Policy

Reclaim Health complies with the Standards for General Practice promulgated by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (as amended from time to time) in relation to information security and electronic communications.

In accordance with the Standards, the person who is designated as having primary responsibility for information security and electronic communications is the Practice Manager . The Designated Practice Team Member’s responsibilities include:

• knowing who and when to call for expert advice;
• giving relevant Practice employees the contact details of any external expert, the Practice has used;
• educating the Practice team about data security and the need to follow security protocols and policies; and
• monitoring whether employees are following security protocols and policies.

Email use

The Practice requires that electronic communication (e.g. via email) is conducted with appropriate regard to the private, confidential and sensitive nature of the health information with which the Practice deals. All employees must ensure that they use internet, email and secure messaging in connection with their work in a manner which complies with the Practice’s privacy obligations, and in a respectful and professional manner.

The Practice uses the following confidentiality and privilege notice on outgoing emails that are affiliated with the Practice:

This message is confidential and should only be used by the intended addressee. If you were sent this email by mistake, please inform us by reply email and then destroy this message. The contents of this email are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Practice.

What constitutes best practice when using email?

When using email in connection with the Practice, all employees should be mindful to comply with the following practices:

• do not open an unexpected email, even from people known to you, without taking proper precautions
• use an antivirus mail filter to screen emails before downloading those emails;
• do not use the ‘preview pane’ in your email program as this automatically opens your email when you click on the header;
• save attachments and check for viruses before opening or executing them (note this does not relate to the clinical secure messaging but to attachments received through email and websites);
• do not run programs directly from websites. If you need to download a file from a website, check for viruses first using antivirus software; and
• do not send or forward unsolicited email messages, including the sending of ‘junk mail’ or other advertising material (ie email spam); and
• do not use email for broadcast messages on personal, political or non-business matters.

Website safety and security

The Practice has a Service Level Agreement with ABit of IT for all web management services. The IT coordinator responsible for liaising with Abit of IT ito ensure accuracy and currency of website content, compliance with Guidelines for Advertising of Regulated Health Services set by the Medical Board of Australia and management of the Agreement. Our website is hosted separately from Practice data.