Referral Privacy and Who Can See Your Information

What Information a Referral Contains

A referral is not your full medical record. It contains the specific, clinically relevant information your GP determines the specialist needs to understand why you have been referred and what to assess: generally your details, the reason for referral, relevant history, and your GP's own details. It does not automatically include everything ever discussed in your consultations with Prime Medic, only what is relevant to the reason for that specific referral. It also does not typically restate how long referrals stay valid, since that is covered separately based on your specific referral type rather than repeated on every document. For what a referral includes in more practical detail, see the pillar page's breakdown of what you will actually see on the document itself.

Who Can Access It

Your referral is sent to the specialist or practice it was addressed to, and is used by them and relevant staff involved in your care at that practice to prepare for and manage your appointment. It is not shared more broadly than that without your consent. Your referring GP retains a copy as part of your Prime Medic record, and any correspondence sent back from the specialist, such as a summary letter, similarly stays between your GP and the treating parties involved in your care, rather than being disclosed elsewhere or used for any other purpose.

Your Consent Rights

Under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles, you have rights over how your health information is collected, used and disclosed. In the context of a referral, this generally means your information is shared for the referral itself and for arranging and managing your specialist care, rather than for other unrelated purposes. If you have concerns about how your information has been handled, or want to understand your rights in more detail, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner is the relevant authority for privacy matters in Australia. Their site sets out these rights in full, including how to make a complaint if you believe your information has been mishandled.

How Your Information Is Protected

Prime Medic handles referral information the same way it handles other clinical records, with the same privacy and security standards applied consistently across the platform. This includes how information is transmitted electronically to specialists and how staff store and access records for legitimate clinical purposes. These principles apply equally whether your record relates to a referral, a medical certificate, or a prescription, since the same privacy framework covers all your health information with Prime Medic, not just referrals.

If You Change Your Mind About a Referral

If you decide not to proceed with a referral after it has been issued, whether you choose a different specialist, decide not to pursue that avenue at all, or simply change your mind, that is entirely your choice to make. Your referral information remains part of your Prime Medic record either way. Still, it is not automatically forwarded to anyone or used for any purpose beyond what it was originally issued for.

How Long Referral Information Is Kept

Your referral, like the rest of your Prime Medic health record, is retained in line with standard medical record-keeping requirements in Australia, which generally require health information to be kept for a minimum period rather than deleted immediately after use. This is routine clinical record-keeping, not specific to referrals, and it protects continuity of care if you need the information later, such as when you need to explain your referral history to a new provider.

How Electronic Referrals Travel

A referral issued electronically is generally sent through secure clinical messaging or delivered to you directly, rather than through ordinary unsecured channels. When you receive a copy yourself, it is your document to keep and share with the specialist you choose, and how you share it from there is your decision. The same care applies as with any other personal health document: forwarding it to the specialist's practice is appropriate; posting a photo of it publicly or sending it to someone who does not need it is not.

Sharing Your Referral With Family or a Carer

Many patients have someone helping them manage appointments, whether a partner, an adult child, or a carer. You are free to share your own referral with the people supporting you. What changes is the direction of sharing: a practice generally will not discuss your referral or care with a family member unless you have given consent, even if that person usually makes your bookings. If someone regularly manages appointments on your behalf, telling the practice you consent to their involvement removes a lot of friction later.

Your Right to See Your Own Records

You generally have a right to access the health information a provider holds about you, including referral letters, subject to limited exceptions. If you want a copy of a referral issued to you, ask the practice that wrote it. Some referral and result information may also appear in your My Health Record if you have one, which is a separate national system with its own access controls, explained by the Australian Digital Health Agency.

If you believe information in your record is inaccurate, you can ask for it to be corrected. Practices are expected to take reasonable steps to keep health information accurate and up to date, and a factual error on a referral is worth fixing before it follows you into a specialist appointment.