Access to Patient Information
Patient information from 1856 until 1940 is recorded in patient registers. Registers for Castlemaine Hospital and Castlemaine Benevolent Asylum prior to 1922, have been indexed and stored on CD held by the Castlemaine Historical Society. Information can be applied for through the Society as follows:
PO BOX 655
Castlemaine.3450
Phone (03) 5470 6072 (Tuesdays only)
Archivist: (03)5472 1425;
Research Officer (03)5474 3011.
URL: www.castlemainehistoricalsociety.com
Patient information after 1922 is held at Castlemaine Health. Registers with patient admissions for Castlemaine Hospital and the Castlemaine Benevolent Asylum/Home can include all or some of the following information: Name, age, address, admission and discharge dates, condition treated and Doctor. A minimum search fee of $25.00 is payable on application. Extended or detailed research projects may incur additional costs which will be advised to you prior to commencement. Research details (if not already enclosed) and a cheque made payable to Castlemaine Health for $25.00, should be addressed to the hospital as follows:
Health Information Manager
Castlemaine Health
PO Box 50
Castlemaine. 3450
Freedom of Information (FOI)
WHAT INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE?
Patients wishing to obtain information from their medical record are able to do so, subject to certain exemptions (Section 13), under the Freedom of Information Act 1982. It is possible to obtain photocopies or view the original documents via this process.
HOW DO I APPLY?
All applications must be in writing and contain sufficient information to enable the hospital to retrieve the correct medical record. The FOI Application Form is available to download or you may wish to write a letter of application, which must include the following:
Patient’s full name
Date of birth
Address at the time of the hospital attendance
Applicant’s name
Applicant’s address and telephone number
If you are applying for a medical record other than your own, the patient concerned must sign a written authorization for the release of information from their medical record. If the patient is deceased, the next of kin (as recorded in the medical record) must sign the authorization. The original authorisation must be sent with the application. (The last section of the FOI Application Form is for this purpose).
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
Under the FOI Act, certain charges apply when requesting access to your medical record.
Application Fee $24.40
Photocopying 20 cents per copy
Supervision of viewing the record $10.00 per ½ hour viewing
Search and retrieval time $20.00 per hour (max 2hrs)
Decision making time $20.00 per hour
The application fee must accompany your written request and once your request has been approved, you will be notified of the remaining charges. These charges must be paid prior to the documents being released to you.
If you require the documents to be posted to you, an additional fee to cover the cost of registered mail will apply. You will be notified of the exact amount of this charge.
In accordance with the FOI Act 1982 we have 45 days to process FOI applications, beginning upon receipt of the application fee.
CONTACT DETAILS
Freedom of Information Officer/Health Information Manager
Castlemaine Health
P.O Box 50
Castlemaine Vic 3450
F.O.I. application form (click here)