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"Concern about confidentiality"

About: Kalgoorlie Health Campus / Paediatric Service

(as a parent/guardian),

8 months ago when attending an appointment at the Peadiatric visiting specialist clinic at the Kalgoorlie Health Campus for my child I received a pathology form for them. Once I got home, I realised the name and address on the barcode sticker was of a different child. I returned the form to reception, explained the issue and the lady fixed it for me promptly.

Recently I returned to the same clinic for my other child and received a form to fill out and return. When I sat down to fill out the form, I realised that the name and address on the barcode sticker belonged to a different child again. I can understand a one off mistake, but for it to have happened twice with two separate children, I am now concerned for the lack of care given to the confidentiality of my children, aswell as those children whom I have incorrectly received information of. I am also highly concerned about how many times this must happen, how many people may not notice and how easily children's medical care could seemingly be compromised.

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Responses

Response from Dulcie Pahewa, A/Business Manager Operations, Kalgoorlie Health Campus, WACHS Goldfields 2 weeks ago
Dulcie Pahewa
A/Business Manager Operations, Kalgoorlie Health Campus,
WACHS Goldfields

This position supports the Director Kalgoorlie Health Campus by leading the operational delivery of business management, corporate governance, patient information, administration, and hospital support services to enable the achievement of Kalgoorlie Health Campus and WA Country Health Service performance objectives, along with national targets for services in the Goldfields.

Submitted on 10/08/2026 at 4:16 PM
Published on Care Opinion Australia at 4:35 PM


Hi stonesw45

It is with regret that we have received your Care Opinion regarding concerns about confidentiality.

I have reached out to the leads responsible for this area to understand how this incident occurred. While it is unfortunate that this happened once, to have occurred a second time is unacceptable. Please be assured that we take this matter extremely seriously, and I share your concern.

We will be reviewing our current practices and processes to identify how these breaches occurred and, more importantly, implement measures to prevent this from happening again. We will also review our staff onboarding and training processes and reinforce the importance of thoroughly checking that all information relates to the correct patient/client before any communication is sent.

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us improve the quality, safety, and confidentiality of our services.

If you would like to discuss this matter further, please do not hesitate to contact me. Dulcie.Pahewa@health.wa.gov.au or via (08) 9080 5817

Kind regards,

Dulcie Pahewa
A/Operations Manager
Kalgoorlie Health Campus

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