Requesting Health Statistics and Data

Data can be provided or accessed for project and research purposes.

 

Some health and aged care data is available publicly. Check if the data you need is available elsewhere before making a request.

 

The Department of Health (Health) will only consider requests for health data where all other possible providers have been tried.

 

Please see ‘Public Health and Aged Care Data’ for more information.

 

Health’s, health and aged care data, that is not available elsewhere, can be made available in two ways:

  1. Direct Data Access Requests
  2. Data Extract Requests

Direct Data Access Requests

Health is working towards being able to provide a service that will allow approved people (e.g. State and Territory governments, Universities) to be able to access and use approved data within Health’s IT environment to support approved health research.

 

This service is expected to become available in late 2018. Further information will be provided when the service is released.

 

Data Extract Requests

Health aims to ensure that privacy and confidentiality of data are preserved while supporting the use of data it holds.

 

Data linkage, also called data integration or record matching, is cost-effective and non-intrusive because it avoids the need to re-contact people whose information has already been collected.

 

If you want to link a health data extract with other data, contact the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

 

Please see Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), or email linkage@aihw.gov,au.

 

Once you have checked that the data you want is not available elsewhere, you can request data by filling in the Health Data Extract Initial Request form.

 

Please see ‘Health Data Extract Initial Request Form’:

 

PDF version: Health Data Extract Initial Request Form – PDF [size] KB

Word version: Health Data Extract Initial Request Form – Word 64 KB

 

Process

The process to respond to data extract requests is:

 

1. The information provided in the ‘Health Data Initial Request Form’ will be quickly assessed (approximately one week)

  • Where the request is likely to be refused, the request will be rejected with supporting reasons and an opportunity for you to supply additional supporting information
  • Where the request is likely to be approved, an additional follow-up form will be emailed to you, requesting more detailed information that will then go through Health’s detailed assessment

2. The time it takes for a detailed assessment can vary depending on the purpose of the request, and the type and complexity of the data required:

  • If the follow-up form is received by the first business day of the month, it will go to Health’s data request assessment panel during the same month
  • If approved, it takes approximately three weeks to process further governance stage
  • Once the governance stage is completed, the data extraction may take approximately 3 weeks, depending on the size and complexity of the extract
  • You may be contacted during the detailed assessment process for additional information
  • If your request involves complex or a customised extraction of data, you may be provided with an estimate of costs
  • Please see 'Cost Recovery for Statistics and Data Requests' below.

3. If your data extract request is approved:

  • You will be notified of your final approval
  • The request will be forwarded to a data extraction team
  • Health data extraction staff may contact you to confirm when the data will be available for extraction
  • Data extract instructions are provided to you, explaining how to log into the Health Data Portal and extract your data

4. You extract your data.

 

5. Data extracts are provided for a limited time period. When the time period nears its expiry, Health staff will contact you to discuss how the data extract will be destroyed.

 

Detailed Assessment

The release of Health statistics and data is governed by privacy, confidentiality and secrecy provisions in relevant legislation.

 

Assessment of your data request will include the following:

  • purpose – the request will support a specific research question or public benefit that can reasonably be expected to assist the improvement of the health or wellbeing of Australians
  • anonymity - anonymity checksto ensure the data requested cannot identify an individual or ‘entity’ where consent is not given
  • consent - any identified and identifiable information can only be provided with the valid consent of the identified people or ‘entities’for consent to be valid it must be free, informed, competent and current
  • privacy compliance - the release of data must be in accordance with the purpose for which it was collected

Cost Recovery for Statistics and Data Requests

The Commonwealth Government may charge a fee for requests for customised statistics and data.

 

Any amount charged is based on the requirements of your request.

 

Once the quote is accepted, we will extract the data in the agreed timeframes.

 

 

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