Legal Enquiries and Release of Information
Legal Services is Western Health’s point of contact for all third-party requests for information, service of legal documents and other legal enquiries. If you are a patient or medical practitioner seeking medical records for continuing care, please refer to Accessing Information About Me.
Please contact Legal Services with the following requests, documents and enquiries:
- Writs, subpoenas, summons, search warrants and service of other legal documents or requests from courts and tribunals.
- Requests from law enforcement agencies (including Victoria Police), professional regulatory bodies, government departments (including Child Protection) and agencies.
- Notices to Produce (including AHPRA and VOCAT).
- Correspondence from the Health Complaints Commissioner (HCC) and Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC).
- Medical reports or medical questionnaires.
Legal Services accepts and prefers electronic service of documents to [email protected]. If personal service is required, Western Health’s address for service is:
The Proper Officer
Western Health
Legal Services
Level 4 West
160 Gordon Street
FOOTSCRAY VIC 3011
A patient’s archived hard copy medical record and/or radiology imagining (as applicable), will only be produced to the Court if specifically requested.
Charges are payable for Western Health’s reasonable expenses to comply with a subpoena or summons. The charges are:
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Historical hard copy records prior to 2011 (retrieval fee and cost of digitisation) | |
Radiology imaging (fees for USB and registered post) | |
Name: Western Health Operating Account
Reference: Legal Services (Patient UR) (Cost Centre R1702 Account No: 57051)
We accept payment by cash or cheque and may issue an invoice upon request.
Medical reports or questionnaires
Western Health clinicians are not obliged to prepare and provide medical opinion reports or to complete insurance questionnaires on request. These requests are not prioritised.
