Insights Categories: Health

A recent decision of the Australian Information and Privacy Commissioner, Commissioner Falk, highlights the importance of staff training on the collection and storage of personal information and the need to manage customers’ personal information in an open and transparent way. In 2017, Flight Centre held a ‘design jam’ to create technological solutions for travel agents. […]

Meridian Lawyers has published several Health Insights in the past about the importance of understanding and adhering to the advertising obligations set out under section 133 of the National Law. However, claims concerning advertising continue to be a recurring theme in our Health Law practice, indicating some persisting confusion about the boundaries of what is […]

Meridian Lawyers often receives calls from doctors and other health practitioners requesting one-off advice relating to their day-to-day practice. Recently, we have received a number of requests for advice about patient privacy and more specifically about the circumstances in which a health practitioner might be permitted to discuss a deceased patient with their family. The […]

Meridian Lawyers often receives calls from doctors and other health practitioners requesting one-off advice relating to their day-to-day practice. One common and enduring theme of these requests for advice is death certificates – who can prepare them, and when? For example, if a patient dies in an aged care home, can a locum doctor certify […]

Professional Services Review (PSR) is a Commonwealth Agency whose objective is to protect the integrity of the Commonwealth Medicare benefits, dental benefits and pharmaceutical benefits programs and, in doing so, protect patients and the community from the risks associated with ‘inappropriate practice’, and protect the Commonwealth from having to meet the cost of medical and […]

The Victorian State Coroner recently issued Practice Direction 5 of 2020 – ‘Directions Hearings in Mandatory Inquests’, requiring that in all cases where an inquest must be held, and unless reasons exist otherwise, a Directions Hearing will be convened within 28 days of the death being reported to the Coroner. A mandatory inquest is required […]

A reminder to pharmacy proprietors of their key responsibilities Meridian Lawyers regularly assists a range of healthcare professionals to understand the legal and professional obligations that attach to their particular profession. Recently, in NSW, we have assisted a number of proprietor pharmacists who have come under close scrutiny by the Pharmacy Council of NSW following […]

Meridian Lawyers recently published an article examining the power to take immediate action against health practitioners under section 156 of the National Law (if you missed it, that article can be read here). It considered a recent VCAT decision[1], wherein a doctor was suspended under section 156(1)(e), being the power to take immediate action in […]

ABC v NHS — Background The UK High Court[1] applied established duty of care principles to legalise professional guidance which permits disclosure of confidential information to a proximate third party without consent, in circumstances where the medical professional has properly undertaken the requisite balancing exercise of risks and interests affecting the patient, third party and […]

In 2017 Professor Ron Paterson delivered the Independent review of the use of chaperones to protect patients in Australia report (the Chaperone Report), which made 28 recommendations to AHPRA and the Medical Board of Australia (the MBA) for improving the handling of sexual boundary notifications in Australia. Among other things, the Chaperone Report recommended that […]

Key lessons from ‘SD’ and ‘SE’ and Northside Clinic (Vic) Pty Ltd [2020] AlCmr 21 We recently published an article about the importance of protecting your patients’ private information, and what to do if there is an inadvertent disclosure of sensitive patient data. If you missed it, that article can be read here. In June […]