Privacy Plan – Personal Health Information Protection Act 2004

As an organization working with personal health records, Lansdowne Children’s Centre is accountable to comply with all relevant legislation, including the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), 2004.

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In accordance with PHIPA Lansdowne Children's Centre has developed a Privacy Plan in order to make sure that all clients/ families are being treated in a consistent manner.

1. Information Practices
Lansdowne Children's Centre shall have in place information practices that comply with the requirements of the PHIPA and its regulations.

 

2. Written Public Statement
Lansdowne Children's Centre shall make available to the public a written statement that:
a) provides a general description of our information practices
b) describes how to contact our Information Officer
c) describes how a client/family of Lansdowne Children's Centre may obtain access to or request correction of their record of personal health information
d) describes how a client/family of Lansdowne Children’s Centre may withhold or withdraw consent
e) describes how to make a complaint to Lansdowne Children's Centre and to the Commissioner under the Act

 

3. Collection, Use and Disclosure of Personal Health Information
Lansdowne Children's Centre shall post and make available information describing the purposes of Lansdowne’s collection, use and disclosure of personal health information as permitted by law.

 

4. Contact Person
Lansdowne Children's Centre shall designate a contact person to perform the functions as set out in the Act. At Lansdowne this contact person shall be named the Information Officer.

 

5. Functions of the Information Officer
The Information Officer of Lansdowne Children's Centre shall make sure that employees and all other agents of Lansdowne Children's Centre are appropriately informed of their duties under the Act.

 

6. Privacy Committee
The Management Team shall be designated as the Privacy Committee.

 

7. Functions of the Privacy Committee
The Privacy Committee shall be responsible to provide oversight of the privacy practices of Lansdowne Children’s Centre.

 

8. Security
Lansdowne Children's Centre shall take reasonable steps to make sure personal health information in its custody or control is protected against theft, loss and unauthorized use or disclosure and to make sure that the records containing the information are protected against unauthorized copying, modification or disposal.

 

9. Handling of Records
Lansdowne Children's Centre shall make sure that the records of personal health information that it has in its custody or under its control are retained, transferred and disposed of in a secure manner and in accordance with the prescribed requirements, if any.

 

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Lansdowne Children's Centre Information Practices – Commitment to Your Privacy

Lansdowne Children’s Centre knows it is important to protect personal information. We collect personal health information about clients from clients/parents/guardians. The personal health information that we collect may include, for example, client name, date of birth, address, health history, records of visits to Lansdowne and the care that was given during those visits. At times we gather personal health information about clients from other places, if we have been given client/parent/guardian consent to do so or if the law permits. Personal health information will be held within an electronic system. We limit collection of information to what is required to provide care to our clients.

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Uses and Disclosures of Personal Health Information
We use and share personal health information to:
• assess, treat and care for clients and families safely and efficiently while giving high quality service
• allow us to efficiently advise of treatment options and follow-up on treatment and care
• communicate with other providers involved in care
• plan, administer and manage our internal operations including booking, confirming and scheduling appointments, completing statistics
• conduct risk management activities
• conduct quality improvement activities, such as sending satisfaction surveys
• teach and demonstrate on an anonymous basis
• comply with legal and regulatory requirements
• comply generally with the law

 

Your Choices
Clients/ parents/legal guardians may get and/or ask for correction of their personal health records, or withhold or withdraw their consent for some of the above uses and disclosures, by getting in touch with us and we will explain what the result of that decision might mean, and the way it will be done . Please note legal exceptions apply.

Information may be accessed by regulatory authorities under the terms of the Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA) for the purposes of the various colleges of employees here at Lansdowne fulfilling their mandate under the RHPA, and for the defense of a legal issue.

 

When Lansdowne gets special requests, such as a request from a new source, we will get in touch with you for permission to release information. We may also advise you if such a release is appropriate.

 

Important Information
• We take steps to protect your personal health information from theft, loss and unauthorized access, copying, changes, use, disclosure and disposal
• We conduct audits and complete investigations to monitor and manage our privacy compliance
• We take steps to ensure that everyone who performs services for us protect client privacy and only use personal health information for the purposes for which clients have given consent
• We comply with provincial privacy legislation by having a Privacy Plan that is available upon request

 

How to Contact Us
Lansdowne’s Information Officer/Contact Person is Jennifer Huxley. For more information about our privacy protection practices, or to raise a concern you have with our practices, contact us at:

Lansdowne Children’s Centre
39 Mount Pleasant Street, Brantford, ON N3T 1S7
Telephone: 519-753-3153 | Fax: 519-753-5927
Website: http://lansdownecentre.ca | Email: info@lansdownecc.com

 

You have the right to complain to the Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario if you think we have violated your rights. The Commissioner can be reached at:

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Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario M4W 1A8
Telephone: 416-326-3333 or 1-800-387-0073 (within Ontario)
Fax: 416-325-9195 | TTY: 416-325-7539
Website: www.ipc.on.ca | Email: info@ipc.on.ca

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Privacy and Consent Guide for Families

What Families Need to Know About Information Sharing
In order to develop a care plan and provide your child and family with the services that best meet your needs, staff at Lansdowne Children’s Centre will ask for information about your child and family.

 

With Your Consent This Information is Shared
• By only those professionals and organizations serving your child and family
• Through verbal and written communication, and in an electronic record

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The electronic record lets Lansdowne Children’s Centre staff working with your child and family view and write down information about your child in a secure and confidential manner. It also means that you don’t have to repeat information as often and lets your team build on past progress and experience.

 

Community partners included in your consent are listed on the “Consent for Information Sharing and Collection of Personal Information” form. You can say if you do not want to share certain information or if you do not want to share with certain people.

 

Your Child’s Electronic Record is Secure and Protected
This web-based shared electronic record uses the same technology that is used for online banking. In order for members of your child’s team to use your child’s electronic record, they must:
• Be authorized by Lansdowne to access your child’s password-protected record
• Attend training on the electronic record and related privacy policies and guidelines
• Sign a confidentiality agreement

 

Type of Information Shared
Typically, the following information may be collected and stored within the electronic record and shared with the professionals working with your child and family:
• Contact and Demographic information
• Birth and Developmental History
• Interview and Assessment information
• Relevant reports such as Diagnostic, School and Transition reports
• Care Plans
• Assessment Reports
• Progress Notes

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Your consent will be documented in the shared electronic record. Please help us to keep information accurate and up-to-date. Tell your team of any changes.

 

Your Right to Privacy
Privacy legislation protects your right to:
• Consent to how your information will be used and shared. In order for your consent to be valid, you must be given enough information for your consent to be knowledgeable. We encourage you to ask any questions you need to so that you understand how staff will use and protect your information.
• Staff will talk with other Lansdowne staff on your team in order to provide service and treatment. This is implied when you are referred to Lansdowne. You may withhold this consent by telling us if anyone should be excluded.
• Withhold or withdraw consent for information sharing, except in specific circumstances where disclosure is legally required under the Child, Youth & Family Services Act or ordered by a court.
• Provide consent in verbal or written form.
• Ask to access to your child’s electronic record and the information in it.
• Ask that a correction be made to the record.

Our Commitment to Your Privacy
• All Lansdowne staff are required by law to protect the information you share in strict confidence. We must make sure that you understand why certain information is being shared, who it is being shared with, and get your agreement for information sharing before any confidential information is used or shared.
• Lansdowne staff will only collect the information we need to do our jobs.
• If you do not consent to share confidential information your wishes will be respected, except when that places someone at increased risk of significant harm. Everyone has a ‘duty to report’ under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act.
• If a limitation is placed on consent for information sharing, it cannot restrict recording of personal/health information that is required by law or established professional standards.
• Lansdowne staff will make sure that information shared is as accurate and current as possible.

• Lansdowne will give you access to the information contained in the electronic record, upon request.
• Lansdowne will comply with relevant privacy legislation. This includes having a Privacy Plan that is available upon request.

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How to Provide Consent for Information Sharing
You can provide consent to a service provider working with your child. Your consent will be noted in the electronic record. The “Consent for Information Sharing and Collection of Personal Information” form is a guide for providing this consent.

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For further information about the collection, use or sharing of personal information, or to discuss any concerns you may have, please contact Jennifer Huxley, Information Officer, Lansdowne Children’s Centre at 519-753-3153 or email info@lansdownecc.com

 

If you have a concern about how your information has been handled, you may call the Information and Privacy Commissioner /Ontario at 1-800-387-0073 or www.ipc.on.ca

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