{"id":"health-rheumatic-heart-disease-register-of-western-australia-regulations-2015","name":"Health (Rheumatic Heart Disease Register of Western Australia) Regulations 2015","slug":"health-rheumatic-heart-disease-register-of-western-australia-regulations-2015","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"wa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":176780,"registerId":"wa-health-rheumatic-heart-disease-register-of-western-australia-regulations-2015-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Health (Rheumatic Heart Disease Register of Western Australia) Regulations 2015","content":"![Crest]()Western Australia\n\nHealth (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1911\n\nHealth (Rheumatic Heart Disease Register of Western Australia) Regulations 2015\n\nWestern Australia\n\nHealth (Rheumatic Heart Disease Register of Western Australia) Regulations 2015\n\nContents\n\nPart 1 — Preliminary\n\n1. Citation 1\n\n2. Commencement 1\n\n3. Terms used 1\n\n4. Acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease prescribed conditions of health 4\n\nPart 2 — Notification of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease\n\nDivision 1 — Duty to give notice\n\n5. Who is to give notice 5\n\n6. Duty to give notice 5\n\nDivision 2 — What notice is to be given\n\nSubdivision 1 — Acute rheumatic fever\n\n7. Term used: acute phase 7\n\n8. What notice is to be given: acute rheumatic fever 7\n\n9. When notice is to be given: acute rheumatic fever 8\n\nSubdivision 2 — Rheumatic heart disease\n\n10. What notice is to be given: rheumatic heart disease 9\n\n11. When notice is to be given: rheumatic heart disease 10\n\nDivision 3 — Providing further information\n\n12. Chief Health Officer may request information 10\n\nPart 3 — Rheumatic Heart Disease Register of Western Australia\n\n13. Rheumatic Heart Disease Register of Western Australia 12\n\n14. Offence to disclose information without authority 13\n\n15. Chief Health Officer may authorise disclosure of information 14\n\n16. Right to know of information on the register 15\n\n17. Limited disclosure of identifying information 15\n\n18. Persons under a legal disability 16\n\nPart 4 — Repeal\n\n19. *Health (Notification of Acute Rheumatic Fever) Regulations 2007* repealed 17\n\nNotes\n\nCompilation table 18\n\nDefined terms\n\n  \n\nWestern Australia\n\nHealth (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1911\n\nHealth (Rheumatic Heart Disease Register of Western Australia) Regulations 2015\n\n## Part 1 — Preliminary\n\n##### 1. Citation\n\n\t\tThese regulations are the *Health (Rheumatic Heart Disease Register of Western Australia) Regulations 2015*.\n\n##### 2. Commencement\n\nThese regulations come into operation as follows —\n\n(a) regulations 1 and 2 — on the day on which these regulations are published in the *Gazette* (gazettal day);\n\n(b) the rest of the regulations — on the day after the period of one month beginning on gazettal day.\n\n##### 3. Terms used\n\nIn these regulations, unless the contrary intention appears —\n\nAboriginal health worker means a person who is of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent and —\n\n(a) is employed by or in a hospital or medical centre; and\n\n(b) holds, or is actively working towards, an approved VET qualification, as defined in the *Vocational Education and Training Act 1996* section 5(1), that is a certificate III or IV level qualification in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care;\n\nacute rheumatic fever means an illness caused by an autoimmune response to a bacterial infection with group A streptococcus (GAS);\n\nAustralian Institute of Health and Welfare means the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare established under the *Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Act 1987* (Commonwealth) section 4;\n\nchief executive officer —\n\n(a) in relation to a hospital, means the person who, subject to the control of the health service provider for the hospital or the licence holder of the hospital, is responsible for the day‑to‑day operations of the hospital; and\n\n(b) in relation to a medical centre, means the person who is responsible for the day‑to‑day operations of the centre;\n\ncorresponding officer, in relation to another State or a Territory, means a person who under the law of that State or Territory has functions that correspond or substantially correspond to the functions of the Chief Health Officer under these regulations;\n\ndentist means a person registered under the *Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Western Australia)* in the dental profession whose name is entered on the Dentists Division of the Register of Dental Practitioners kept under that Law;\n\nhealth service provider has the meaning given in the *Health Services Act 2016* section 6;\n\nhospital has the meaning given in the *Health Services Act 2016* section 8(4);\n\nidentifying information means information from which the identity of the person to whom the information relates is apparent or can reasonably be ascertained;\n\nmedical centre means a centre, post, clinic or other place for the treatment of persons suffering from illness or injury, or in need of medical, surgical or dental treatment or assistance and that is administered by, or through, one of the following —\n\n(a) the Department as defined in the *Health Services Act 2016* section 6;\n\n(b) a health service provider;\n\n(c) the Department as defined in the *Prisons Act 1981* section 3(1);\n\n(d) a local government;\n\n(e) the Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia (ACN 114 220 478);\n\n(f) a health service that is a member of the Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia (ACN 114 220 478);\n\nmedical specialist means a person registered under the *Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Western Australia)* in a recognised specialty in the medical profession who —\n\n(a) is a cardiologist, cardio‑thoracic surgeon, paediatrician or physician; or\n\n(b) is involved in the diagnosis or treatment of persons with acute rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease;\n\nmedical test means a diagnostic, clinical or investigative test undertaken at the request of a medical practitioner or a nurse practitioner;\n\nNational Coordination Unit means the National Coordination Unit of the Rheumatic Fever Strategy referred to in Schedule E to the National Partnership Agreement on Specified Projects entered into by the States and Territories and the Commonwealth and commencing on 1 July 2014, as amended from time to time;\n\nobstetrician means a person registered under the *Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Western Australia)* in the medical profession in the recognised specialty of obstetrics and gynaecology;\n\nregister means the register referred to in regulation 13(1);\n\nrepealed regulations means the *Health (Notification of Acute Rheumatic Fever) Regulations 2007* repealed by regulation 19 of these regulations;\n\nrheumatic heart disease means damage to the heart resulting from an episode, or more than one episode, of acute rheumatic fever.\n\n[Regulation 3 amended: Gazette 24 Jun 2016 p. 2312‑13; 10 Jan 2017 p. 278.]\n\n##### 4. Acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease prescribed conditions of health\n\nThe following are prescribed as conditions of health to which Part IXA of the Act applies —\n\n(a) acute rheumatic fever;\n\n(b) rheumatic heart disease.\n\n## Part 2 — Notification of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease\n\n### Division 1 — Duty to give notice\n\n##### 5. Who is to give notice\n\nThe following persons have a duty to give notice about a person who has acute rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease (the patient) —\n\n(a) if the patient is a patient of a hospital — the chief executive officer of the hospital;\n\n(b) if the patient is a patient of a medical centre — the chief executive officer of the medical centre;\n\n(c) a medical practitioner or nurse practitioner, as is relevant, who —\n\n(i) diagnoses the patient with acute rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease; or\n\n(ii) is responsible for the treatment of the patient for acute rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease;\n\n(d) if the patient is pregnant — an obstetrician responsible for the treatment of the patient who becomes aware that the patient has acute rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease.\n\n##### 6. Duty to give notice\n\n(1) A person who has a duty under regulation 5 to give notice about a patient is to give that notice —\n\n(a) if the patient has acute rheumatic fever — by causing the information described in regulation 8 to be provided to the Chief Health Officer at the times specified in regulation 9;\n\n(b) if the patient has rheumatic heart disease — by causing the information described in regulation 10 to be provided to the Chief Health Officer at the times specified in regulation 11.\n\nPenalty: a fine of $1 000, but the minimum penalty —\n\n(a) for a first offence, is a fine of $100;\n\n(b) for a second offence, is a fine of $200;\n\n(c) for a subsequent offence, is a fine of $500.\n\n(2) These regulations do not impose a duty on any person to give notice about any of the following —\n\n(a) information about a diagnosis that occurred, or treatment that was given, before the commencement of this regulation;\n\n(b) a medical test carried out on a patient before the commencement of this regulation;\n\n(c) a medical specialist report written before the commencement of this regulation.\n\n(3) Despite anything else in these regulations —\n\n(a) a person is not required to cause information to be provided to the Chief Health Officer if the person reasonably believes that the Chief Health Officer has already been provided with the information; and\n\n(b) a person has a duty under these regulations to give notice about a patient even if the patient has been previously diagnosed with, or treated for, acute rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease in another State or a Territory.\n\n[Regulation 6 amended: Gazette 10 Jan 2017 p. 278.]\n\n### Division 2 — What notice is to be given\n\n#### Subdivision 1 — Acute rheumatic fever\n\n##### 7. Term used: acute phase\n\nIn this Subdivision —\n\nacute phase, in relation to a patient with acute rheumatic fever, means the period —\n\n(a) beginning when the patient is diagnosed with acute rheumatic fever; and\n\n(b) ending 3 months later.\n\n##### 8. What notice is to be given: acute rheumatic fever\n\nA person who has a duty under regulation 5 to give notice about a patient who has acute rheumatic fever gives that notice by causing the following information to be provided to the Chief Health Officer —\n\n(a) the name and contact details of the person giving the notice;\n\n(b) the following information about the patient that is known to the person giving the notice —\n\n(i) the full name, phone number and residential and email address of the patient;\n\n(ii) if applicable, the full name, residential and email address of a parent or guardian of a patient who has not reached 18 years of age;\n\n(iii) the sex and date of birth of the patient;\n\n(iv) the patient’s ethnic origins, including whether the patient is of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent;\n\n(v) information, in a form approved by the Chief Health Officer, about the diagnosis of the patient with, or treatment of the patient for, acute rheumatic fever;\n\n(c) a copy of each medical test carried out on the patient that is related to the diagnosis of the patient with, or treatment of the patient for, acute rheumatic fever;\n\n(d) a copy of each medical specialist’s report about the patient that is related to the diagnosis of the patient with, or treatment of the patient for, acute rheumatic fever.\n\n[Regulation 8 amended: Gazette 10 Jan 2017 p. 278.]\n\n##### 9. When notice is to be given: acute rheumatic fever\n\n(1) Notice about a patient who has acute rheumatic fever is to be given, as specified in regulation 8, at the times specified in this regulation.\n\n(2) If a copy of a medical test is being provided to the Chief Health Officer and —\n\n(a) the test was carried out to assist in the diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever during the acute phase — within 14 days after the result of the test is received by the medical practitioner or nurse practitioner who requested that the test be carried out; or\n\n(b) otherwise — within 30 days after the result of the test is received by the medical practitioner or nurse practitioner who requested that the test be carried out.\n\n(3) If a copy of a medical specialist’s report is being provided to the Chief Health Officer and —\n\n(a) the report is based on a consultation with the patient during the acute phase — within 14 days after the medical specialist finalises the report; or\n\n(b) the report is based on a consultation with the patient that was not during the acute phase — within 30 days after the medical specialist finalises the report.\n\n(4) If the person diagnosing or treating the patient is an obstetrician and the information being provided to the Chief Health Officer does not include a copy of a medical test or a specialist medical report — within 14 days of the obstetrician becoming aware that the patient has acute rheumatic fever.\n\n(5) If the information described in regulation 8(b) is being provided to the Chief Health Officer — within 14 days after the patient is diagnosed with, or treated for, acute rheumatic fever.\n\n[Regulation 9 amended: Gazette 10 Jan 2017 p. 278.]\n\n#### Subdivision 2 — Rheumatic heart disease\n\n##### 10. What notice is to be given: rheumatic heart disease\n\nA person who has a duty under regulation 5 to give notice about a patient who has rheumatic heart disease gives that notice by causing the following information to be provided to the Chief Health Officer —\n\n(a) the name and contact details of the person giving the notice;\n\n(b) the following information about the patient that is known to the person giving the notice —\n\n(i) the full name, phone number and residential and email address of the patient;\n\n(ii) if applicable, the full name, residential and email address of a parent or guardian of a patient who has not reached 18 years of age;\n\n(iii) the sex and date of birth of the patient;\n\n(iv) the patient’s ethnic origins, including whether the patient is of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent;\n\n(c) a copy of each medical test carried out on the patient that is related to the diagnosis of the patient with, or treatment of the patient for, rheumatic heart disease;\n\n(d) a copy of each medical specialist’s report about the patient that is related to the diagnosis of the patient with, or treatment of the patient for, rheumatic heart disease.\n\n[Regulation 10 amended: Gazette 10 Jan 2017 p. 278.]\n\n##### 11. When notice is to be given: rheumatic heart disease\n\n(1) Notice about a patient who has rheumatic heart disease is to be given, as specified in regulation 10, at the times specified in this regulation.\n\n(2) If a copy of a medical test is being provided to the Chief Health Officer — within 30 days after the result of the test is received by the medical practitioner or nurse practitioner who requested that the test be carried out.\n\n(3) If a copy of a medical specialist’s report is being provided to the Chief Health Officer — within 30 days after the medical specialist finalises the report.\n\n(4) If the person diagnosing or treating the patient is an obstetrician and the information being provided to the Chief Health Officer does not include a copy of a medical test or a specialist medical report — within 30 days of the obstetrician becoming aware that the patient has rheumatic heart disease.\n\n(5) If the information described in regulation 10(b) is being provided to the Chief Health Officer — within 30 days after the patient is diagnosed with, or treated for, rheumatic heart disease.\n\n[Regulation 11 amended: Gazette 10 Jan 2017 p. 278.]\n\n### Division 3 — Providing further information\n\n##### 12. Chief Health Officer may request information\n\n(1) The Chief Health Officer may, in writing, request any of the following persons to cause the information specified in the request to be provided to the Chief Health Officer —\n\n(a) a person who has a duty to give notice under regulation 5;\n\n(b) a dentist;\n\n(c) any other person who, in the opinion of the Chief Health Officer, has information about a person who has suffered an episode of acute rheumatic fever or has rheumatic heart disease.\n\n(2) The Chief Health Officer may not request information under subregulation (1) unless —\n\n(a) the information is about a person about whom notice has already been given under regulation 6; and\n\n(b) the Chief Health Officer is satisfied that collecting the information is consistent with achieving the objects of Part IXA of the Act.\n\n(3) A person who receives a request under this regulation must comply with the request within 14 days after receiving it.\n\nPenalty: a fine of $1 000, but the minimum penalty —\n\n(a) for a first offence, is a fine of $100;\n\n(b) for a second offence, is a fine of $200;\n\n(c) for a subsequence offence, is a fine of $500.\n\n(4) It is a defence to a charge under subregulation (3) to prove that the person did not have the information requested at the time that the request was made.\n\n[Regulation 12 amended: Gazette 10 Jan 2017 p. 278.]\n\n## Part 3 — Rheumatic Heart Disease Register of Western Australia\n\n##### 13. Rheumatic Heart Disease Register of Western Australia\n\n(1) The Chief Health Officer is to keep a register to be known as the Rheumatic Heart Disease Register of Western Australia.\n\n(2) The register is to contain all information notified under Part 2.\n\n(3) The register may also contain —\n\n(a) information provided to the Chief Health Officer by a corresponding officer; and\n\n(b) information provided to the Chief Health Officer under the repealed regulations; and\n\n(c) any other information that the Chief Health Officer considers appropriate, having regard to the purposes mentioned in subregulation (4).\n\n(4) The register is to be kept for the following purposes —\n\n(a) to identify and record details of all known cases of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease in Western Australia;\n\n(b) to describe and monitor the occurrence of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease in Western Australia;\n\n(c) to monitor and improve the uptake of, and adherence to, secondary prophylaxis treatment by persons who have been diagnosed with, or treated for, acute rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease in Western Australia;\n\n(d) to monitor and improve clinical follow‑up, including access to medical specialists and echocardiography, for persons who have been diagnosed with or treated for acute rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease in Western Australia;\n\n(e) to use data to monitor patient outcomes and improve programme strategies for the alleviation of acute rheumatic fever and the prevention of rheumatic heart disease in Western Australia;\n\n(f) to compile and publish general or statistical information about acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease;\n\n(g) to carry out research into the causes, prevention, screening and treatment of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease;\n\n(h) to facilitate and assist in the establishment and maintenance of a national data collection system by the National Coordination Unit.\n\n(5) The register is to be kept in a manner and form determined by the Chief Health Officer.\n\n[Regulation 13 amended: Gazette 10 Jan 2017 p. 278.]\n\n##### 14. Offence to disclose information without authority\n\nA person who has access to the register in the course of the person’s duty must not disclose information contained on the register unless the disclosure —\n\n(a) is made with the written consent of the person to whom the information relates; or\n\n(b) is authorised under regulation 15; or\n\n(c) is authorised or required under another written law.\n\nPenalty: a fine of $1 000, but the minimum penalty —\n\n(a) for a first offence, is a fine of $100;\n\n(b) for a second offence, is a fine of $200;\n\n(c) for a subsequence offence, is a fine of $500.\n\n##### 15. Chief Health Officer may authorise disclosure of information\n\n(1) The Chief Health Officer may authorise the disclosure of information contained on the register —\n\n(a) if it is not reasonably practicable to obtain the written consent of the person to whom the information relates, for the purpose of providing a clinical history of the person to —\n\n(i) a medical practitioner, dentist, Aboriginal health worker or nurse who is treating, or has treated, the person; or\n\n(ii) a member of the staff at a hospital, medical centre or medical practice where a person referred to in subparagraph (i) is employed or practices;\n\nor\n\n(b) for the purposes of research approved in accordance with guidelines for the conduct of medical research involving humans issued in compliance with the *National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992* (Commonwealth) section 10; or\n\n(c) to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare if the Chief Health Officer is satisfied that the information is to be used solely for a purpose mentioned in regulation 13(4); or\n\n(d) to a corresponding officer in another State or a Territory, if the Chief Health Officer is satisfied that —\n\n(i) the usual place of residence of the person to whom the information relates is, was or will be in that State or Territory; or\n\n(ii) the person has no usual place of residence and has been diagnosed with, or treated for, acute rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease in Western Australia;\n\nor\n\n(e) to the National Coordination Unit for the purposes of inclusion in the national data collection system administered by that unit.\n\n(2) However, identifying information about the person cannot be disclosed under subregulation (1)(a) or (d) if the person, under regulation 17(1), has requested that there be only limited disclosure of any identifying information on the register about the person.\n\n(3) The Chief Health Officer may also authorise the disclosure of any information on the register, other than identifying information, for a purpose mentioned in regulation 13(4).\n\n(4) An authorisation under this regulation must be in writing and may apply generally or to a specific case or class of cases.\n\n[Regulation 15 amended: Gazette 10 Jan 2017 p. 278-9.]\n\n##### 16. Right to know of information on the register\n\nOn the written request of any person, the Chief Health Officer is to —\n\n(a) search the register for information about that person; and\n\n(b) as soon as reasonably practicable, either —\n\n(i) tell the person that there is no information about them on the register; or\n\n(ii) give to the person a copy of any information about them on the register.\n\n[Regulation 16 amended: Gazette 10 Jan 2017 p. 278.]\n\n##### 17. Limited disclosure of identifying information\n\n(1) A person may, in writing given to the Chief Health Officer, request that there be only limited disclosure of any identifying information on the register about that person.\n\n(2) If a person makes a request under subregulation (1), then regulation 15(2) applies in respect of the disclosure under regulation 15 of any identifying information about that person that is contained on the register.\n\n[Regulation 17 amended: Gazette 10 Jan 2017 p. 278.]\n\n##### 18. Persons under a legal disability\n\nA parent or guardian of a person who is under a legal disability may, on behalf of the person —\n\n(a) give written consent for the purposes of regulations 14(a) and 15(1)(a); and\n\n(b) make written requests for the purposes of regulations 16 and 17(1).\n\n## Part 4 — Repeal\n\n##### 19. *Health (Notification of Acute Rheumatic Fever) Regulations 2007* repealed\n\nThe *Health (Notification of Acute Rheumatic Fever) Regulations 2007* are repealed.\n\nNotes\n\n1 This is a compilation of the *Health (Rheumatic Heart Disease Register of Western Australia) Regulations 2015* and includes the amendments made by the other written laws referred to in the following table.\n\nCompilation table\n\n| **Citation** | **Gazettal** | **Commencement** |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| *Health (Rheumatic Heart Disease Register of Western Australia) Regulations 2015* | 19 May 2015 p. 1771‑92 | r. 1 and 2: 19 May 2015 (see r. 2(a))   Regulations other than r. 1 and 2: 18 Jun 2015 (see r. 2(b)) |\n| *Health Services (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2016* Pt. 3 | 24 Jun 2016 p. 2311‑15 | 1 Jul 2016 (see r. 2 and *Gazette* 24 Jun 2016 p. 2291) |\n| *Health Regulations Amendment (Public Health) Regulations 2016* Pt. 20 | 10 Jan 2017 p. 237‑308 | 24 Jan 2017 (see r. 2(b) and *Gazette* 10 Jan 2017 p. 165) |\n\n\nDefined terms\n\n*[This is a list of terms defined and the provisions where they are defined. The list is not part of the law.]*\n\n**Defined term Provision(s)**\n\nAboriginal health worker 3\n\nacute phase 7\n\nacute rheumatic fever 3\n\nAustralian Institute of Health and Welfare 3\n\nchief executive officer 3\n\ncorresponding officer 3\n\ndentist 3\n\ngazettal day 2\n\nhealth service provider 3\n\nhospital 3\n\nidentifying information 3\n\nmedical centre 3\n\nmedical specialist 3\n\nmedical test 3\n\nNational Coordination Unit 3\n\nobstetrician 3\n\npatient 5\n\nregister 3\n\nrepealed regulations 3\n\nrheumatic heart disease 3\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"Yes. Compared with the earlier 2007 regulations (which the instrument repeals — reg 19) that focused on notification of acute rheumatic fever, these 2015 Regulations broaden and formalise the scheme by: (a) explicitly including both acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease as reportable conditions (reg 4); (b) creating a central Rheumatic Heart Disease Register and listing multiple statutory purposes including monitoring, clinical follow‑up, research and national data sharing (reg 13(1)–(4)); (c) expanding the types of information required (including ethnicity, contact details, tests and specialist reports — regs 8, 10); (d) enabling information sharing with national coordination units, AIHW and corresponding officers interstate (reg 15); and (e) widening the Chief Health Officer's powers to request further information from a broader set of people (reg 12). These additions move the instrument beyond simple case notification into sustained data collection, interjurisdictional data sharing and a managed information system with patient access and limited disclosure rules."},"complexity_factors":["About 20 defined terms in the interpretation section (reg 3 and Defined terms list)","Clear, limited statutory structure in 4 Parts (Preliminary; Notification; Register; Repeal) — modest length","Timing rules with conditional deadlines for different document types and clinical phases (regs 9 and 11) — multiple timeframes to observe","Nested exceptions and defences (e.g. no duty for pre‑commencement diagnoses/tests/reports — reg 6(2); reasonable belief the CHO already has info — reg 6(3)(a); defence to requests if information not held — reg 12(4))","Chief Health Officer discretion over register content, format and disclosure authorisations (regs 13(3)(c), 13(5), 15(4)) — introduces administrative judgment","Cross‑references to other statutes and national bodies (Health Services Act 2016; Health Practitioner Regulation National Law; NHMRC guidance; National Coordination Unit; AIHW) increasing interpretive context","Multiple classes of persons with duties or who may be asked to supply data (chief executive officers, medical practitioners, nurse practitioners, obstetricians, dentists, other persons — regs 5, 12)"],"plain_english_summary":"**What these regulations do (mechanics first)**\n\n- Establish a formal, government‑kept Rheumatic Heart Disease Register for Western Australia and require certain health workers and institutions to notify the Chief Health Officer when a person is diagnosed with acute rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease (regs 13, 5–6).\n- Specify what information must be sent, who must send it, and time limits for sending it (regs 7–12). Required information includes patient identifiers, contact details, ethnicity (including Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status), copies of relevant medical tests and specialist reports, and provider contact details (regs 8, 10).\n- Give the Chief Health Officer power to collect additional information (on written request) from notified cases and certain professionals (reg 12), to hold and manage the register (reg 13), and to authorise limited disclosures for clinical care, approved research, national data sharing and related public‑health purposes (reg 15).\n- Create confidentiality and limited‑disclosure rules and a small financial penalty for unauthorised disclosure or failure to comply with notification or information requests (regs 14, 15, 6(1), 12(3)).\n- Repeal the earlier 2007 regulations that only dealt with notification of acute rheumatic fever (reg 19).\n\n**Who is affected**\n\n- Health organisations: hospitals and medical centres must ensure their chief executive officers cause notifications when patients in their care are diagnosed (reg 5(a)–(b)).\n- Individual clinicians: medical practitioners and nurse practitioners who diagnose or treat cases, and obstetricians who become aware of cases in pregnant patients, have direct notification duties (reg 5(c)–(d)).\n- Other health workers and professionals: the Chief Health Officer can request further information from dentists and other persons thought to have relevant information (reg 12(1)). Aboriginal health workers are specifically defined and may be recipients of disclosed clinical history (reg 3; 15(1)(a)(i)).\n- Patients: people diagnosed with acute rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease will have identifying and clinical information held on the register, can request to see their information, and can ask to restrict disclosure of identifying information (regs 16–17).\n- Other agencies: the Chief Health Officer may share data with a national coordination unit, corresponding officers in other States/Territories, and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare under specified conditions (reg 15(1)(c)–(e)).\n\n**Why it matters (official aim and an operational check)**\n\n- Officially, the register and notification system exist to identify and monitor all known cases in WA, improve clinical follow‑up and uptake of secondary prophylaxis (preventative treatment), support research, publish aggregated statistics, and feed into a national data system (reg 13(4)).\n\n- Testing that aim against practical mechanics: the regulations create mandatory reporting duties (reg 6), deadlines for supplying tests and specialist reports (regs 9, 11), a centralised data store under the Chief Health Officer's control (reg 13(1)–(5)), and explicit pathways for sharing data with national bodies and other jurisdictions (reg 15). Those mechanics are aligned with the stated monitoring, follow‑up and national coordination objectives — but they also introduce ongoing data‑handling obligations and discretion for the Chief Health Officer about what additional information to keep and when to disclose it (regs 13(3)(c), 15(4)).\n\n**Costs, incentives and likely behavioural effects**\n\n- Who pays / who bears burden: hospitals, medical centres and individual clinicians bear the administrative cost and compliance burden of collecting, copying and delivering patient details, tests and specialist reports to the Chief Health Officer on the timelines set out (regs 8–11). There are modest financial penalties for non‑compliance (regs 6(1), 12(3)).\n\n- Who decides / discretion: the Chief Health Officer has discretion to decide additional information kept on the register (reg 13(3)(c)), to request further info (reg 12), and to authorise disclosures under the listed grounds (reg 15). These powers centralise decision‑making about data content, retention and disclosure.\n\n- Behavioural incentives: mandatory reporting and deadlines create incentives for clinicians and institutions to set up internal notification processes. The ability of the Chief Health Officer to request further information (reg 12) and to share data with national bodies (reg 15) creates an incentive for accurate, timely reporting to ensure patients receive follow‑up and to enable inclusion in national surveillance.\n\n- Compliance burden: the rules require transmission of identifying information, copies of tests and specialist reports within specified short timeframes in some cases (14 days for some tests/reports during the acute phase — reg 9). This may require administrative workflows and secure transfer methods.\n\n- Privacy and disclosure trade‑offs: the regulations protect information from unauthorised disclosure and allow patients to restrict identifying information (regs 14, 17), but they also permit sharing without consent for certain clinical, research and public‑health purposes (reg 15). That balances individual privacy against public‑health coordination but places a realisation and enforcement burden on the Chief Health Officer to exercise authorisations carefully.\n\n**Implementation risks and practical points**\n\n- Data quality and duplication: persons are not required to notify if they reasonably believe the Chief Health Officer already has the information (reg 6(3)(a)). That avoids duplication but depends on timely checks and communication channels.\n\n- Cross‑jurisdictional overlap: the register may include cases diagnosed or treated in other States/Territories (reg 13(3)(a) and 15(1)(d)), which requires secure and consistent data‑sharing arrangements and raises matching/identity risks.\n\n- Administrative discretion: broad enabling language allows the Chief Health Officer to determine register format (reg 13(5)) and to add other information deemed appropriate (reg 13(3)(c)), which is operationally flexible but centralises decision authority.\n\n**Key references to the regulations**\n\n- Duty to notify: regs 5–6.  \n- Required content and timing for acute rheumatic fever: regs 7–9.  \n- Required content and timing for rheumatic heart disease: regs 10–11.  \n- Chief Health Officer powers and register purposes: regs 12–15, 13(4).  \n- Patient access and limited disclosure: regs 16–17.  \n- Penalties and repeals: regs 6(1), 12(3), 14; reg 19.\n\n(For precise wording and legal effect refer to the cited regulation numbers above.)"},"summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope cannot be assessed — the legislative text is unavailable. No comparison between original intent and enacted form is possible from the retrieved content, which consists solely of a website error message."},"complexity_factors":["Legislative text is inaccessible — only an error page was retrieved, making substantive analysis impossible","Health registers typically involve layered privacy, data governance, and reporting obligations that can be moderately complex","Intersection of health law and data protection adds potential complexity","Likely interaction with broader Health Act (WA) framework cannot be assessed without the text","Score is intentionally conservative given the complete absence of actual legislative content to evaluate"],"plain_english_summary":"This regulation establishes and governs a Rheumatic Heart Disease register in Western Australia, setting how people with RHD are recorded, how their health data are handled, who may access it, and the responsibilities of health providers. It mainly affects people living with RHD—disproportionately Aboriginal Western Australians—and the clinicians and services that diagnose, treat, and report cases.\n\nThe regulation text is currently unavailable online; consult the Parliamentary Counsel’s Office or the WA legislation website for the authoritative wording."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation appears consistent with its original intent. It replaced the narrower Health (Notification of Acute Rheumatic Fever) Regulations 2007, expanding from notification-only to include the formal Register structure and broader data collection purposes. This represents a logical evolution rather than scope creep—the original notification system has been enhanced with privacy protections, research provisions, and national coordination mechanisms that support the core public health objective of disease surveillance and prevention."},"complexity_factors":["18 defined terms in the interpretation section (regulation 3), including nested definitions for 'chief executive officer' and 'medical centre'","Multiple cross-references to other legislation including the Health Services Act 2016, Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, and Commonwealth legislation","Different notification timeframes depending on condition type (acute rheumatic fever vs rheumatic heart disease) and whether the patient is in the 'acute phase' (a defined 3-month period)","Conditional disclosure rules in Part 3 with specific exceptions to general privacy prohibitions (regulation 15) and an opt-out mechanism for identifying information (regulation 17)","Tiered penalty structure with minimum fines escalating for repeat offences (regulations 6, 12, 14)","Specific provisions for persons under legal disability (minors) requiring parent/guardian involvement"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this legislation does:**\n\nThese regulations create a mandatory reporting system for two serious health conditions in Western Australia: **acute rheumatic fever** (an autoimmune illness triggered by strep throat bacteria) and **rheumatic heart disease** (permanent heart damage caused by repeated episodes of rheumatic fever). \n\n**Who it affects:**\n\n- **Patients** diagnosed with either condition\n- **Health professionals** including doctors, nurse practitioners, obstetricians, and hospital/medical centre administrators\n- **The Chief Health Officer** of Western Australia, who maintains the official register\n\n**Key requirements:**\n\n- **Mandatory notification:** When someone is diagnosed with acute rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease, specific health workers must notify the Chief Health Officer within set timeframes (14-30 days depending on the situation)\n- **What must be reported:** Patient contact details, demographic information (including Indigenous status), medical test results, and specialist reports\n- **The Register:** The Chief Health Officer maintains the \"Rheumatic Heart Disease Register of Western Australia\" containing all notified cases. This register is used to track disease patterns, improve treatment access, monitor patient outcomes, and contribute to national health data\n- **Privacy protections:** Strict rules limit who can access register information. Generally, identifying information cannot be disclosed without patient consent, though exceptions exist for clinical care, approved research, and national health monitoring. Patients can request limited disclosure of their identifying information and have the right to see what information is held about them\n\n**Why it matters:**\n\nRheumatic heart disease disproportionately affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and can cause lifelong disability or death if not properly managed. These regulations ensure health authorities can identify cases, ensure patients receive ongoing preventive treatment (called \"secondary prophylaxis\"), and improve clinical follow-up. The register also supports research and national coordination to combat these preventable conditions."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/health-rheumatic-heart-disease-register-of-western-australia-regulations-2015","history":"/api/acts/health-rheumatic-heart-disease-register-of-western-australia-regulations-2015/history","analysis":"/api/acts/health-rheumatic-heart-disease-register-of-western-australia-regulations-2015/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/health-rheumatic-heart-disease-register-of-western-australia-regulations-2015/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/health-rheumatic-heart-disease-register-of-western-australia-regulations-2015/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/health-rheumatic-heart-disease-register-of-western-australia-regulations-2015/documents"}}