Dear colleagues,

Fit testing

As you will have seen in Dr Liz Rushbrook’s Incident Controller message yesterday, we are rolling out our fit testing program across Metro North. Metro North is committed to ensuring we provide a safe workplace.

Fit testing is currently available for Tier 1 staff, including staff in COVID wards, Infectious Diseases wards, Intensive Care Units, Fever Clinics, Emergency Departments and Hotel Quarantine (Metro North).

Fit testing will continue over the long weekend. Please see the schedule online for sessions so you know when to be available. This will be updated as new sessions are available.

Thank you to the all the people involved in the planning, establishment, training and delivery of fit testing. And thank you also to everyone who has already completed their fit test.

Privacy Awareness

Next week is Privacy Awareness Week, and it’s a timely reminder that as an organisation we hold a significant amount of confidential information that needs to be carefully protected and used properly. All staff have a statutory duty of confidentiality under Hospital and Health Boards Act 2011 and must handle personal information in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2009.

It’s important that all staff understand their obligations when accessing or disclosing information. Access and disclosure of confidential information, such as patient records when not required for their treatment, constitutes corrupt conduct and staff may be liable for disciplinary action.

Metro North is committed to ensuring that the confidentiality of patient and corporate records is maintained.

Please ensure you understand your rights and responsibilities by asking yourself before accessing confidential information:

• Am I authorised to look up this information?
• Do I need to look up this information to perform my role?
• Can I justify why I accessed the information?

Before disclosing the information, ask yourself these questions:

• What is the authority or policy which allows the information to be disclosed?
• Am I authorised to disclose the information?
• Is the recipient authorised to receive the information?

For further information on privacy and confidentiality please see the Metro North TMS system Privacy online training or visit Information access and privacy (health.qld.gov.au).

If you have any questions, please contact the Metro North Integrity Unit at mnhhs-integrity@health.qld.gov.au

Have a great weekend.