My Health Record - opt out trial

From Jim Simpson, Senior Advocate at NSW Council on Intellectual Disability, 1 March 2016:

Since 2012, people around Australia have been able to create an electronic health record on a Commonwealth database. The record is then available to treating health professionals. This system is obviously very valuable for people with intellectual disability who often have trouble recalling and giving a medical history. This system now has a new name - My Health Record ...  ... The government is conducting an “opt out” trial in two areas-Nepean Blue Mountains Primary Health Network and Northern Queensland Primary Health Network. During March, people living in these areas will get a letter from the Australian Department of Health saying that a My Health Record will be set up for you unless you say they don't want one. Then, from July, doctors and other healthcare providers will be able to look at all of your record unless you have set "access controls" on the record.  Many people with intellectual disability who receive the letter from the government will find it hard to understand. Families and others can then support the person to understand and decide about whether they want to opt out of the system or set controls on who can access their records and which records can be accessed ... read the full text of the blog post, or listen to the audio file, on the NSW CID blog, here