Treating all patients with the dignity, care and respect they deserve is key to our work at Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora Wairarapa.
Patient rights have been developed into a code by the Health and Disability Commission. The Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers specifies these rights when receiving healthcare services:
- Right to be treated with respect
- Right to freedom from discrimination, coercion, harassment and exploitation
- Right to dignity and independence
- Right to services of an appropriate standard
- Right to effective communication
- Right to be fully informed
- Right to make an informed choice and give informed consent
- Right to support
- Rights in respect of teaching or research
- Right to complain
For more information about the Code of Rights visit the Health & Disability Commissioner (HDC) website. You can also get free independent support from Health and Disability Advocacy.
Your Health Information
We collect information about you and your health to provide the best possible care and to record important statistics. Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora- Wairarapa takes great care to ensure the privacy of your health information is respected.
The Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora- Wairarapa Privacy Statement sets out what information we collect about you, why we collect it and how that information will be used.
Accessing your health information
If you are an existing or previous patient you have the right to ask for, and be given, access to your personal health information.
In most cases we should be able to provide you with the information within 20 working days. If your request is urgent please tell us and the reason why and we will do our best to meet your timeframe.
Transparency Statement
Our transparency statement explains how we collect, manage, use and share information about identifiable individuals.
It applies to both Wairarapa Hospital and our representatives including our employees, contractors and volunteers.
Please click here to see our transparency statement.
Correcting information
If you think the information we hold is wrong, you can ask for it to be corrected.
Apart from simple factual information, (including name, date of birth and ethnicity), you may be asked to provide a statement about the correction you would like. This statement can be attached to your file.
If you wish to access another person's medical records, we need their consent before we can release the information to you.
Community guidelines for social media channels
How we use social media
We use social media to share health updates, health system information, feedback opportunities, new content from our channels, insights into our work and job vacancies, and other relevant content.
We can’t provide health advice on social media. Consult your GP or call Healthline on 0800 611 116 for health concerns. Dial 111 in emergencies.
If we perceive a risk of harm to someone, we may alert the Police or Netsafe. However, our accounts aren’t monitored 24/7 and aren’t for emergencies. If there’s immediate danger, call 111 or seek mental health services.
Comments and questions
We appreciate your feedback but can’t respond to all comments individually. Our accounts are monitored weekdays 9am-5pm and occasionally outside these hours.
We may share third-party content for informational purposes, without endorsing its accuracy. Following or liking a page doesn’t imply endorsement.
Our employees may participate in online forums. Their views are personal, even when they identify as our staff.
Our staff acting in an official capacity on social media will be responding through a Health New Zealand social media account, on behalf of the organisation. If an employee is speaking on their own social media account in an official capacity for Health New Zealand, they will make this clear in the content.
Enforcing community guidelines
Health New Zealand reserves the right to:
- decide what content we think is inappropriate
hide or remove inappropriate content
ban users from social media communities.
We may delete content which contains:
- racism, sexism, homophobia, or any other hate speech
- statements that might be defamatory
- confidential information (including personal details or health information)
- misinformation or disinformation
- spam or advertising
- offensive language, abusive language, or threats
- statements that are off-topic or derail the conversation
- nudity, pornography, or child abuse
- excessive violence
- content that is illegal, gives instructions on illegal activity, or encourages people to break the law.
If you find content on any of our accounts which breaks these guidelines, please tell us.
We may use comments and messages submitted to our social media pages for reporting, after removing names and other personal details. Email hnzsocialmedia@health.govt.nz if you have concerns or questions about our social media, or any of our content.
