Guild & PSA Alert on Law

ThePharmacy Guild of Australia and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) have united to alert pharmacists to be aware of new privacy laws that come into effect from today. The new ‘Australian Privacy Principles’ have a stronger emphasis on compliance and enforcement, giving the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner enhanced powers, including the ability to assess privacy performance and to seek penalties for serious or repeated breaches of  privacy. With the growth in electronic collection, storage and use of customer data, pharmacists needed to be aware of the nature of any information gathered, the PSA and Guild said.

Pharmacists need to be aware that the consumer owns their personal and health information and that pharmacists and pharmacy staff are the custodians of this. When in doubt, pharmacists should always seek the consumer’s consent before using or disclosing their personal or health information to a third party, the PSA said.

Each pharmacy needed to have a privacy policy in place which staff understood and complied with at all times, it said. “While most pharmacists know they have a responsibility to comply with privacy legislation, there is understandably likely  to be little awareness of the detail of the reforms which come into effect from today,” the Guild and PSA said.

The organisations have developed resources to help members, including guides and templates, which can be accessed by logging in here for The Guild resources or here for the PSA resources.

Source: pharmacydaily.com.au, Wednesday 12 March 2014