Frequently asked questions

TestSafe gives registered healthcare professionals access to:

• Test results and reports ordered by clinicians in DHB facilities
• Community laboratory test results
  Note: tests done privately, e.g. for insurance are not included in CareConnect TestSafe
• Records on prescribed medications dispensed by Community Pharmacies
• Community Radiologists reports ‘copied to’ DHB clinicians or funded by the DHBs.
• Electronic Discharge Summaries written by clinician in DHB facilities
• A range of clinical documents written by clinicians in the DHB facilities including clinic letters and community notes
• Referrals letters sent by GPs to the DHB and the DHB clinical triage responses
• A list of all of your hospital appointments

TestSafe is a secure on-line database which is housed at Middlemore Hospital. It is operated by healthAlliance on behalf of the four northern region DHBs (Auckland, Counties Manukau , Waitemata, Northland).

Day to day, TestSafe is run by healthAlliance on behalf of northern region DHBs. To manage changes to TestSafe, including requests for information, a Governance Group, including senior clinicians and primary care representation is in place. The Governance Group ensures TestSafe is used for its intended purpose.

As it contains sensitive health data, TestSafe is subject to comprehensive privacy arrangements, click on the following link to view the overall Privacy Framework. Access is only possible via the high security ‘health network’ and not the internet.

Only Approved healthcare professionals are given access to the system. They are governed by their registration body, or employer (subject to the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003) including a code of practice concerning patient privacy and confidentiality.

For General Practice and Pharmacy users, the system performs a check when a patient’s record is accessed to see if there is known relationship with user’s organisation, i.e., if the patient is registered to the practice or has dispensings from the pharmacy. If no relationship between the patient and the user’s organisation is found, an exception record is created. User’s must provide reasons for exceptions and TestSafe administrators perform other ‘audit’ checks on these. For example, each month some of the exceptions are selected and the patient concerned contacted so they can confirm the situation.

DHB based staff are provided with access to TestSafe subject to strict controls in their employment contract, along with training in their obligations to patients. Staff are permitted to view a patient’s community based results only if they are currently under the care of the DHB. Access to results is audited by TestSafe and procedures are in place to identify any inappropriate activity. Any breaches of code of practice are treated seriously and may result in dismissal or a formal censure process by the relevant professional registration body.

If you have concerns over some (or all) of your information being available in TestSafe you can prevent it from being seen (see ‘How do I prevent information sharing’ below).

If you want a report on who has seen your TestSafe information, you can request this via the option ‘Who’s seen your info’ above, or by calling 0800 268 626 and requesting a report.

If you don’t wish other healthcare providers to see your information in TestSafe, you can stop the sharing of your information by:

• Phoning 0800 268 626
• Telling your community healthcare provider when tests are ordered
• Telling your community pharmacist when you get your prescription filled.

All access to view or report on the test result is removed from TestSafe.

For Community laboratory tests, the test orderer receives all the results back as happens currently.

If you choose to prevent access to your information your treatment may be delayed, for example while tests are repeated or pharmacists confirm what medications you have been dispensed previously.

Email your enquiry to TestSafe  or call 0800 268 626