A peak body for carers in Canberra has expressed shock at alleged patient privacy breaches at a forensic mental health facility and has said their concerns were ignored in the lead-up to the incidents.
Carers ACT has described the alleged breaches from staff at Dhulwa as "unacceptable". The body has called on the government and health authorities to issue public statements acknowledging the deep impact this has had on people living with mental health issues and their carers.
"We firmly believe that trust in health professionals to respect privacy and dignity is central to the commitment to treatment and recovery in the mental health sector and sharing of confidential patient files without knowledge or consent is unacceptable," a statement said.
"It goes against our expectations of ethical, empathetic and caring behaviour."
Carers ACT said it was seeking a meeting with Minister for Mental Health Emma Davidson and Canberra Health Services chief executive Dave Peffer about the alleged breaches.
The organisation said the concerns of carers had been "routinely ignored" in the lead up to the incidents and the government needed to commit to rebuilding the trust that had been lost by working with peak bodies, carers and the people they care for.
"Only by taking accountability, being transparent and truly listening to the voices of carers and consumers can we ensure that our mental health care system is safe, effective and compassionate for all," the statement said.
Minister for Mental Health Emma Davidson unexpectedly revealed on Tuesday staff from the Dhulwa secure mental health unit were behind a leak of patient records to the nurses' union.
Health authorities have said 13 patients had their records released to the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation over a period of years.
One nurse has been sacked over the breaches and another two have been stood down, pending investigations.
The federation has argued the disclosures were lawful, with ACT branch secretary Matthew Daniel saying the union had a long standing relationship with Canberra Health Services around the lawful disclosure of personal information when nurses and midwives had specific concerns about patient safety.
The union pointed to an internal policy from Canberra Health Services which included this provision.
The union had previously been critical over the response from authorities to issues at Dhulwa and these concerns prompted an inquiry into the facility last year.
The independent inquiry found the standard of care at the facility was well below expectations, patient and treatment procedures were unclear and dysfunction among staff contributed to a toxic work culture.
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