Privacy Notice for Health Practitioners

SafeScript NSW is a software system that provides prescribers and pharmacists with real-time information about a patient’s prescription history for certain high-risk medicines (termed ‘monitored medicines’), so they can make safer clinical decisions at the point of care.

The system collects prescribing and dispensing information about monitored medicines via prescription exchange services (PES) that are already connected to most prescribing and dispensing systems.

SafeScript NSW is established under the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2008 and has been implemented by NSW Health as part of the national commitment to reducing harm associated with the misuse of high-risk medicines.

A prescriber or pharmacist is permitted to view a patient record in SafeScript NSW in the following circumstances:

  • when prescribing or supplying a monitored medicine to the patient

  • when reviewing the patient’s monitored medicine history as part of a patient consultation

  • when discussing the patient’s monitored medicine history with other registered health practitioners who are involved in the patient’s care.

More information about who is permitted to access and use SafeScript NSW is available on the SafeScript NSW website.

Information collected about a health practitioner and how it will be used

The collection of information about monitored medicines in SafeScript NSW is authorised under the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation and includes information contained in a prescription or dispensing record. Personal information collected in SafeScript NSW about health practitioners includes name, Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) registration number, healthcare identifier (where available), and practice/business details.

When a health practitioner views a patient’s medication history in SafeScript NSW, they may see the personal information of other health practitioners who have prescribed or dispensed medicines for that patient. In the patient’s record, they may also see information on health practitioners who have viewed the record.

Authorised officers of the NSW Ministry of Health have access to SafeScript NSW as part of their regulatory role in ensuring the safe supply of medicines in the community. The system provides the same information that the Ministry currently obtains from medical practice and pharmacy records to undertake health practitioner compliance activities.

Personal information of health practitioners held in SafeScript NSW may be used for administering and managing SafeScript NSW and the services associated with it.

Registering to use SafeScript NSW

The registration process for SafeScript NSW ensures that only eligible health practitioners access the system. Those eligible are medical practitioners, nurse practitioners, dentists and pharmacists registered with Ahpra. As part of the on-boarding process, you are asked to provide your date of birth – this assists in verifying your identity and confirming your status and details on the ‘Register of practitioners’ kept by Ahpra. Your date of birth is not stored in SafeScript NSW once this verification step is completed.

You are also asked to provide your email address and phone number. These details are used by the system to correspond with you, such as when you request a password reset or when there are important updates about SafeScript NSW. The details you provide are not made publicly available or displayed in SafeScript NSW.

Protecting your privacy

The Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation sets out how SafeScript NSW may be used and by whom. The Regulation includes a penalty for unauthorised access, use or disclosure of information held in SafeScript NSW.

SafeScript NSW is also subject to privacy legislation. In particular, personal information of health practitioners is protected by the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW) through the Information Protection Principles.

Amending information held in SafeScript NSW

Information in SafeScript NSW is collected from clinical information systems via prescription exchange services (PES). SafeScript NSW does not alter records sourced from PES. If you believe there is an error in a particular record in SafeScript NSW, an amendment can be made in the clinical information system that created the record and the record will be automatically updated in SafeScript NSW.

More information

For more information, visit the SafeScript NSW website or email your inquiry to safescript@health.nsw.gov.au