Tuesday, 7 February 2023

Health Legislation Amendment (Information Sharing) Bill 2023

Introduction and first reading

Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Health Infrastructure, Minister for Medical Research) (15:10): I move:

That I introduce a bill for an act to amend the Health Services Act 1988 to establish a centralised electronic system to enable public hospitals and other specified health services to share specified patient health information, to make consequential amendments to the Health Records Act 2001 and for other purposes.

Motion agreed to.

James NEWBURY (Brighton) (15:10): I ask for a brief explanation of the bill.

Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Health Infrastructure, Minister for Medical Research) (15:10): This bill seeks to amend the Health Services Act 1988 to allow for health information sharing between specified health services via a secure platform operated by the Department of Health and to amend the Health Records Act 2001 to ensure it operates consistently with the proposed amendments to the Health Services Act. This will support clinicians working in Victoria’s public healthcare system to share information securely and in a timely manner while continuing to recognise patients’ rights to confidentiality and privacy.

Read first time.

Ordered to be read second time tomorrow.