Privacy Statement

COLLECTION, USE, STORAGE AND DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
  1. The New South Wales Medical Board is an independent statutory authority whose functions include the registering of doctors and dealing with complaints and health and performance notifications about medical practitioners in New South Wales. The Board collects and retains information which includes personal and health information about medical practitioners and patients for these purposes, and deals with the collection, use, disclosure, security and quality of personal information in accordance with the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act, 1998 and the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002.

    It is the Board's role to act at all times to protect the public.
  2. As part of its public protective role, the Board is required to maintain a register of all medical practitioners in New South Wales and to make the information on the register publicly available. The public register consists of the name, registration number, gender, registered address, qualifications and their date, category of registration, and current conditions on the registration of a practitioner (but not those relating to the practitioner's health). The registered address may be any postal address of the practitioner's choosing, including a post office box. If a practitioner does not provide this information to the Board, the Board may not be able to register the practitioner, or provide the practitioner with other services. In certain circumstances the Board may agree not to make personal information available if it is satisfied that safety requires this. A suppressed address may however be provided to law enforcement authorities.
  3. Through the complaints and notification system, the Board receives information which may include personal information about practitioners and patients. The Medical Practice Act provides that persons who obtain information through administering the Act may not disclose that information except where required by law or by consent. The Board works together with the Health Care Complaints Commission.
  4. Privacy principles also deal with the secure storage and disposal of information, and provide an opportunity for an individual to correct inaccurate information held about them.
  5. If you have a question about privacy and the Board, you may email us, or phone 02 9879 2200.

September 2004