Privacy statement for the patient-reported measures survey programme

We collect personal information to send surveys. Responses help us understand:

• what is working well in New Zealand’s health services
• how the quality of health care can be improved.

Any information provided by Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora (Health NZ) will also be covered by the Health NZ privacy statement.

Read the Health NZ privacy statement.

 The Privacy Act 2020 and the Health Information Privacy Code 2020 protect the privacy, security and confidentiality of personal and health information.

• The Privacy Act 2020
• Health Information Privacy Code 2020

People who have recently received health care or support services may be invited to take part in a patient or client experience survey. We collect personal information so we can send out surveys that ask about:

• people's experiences of the care received from health care providers
• people's experiences of support services received from home and community support service providers.

When enrolling with a health or support service, people complete a consent form. Signing it shows consent for personal information to be shared with us for quality improvement, including surveys.

The survey results help health and support service providers see what went well and what could improve. The surveys also help us and Health NZ improve health services nationally.

We collect the minimum information needed to identify people who are eligible to receive a patient or client experience survey invitation.

Information is provided by:

• participating health and support service providers, including, public hospitals and home and community support service providers
• Health NZ’s National Enrolment Service database for primary care surveys.

Information shared includes:

• Name, National Health Index (NHI) number and contact details, such as email addresses and mobile phone numbers
• Health care facility or provider information
• Appointment, discharge or support dates (This information helps us identify people who are eligible to take part in a survey.)
• Details about the type of service received
• Demographic information, including gender, ethnicity, date of birth, district of domicile, deprivation quintile and community service card status.

Ipsos NZ sends survey invitations on behalf of providers, Health NZ and us.

You can ask for a copy of any personal information we receive about you and ask us to correct it if it is wrong.

To request a copy of any personal information being currently held:

• phone Ipsos NZ on 0800 121 650, Monday–Friday, 9am–4pm
• write to: Ipsos NZ, Level 5, 166 Featherston Street, Wellington 6011
• email:
  • survey@hqsc.govt.nz
  • support@myexperience.health.nz 

Notes

• Identifiable information is only held for a short time, during survey administration. Your personal information may have been deleted by the time you request it.
• To access, correct or update information held by a health care or support service provider, contact the relevant provider – they are responsible for maintaining those records.

Personal information for surveys is securely uploaded to a private Ipsos NZ data portal. Ipsos NZ sends invitations to people who received health care or support services during a specific timeframe.

Approximately 200,000 people each year provide feedback on their health care or support experience. Patient and client privacy and security is very important to us.

The Health Quality & Safety Commission Te Tāhū Hauora and Ipsos NZ keep personal information for up to 8 weeks, then securely destroy it and erase digital traces. Anonymous demographic information is kept for reporting.

We keep the personal information we hold safe by storing it in encrypted files and only allowing authorised people to access it.

We do not provide identifiable personal information to any other individual, company or government body, except where the law requires us to do so.

All results from the surveys are anonymised before they are shared in reports. (Anonymised means any information that might identify a person is removed.)

Survey results are available through interactive data explorers and national reports. Survey comments are shared anonymously only with consent.

Health providers participating in surveys access their own local data through the Ipsos NZ secure online portal. 

We do not publish information in any way that identifies individuals.

You have the right to:

• participate voluntarily – taking part in any of our surveys is a personal choice, with no pressure or expectation
• not answer any question that feels uncomfortable or unsafe
• access your information at any time
• correct your information at any time
• understand how and why we collect your information and what it will be used for
• complain if you feel your values, identity, culture and experiences are not being respected
• have your personal information kept private and protected.

Māori data

Our surveys may collect information that contributes to Māori data. We recognise Māori rights and interests in the collection, access, use, management, sharing, storage and interpretation of Māori data.

We handle Māori data respectfully, transparently and securely, using it only for the stated purpose.

We report carefully to uphold mana, prevent harm and support equitable outcomes.

Our use of Māori data is guided by Te Mana Raraunga Principles of Māori Data Sovereignty.

Access Te Mana Raraunga Principles of Māori Data Sovereignty

Taking part in any survey is a personal choice. You can choose not to participate, and it will not affect your future access to health or support services.

There is no obligation to respond to the invitation or to take part in an experience survey. Anyone can opt out of receiving future survey invitations, for example, by selecting the ‘opt-out’ button in the survey email.

Health professionals or support workers will not know who has taken part in a survey and will not see individual survey responses. Survey results are reported in a way that does not identify individuals.

Survey invitations are sent by email or SMS with a link to an online survey. Links are valid for 21 days.

Contact Ipsos NZ with any questions about the survey invitation on 0800 121 650 or at support@myexperience.health.nz.

The surveys ask questions about people’s experiences of:

• the care they received from health care providers
• support services received from home and community support service providers.

Surveys usually take 10–15 minutes and are completed online, so participants need internet access. The surveys are part of the Health NZ Sponsored Data initiative. This means people using Spark, Skinny, One NZ (Vodafone) or 2degrees mobile services can complete a survey without using mobile data.

Responses to survey questions are grouped together with those of all the other people who take part in the survey for reporting purposes. Individual responses cannot be identified.

• Find out more about how Ipsos NZ handles personal information at: Privacy & Data Protection | Ipsos.
• Privacy Impact Assessments explain how we manage privacy risks strengthen protections. They are available upon request.
• To ask us anything about the surveys:
  • phone the survey helpline on 0800 121 650 (9am–4pm Monday–Friday).
  • email:
    • support@myexperience.health.nz 
    • survey@hqsc.govt.nz