, and carers to share their experience
- A discussion of the potential consequences of the adverse event
- An explanation of the steps being taken to manage the adverse event and prevent it from happening again.
Why is privacy important in aged care?
Given that aged care can often be very personal and intimate, strict privacy guidelines are very important. As an aged care consumer, there is a range of information that you may wish to keep private, such as personal information, medical information, and information about family members and other relevant parties. Privacy policies ensure that your information is kept confidential, that you have control over who has access to it, and that it is only disclosed when necessary.
What information is collected?
Aged care providers collect a range of information about you to ensure that they can provide quality aged care services. This information may include your name, address, date of birth, gender, and contact information such as phone numbers and email addresses for you, your authorised representatives, and your carers. They will also collected information about your current medical conditions, current symptoms, disabilities, and previous medical history.
This information is all required to ensure that aged care providers can provide you with appropriate services to meet your care needs.
Who has access to your confidential information?
Every effort is made to ensure that your confidential information is only shared with the parties who require it to provide you with the necessary quality care services. Your information may be shared with assessment workers, service providers, carers, hospitals, and health professionals. Your information may also be disclosed to your authorised representatives.
What to do if you privacy is not respected
You have a range of options available if you wish to make a privacy complaint regarding an aged care service. To give general feedback about an aged care service, you can call the Aged Care Quality Commission on 1800 951 822 or email audit.feedback@agedcarequality.gov.au .
If you wish to lodge an official complaint, you can fill out the Aged Care Quality Commission’s online complaints form. You can also call the commission on 1800 951 822 and ask to submit an official complaint.
The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) offers support to older persons and can act as their representative in making an aged care complaint. This is a free, confidential service. You can contact OPAN on 1800 700 700.
Privacy at Trilogy Care
Trilogy Care is committed to respecting the privacy of aged care consumers and takes a range of measures to ensure that consumer’s information is kept confidential and only disclosed to the necessary parties. Make sure you have read and understand Trilogy Care’s Privacy Policy.
If you wish to make a privacy complaint about Trilogy Care, a service you have received while at Trilogy Care, or about another provider, use our privacy complaint form.
As an aged care consumer, you have a right to be treated with dignity and respect. Make sure you know your rights! Check out our article on how to make an aged care complaint if you need more help.
