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Health Records (Privacy and Access) Act 1997
13BGiving access to health records—generally
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13B Giving access to health records—generally
(1) This section applies if a record keeper must give a person (other than
a child or young person) access to a health record.
(2) Access to the health record must be given—
(a) if the record keeper has given a notice under section 13 (2) (d)
(ii) and the fee stated in the notice has been paid—no later than
the later of the following:
(i) 1 week after the day the fee is paid;
(ii) 30 days after the day the record keeper received the request
for access to the health record; or
(b) if the record keeper has not given a notice under
section 13 (2) (d) (ii)—no later than 30 days after the day the
record keeper receives the request for access to the health
(3) However, before giving access to the record to a person (the relevant
person), the record keeper must take reasonable steps to require
evidence of, and be satisfied about—
(a) the relevant person’s identity; and
(b) if someone else has authorised the access to be given to the
relevant person—the identity and authority of the other person;
and
(c) if the consumer is a legally incompetent person or dead—the
fact that the relevant person (or, if paragraph (b) applies, the
person authorising the relevant person) is—
(i) for a legally incompetent person—a guardian of the
(ii) for a deceased consumer—
(A) a legal representative of the deceased consumer; or
(B) if there is no legal representative of the deceased
consumer—an immediate family member of the
deceased consumer.
(4) If the record keeper requires evidence under subsection (3) before
giving access to a health record and the evidence is not provided or
does not satisfy the record keeper, the record keeper need not provide
access to the health record.
13BA Giving access to health records—children and young
people
(1) This section applies if a record keeper must give a child or young
person access to a health record.
(2) Access to a health record must be given—
(a) if the record keeper has given a notice under section 13 (2) (d)
(ii) and the fee stated in the notice has been paid—no later than
the later of the following:
(i) 1 week after the day the fee is paid;
(ii) 30 days after the day the record keeper received the request
for access to the health record; or
(b) if the record keeper has not given a notice under
section 13 (2) (d) (ii)—no later than 30 days after the day the
record keeper receives the request for access to the health
(3) However, before giving access to the record to a person (the relevant
person), the record keeper must take reasonable steps to require
evidence of, and be satisfied about—
(a) the relevant person’s identity; and
(b) if someone else has authorised the access to be given to the
relevant person—the identity and authority of the other person;
and
(c) if the consumer is a child or young person who does not have
sufficient maturity and developmental capacity to understand
the nature of the young person’s request to access the record and
the nature of the record—the fact that the relevant person (or, if
paragraph (b) applies, the person authorising the relevant
person) is the person with parental responsibility for the child or
young person.
(4) Before giving access to a relevant person who is a young person, the
record keeper may require that the young person—
(a) meet with the record keeper so that the record keeper can explain
the nature of the record to the young person; or
(b) consent to a person with parental responsibility for the young
person attending that meeting.
(5) Before giving access to a relevant person who has parental
responsibility for a young person, the record keeper may—
(a) require that the young person consent to the access; or
(b) discuss the access with the young person.
(6) If the record keeper requires evidence under this section before giving
access to a health record and the evidence is not provided or does not
satisfy the record keeper, the record keeper need not provide access
to the health record.