Health information and privacy

The NSW Poisons Information Centre may collect personal information from you for the purposes of providing you with the best clinical care and follow up if needed. 

Information we collect

The information that we may collect includes: 

• the name and age of the patient 
• any medical history 
• your location 
• contact details 
• details of and circumstances which lead to the exposure  

 If information is not provided, this may have an impact on the quality of advice provided and ability to provide follow-up care.

How we use your information

Information you provide will be used to provide you with the best possible advice for your situation. Contact information, including your name, phone number and post code, will be used in the case we need to follow up a call to make sure you get the best care, or to be contacted for any research or quality improvement activity.   

Personal information collected and stored in NSW Health systems is retained in accordance with the State Records Act 1998​​​​, and is protected under applicable privacy legislation including the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002.

Who can access your information

This information is accessed only by staff of the NSW Poisons Information Centre, and in the case of calls received out of NSW Poisons Information Centre operating hours, other Australian Poisons Information Centre, contracted to provide an after-hours service to NSW residents.  

NSW Health will not disclose your personal information to anybody else unless required or authorised by law.

How we protect your information

Information collected is stored in Australia in an appropriately secure format as required by law and held for archival purposes.  

When the information is no longer required for the purposes for which it was collected it is deleted.

Requesting your information

You have the right to access your personal information held by NSW Health, without excessive delay or expense. 

You also have the right to have your personal information corrected if it is inaccurate or out-of-date.