Freedom of Information

How can we help?

I need:

• Grampians Health to send my medical information to another provider;
• a copy of my discharge summary
• a copy of information or documents at the time of clinical care
• access to historical patient information
• access to my medical record
• access to another person’s medical record (with permission)
• other documents held by Grampians Health

Transfer of medical information

You, or your doctor, can ask us to send medical information to your doctor, or to another healthcare provider for continuing care.
Please ask your doctor to phone Health Information Services on (03) 5381 9290, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You can also phone and ask us yourself. We may require your written consent.

A copy of my discharge summary

You can obtain a copy of your discharge summary through My Health Record.
If you don’t have My Health Record, contact Health Information Services on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for a copy of your discharge summary.

You don’t need to make an FOI application if you only want a discharge summary.

A copy of information or documents at the time of clinical care

You can ask your treating clinician for a copy of information shared with you or your carers/family during an episode of care or attendance at Grampians Health. The treating clinician may be able to give you a copy if it is possible and reasonable to do so at the time.

Access to historical patient information

For access to historical patient information for genealogy purposes, please contact the Freedom of Information Officer on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Access to my medical record, another person’s medical record, or documents held by Grampians Health 

Under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic), you can ask us for:

• access to documents held by Grampians Health, including your medical record; or
• an amendment to information about you, which you believe is incorrect or misleading.

You can make a request here. Our online form is quick and easy to complete. It ensures that your application contains all the required information.

You can also email us a request at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Your request must:

• be in writing. You can complete this form or write us a letter;
• clearly describe the documents you are requesting access to;
• contain enough information for us to identify the documents (eg, the patient’s full name, date of birth, address, hospital UR number if known);
• include payment of the application fee, or evidence to support a fee waiver (eg, concession card);
• include proof of identity (photo ID with signature);
• include consent and/or proof of relationship if you’re applying for the medical record of another person.

How much does it cost?

The FOI application fee is $32.70. It is not refundable. You can ask us to waive this fee if you have a concession card, for hardship or on compassionate grounds.
We may also charge you access charges. These what it costs us to process your request.  If you choose to receive the documents by secure email, there are no access charges.
If you ask for access to your documents in a different format (eg, paper copies), we will tell you what the access charges are going to be before we process your request.

What information is available under FOI?

• Medical records
• Documents about the activities and services of Grampians Health Horsham. For example:
  • policies, procedures and standards
  • reports
  • correspondence
  • meeting records
  • employment records
  • archival records.

'Documents' can include paper, PDF, photographs, films, video recording, tape recording, maps, computer reports and emails.

What information is not available?

We may not be able to give you access to the documents you’ve requested. Sometimes, we may give you partial access to the information. There are many reasons why we might do this, including if it is a breach of another person’s privacy.
If we can’t give you access to the information, we will tell you why and provide you with details about how you can seek a review of our decision.

How long does it take?

We will send you an acknowledgement of your request shortly after we receive it. We can take up to 30 days to process your request and send you the documents. Sometimes it can take longer. If it is going to take longer than 30 days, we will let you know, and tell you the reasons why we are asking for more time.

What if I’m not happy with Grampians Health’s decision?

If you’re not happy with our decision, you can:

• contact us; or
• ask the Information Commissioner to review our decision.

You must do this no more than 28 days from when you get our decision

• write to the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC);
• tell them what decision you’re asking them to review; and
• tell them that the agency is Grampians Health

The OVIC also has a website with:

• a review form to download; and
• information about what to expect in a review.

The OVIC’s details are:

Website: www.ovic.vic.gov.au
Phone: 1300 00 6842 (1300 00 OVIC)
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Postal Address: Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner
                              PO Box 24274
                              Melbourne VIC 3001

Aged Care and Commonwealth Services

For Commonwealth services delivered by Grampians Health Ballarat, such as the Aged Care Assessment Service (ACAS), documents may need to be requested under the Commonwealth Freedom of Information legislation.

Links

• Freedom of Information Application Form & Factsheet
• Grampians Health Authorisation Form
• Grampians Health Freedom of Information Part II Statements
• Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner
• FOI Commissioner - Ph: 1300 842 364
• Health Complaints Commissioner - Ph: 1300 582 113

For Clinicians Only

Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme (FVISS & Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS)

FVISS and CISS enables authorised organisations and services to share information to facilitate assessment and management of family violence risk to children and adults. It also assists in the promotion of the wellbeing or safety of children.

Any request for release of risk relevant information relating to the above schemes can be done so by an authorised Information Sharing Entity (ISE) and/or Risk Assessment Entity (RAE).

The requesting authorised person/agency will need to be verified prior to the release of information under these schemes.

The request can be made by completing the form MR447 and emailing your request to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Additional resources:

Child Information Sharing Scheme | Victorian Government (www.vic.gov.au)

Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme | Victorian Government (www.vic.gov.au)