Chief Finance and Corporate Officer: Alister Whitta
At Metro North Health we are responsible for keeping the healthcare data of our patients safe and secure.
Healthcare data is an incredibly valuable target for cyber criminals, and we must remain vigilant to ensure our patients’ data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
One basic thing we can all do to help keep patient data safe is observe Queensland Health policy when it comes to passwords.
Throughout this month you will have seen the Never share your password campaign, featuring tips for keeping your user account secure. You are encouraged to please share the tips on this poster with your colleagues.
The key takeaway we want all staff to remember is that it’s not okay to share your password or login credentials with any other person.
In some clinical settings, our confidential passwords are the only thing keeping safe the sensitive patient data and information that staff members have access to.
Sharing passwords compromises the security of your accounts and breaches the Queensland Government Code of Conduct. Anything someone does while logged in to your account will also be recorded as being done by you.
Other things you can do to keep your user account secure are:
- using a strong password
- never displaying usernames or passwords on any workstation
- always locking workstations whenever they’re unattended
- always tapping off when using RAWS
- logging off any individual accounts, including MyHR or Office 365.
Taking steps to keep your user account secure, including not using shared passwords, will help protect Metro North Health and uphold the responsibility we have to keep our patients’ data safe.
Alister