SHOCKING BREACH
BARWON HEALTH FAIL Dementia patients’ private details found on the street
MEDICAL records detailing private information about Barwon Health dementia and mental health patients have been found by a member of the public on a suburban street.
Barwon Health has ordered an investigation into the privacy breach, which has been dubbed “unacceptable”.
The person who found the documents, who did not want to be named said: “If I was a family member, I would be horrified.”
MEDICAL records detailing private information about Barwon Health dementia and mental health patients have been found by a member of the public on a suburban street.
Barwon Health has ordered an investigation into the privacy breach, which has been dubbed “unacceptable”.
A source, who did not want to be named, on Wednesday found handover documents containing private information of 13 patients from Blakiston Lodge in North Geelong.
The 90-bed lodge, part of Barwon Health’s McKellar Centre, provides specialist dementia-specific and mental health aged care.
The documents, obtained by the Addy, detail highly sensitive information including about patients’ continence levels, bowel movements, mental health conditions, physical ailments, medications, and behaviours like agitation, care resistance and wandering.
Patients are named and their room numbers listed in the documents.
It comes months after the McKellar Centre failed to meet standards for information systems earlier this year.
The documents, which were found on Rutledge Boulevard, in a nearby housing estate, adjacent to the McKellar Centre, appear to have been updated as recently as last month.
The source said they found the records on the ground roughly 300 metres from the McKellar Centre.
“If I was a family member, I would be horrified,” they said.
Australian Patients Association general manager Jas Streten labelled the privacy breach “unacceptable” and clearly a breach of trust.
“It’s not good enough,” he said. “A patient’s records are the most personal things they have.”
Barwon Health clinical aged care director Rob Malon said residents and families were being notified about the error, which was being fully investigated.
“Barwon Health apologises to the residents and families involved in this breach of personal information,” Associate Professor Malon said.
“We take resident confidentiality breaches very seriously and we’re disappointed our protocol to keep resident data secure hasn’t been followed,” he said. “We have reminded staff of the need to follow our privacy policy when handling confidential information.
“If the responsible staff member can be identified, they will be counselled through our workforce disciplinary processes.”
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner Janet Anderson said the Commission took any privacy breaches seriously and would follow up this matter directly with Barwon Health.
“In general, any information of this nature or that raises questions about the quality and safety of an aged care service is used by the Commission to inform decisions about our regulatory responses and activities,” she said.
A spokesman for the Minister for Ageing Luke Donnellan described the reports as “concerning”.
“There’s nothing more important than the privacy of patients,” the spokesman said.
“We’re pleased that Barwon Health has given an undertaking to investigate the matter, and the minister has directed the department to provide any necessary assistance to help get to the bottom of what’s occurred.”
Earlier this year the McKellar Centre failed to meet four essential measures in an audit by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.
Barwon Health received a notice of noncompliance for failing to meet expected outcomes including information systems.
In April, the McKellar Centre passed a reassessment with the commission.
IF I WAS A FAMILY MEMBER, I WOULD BE HORRIFIED … A PATIENT’S RECORDS ARE THE MOST PERSONAL THINGS THEY HAVE.