Apart from you, the only people who can view or access your My Health Record are:
- Your healthcare providers (e.g. GPs, specialists or hospital staff)
- People you invite to help you manage your record (nominated representatives)
- People who manage your record for you if you are not able to (authorised representatives)
Access by a healthcare provider
Only healthcare provider organisations involved in your care, who are registered with us, are allowed by law to access your My Health Record.
Treating healthcare providers can view documents in your My Health Record as part of the default preferences.
You can add extra privacy controls, so you can choose which healthcare organisations can access your record, or individual documents in it.
Find out how to set extra privacy controls on your record
Access by a nominated representative
A nominated representative is a trusted person you have invited to help you manage your My Health Record. They might be a family member, close friend or carer.
Find out more about nominated representatives
Access by an authorised representative
An authorised representative manages the My Health Record of someone who cannot manage their own. This could be for their child under 14 years, or someone of any age who lacks the capacity to manage their own record. An authorised representative may be a parent, carer, family member, or someone with enduring power of attorney.
Find out more about authorised representatives
Access in an emergency
In a medical emergency, healthcare providers can access your My Health Record to see your health information, so they can provide you with the best possible treatment and care.
Find out more about emergency access to your My Health Record
See who has accessed your record
You can see which organisations or representatives have accessed your My Health Record.
Every time someone looks at your record, uploads a document, or makes any changes, it gets logged in the ‘Access History’ of your My Health Record.
You can also set up automatic notifications to receive an email or SMS the first time a new healthcare provider accesses your My Health Record, including in an emergency. You can also choose to be notified when your nominated or authorised representatives access your record.
Find out how to see who has accessed your record
People who can’t access your record
The primary purpose of your My Health Record is to support your healthcare.
No-one is permitted to access, or ask you to disclose, any information within your My Health Record for insurance or employment purposes.
Information from your My Health Record cannot be released to law enforcement or a government agency without your consent or a court order.
Your health data also cannot be sold or used for commercial purposes.
It is a criminal offence for someone to access your record for a purpose other than providing you with healthcare and there are serious penalties.
Report unauthorised access
If you are concerned that someone has looked at your record when they shouldn't have, call us on 1800 723 471 and we will investigate.
