THE theme for Privacy Awareness Week (PAW) 2022, which runs from May 2 to 8, is privacy – the foundation of trust.
PAW is an annual event organised by privacy regulators across Australia and the Asia Pacific that highlights the importance of protecting personal information.
Every person who is cared for at Swan Hill District Health has the right to have their privacy respected and maintained at all times. This is particularly important given our small-town community and rural isolation.
Ways in which our staff assist in protecting privacy whilst at work:
Collect (in an unobtrusive manner) and use only the information required for staff to do their job;
Disclose information to another party only when they have permission to do so;
Ensure the information kept is correct, complete and up-to-date;
Protect information from unauthorised access.
This includes being mindful of who may overhear conversations;
If questioned, our staff will be open about why they are collecting information and how it will be used
Members of our community have the right to feel comfortable to present and be treated at SHDH when they are at their most vulnerable without worrying about whether their body, information and belongings are going to be kept safe.
SHDH encourages our community members to ask questions when information is being collected.
It is important people are aware why certain questions are asked, what the information will be used for and who has access.To find out more about the information we collect that SHDH, head to our website: https://www.shdh.org.au/patients-visitors/protection-use-of-your-personal-health-information/
Privacy has become more important to us all in recent years.
At SHDH, we want you to know that we have strong fundamentals and practices in place to ensure your privacy at all times and we know how integral respecting privacy is to the building of trust with you, our community.
Some interesting statistics surrounding privacy (Source: Australia Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey 2020) show:
85 per cent of people have a clear understanding of why we should protect our personal information.
70 per cent of people see the protection of our personal information as a major concern.
87 per cent of people want more control and choice over the use of our personal information.
84 per cent of people believe personal information should not be used in a way that causes harm, loss or distress.
84 per cent of people consider privacy extremely or very important when choosing a digital service.
82 per cent of people believe children must be empowered to use online services, but their data privacy must be protected
If you’re interested in reading more about privacy head to Privacy Awareness Week – Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner through ovic.vic.gov.au
International Day of the Midwife
Since 1992, International Day of the Midwife has been held on May 5.
This day is an opportunity to celebrate and honour the work of our midwives and promote awareness around their importance in providing crucial care to mothers, newborns and their families.
We thank our valuable team of midwives at Swan Hill District Health for their ongoing commitment to high quality healthcare and the dedication, skill and compassion that they contribute to maternal and newborn health. Our team have experienced a lot of pressure over the past two years, but they have risen to these challenges and shown nothing but dedication and professionalism and we are extremely grateful to have them.
This International Day of the Midwife, we want you to join us in learning more about midwifery, and the role that midwives play in the safe delivery of generations upon generations of children.
If you know a midwife or someone who assisted you or a loved one in giving birth, contact them to express your gratitude – a small acknowledgement can make a world of difference and let’s face it- they deserve it!
