In a word, NOTHING – another way in which the NSW health system is a laughing stock.
Despite there being an Act of Parliament about the matter and there being serious statements about the matter by NSW Health – NOTHING!
After asking the government’s Ryde Hospital how we went about getting the health records in relation to one of their patients three times and getting no response, we wrote to the completely and utterly useless Jillian Skinner complaining – months later we got a reply, (mostly she doesn’t reply at all,) telling us what Ryde Hospital OUGHT to do – but we already knew what Ryde Hospital OUGHT to do.
Could you complain to the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission? Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha!
Some years ago all the indications were that when Primary Health Care Limited took over one medical centre they took all their health records to the tip, or otherwise destroyed them – even the doctors couldn’t get access to their own records! We wrote to all sorts of people about it, but got nowhere.
One of our readers had problems getting her health records, health care records which she said were urgent for her to get, from a Primary Health Care Limited entity and they told her, “It will take 40 days.” But after 40 days, still nothing.
All you can do is email a doctor you may be thinking of consulting and using, asking how you will get copies of your health records if you become one of their patients, BEFORE you start consulting and using them.
We did this recently with Dr Saxon Smith, then asking him 3 times if he’d got our email – no response. And this bloke is the President of the NSW branch of the Australian Medical Association, no less!
This is the same bloke who, in response to comments about how it was a waste of time for female doctors to complain about being sexually harassed by other doctors in hospital is reported to have said, “There are strict guidelines about this.” (It’s a wonder he could keep a straight face!)
You can have “guidelines” till the cows come home but they are of no use if nothing happens to those who break them, and you can have “regulation” until the cows come home but it’s of no use if those being regulated can take no notice of the regulations without being penalised. Nobody should know this better than Dr Smith as it would appear that he takes no notice of the guidelines about health records.