View and download our organisational structure here

In March 2021, the Victorian Gender Equality Act 2020 came into effect. The Act promotes, encourages and facilitates the achievement of gender equality within Victorian communities and organisations. It introduces new responsibilities for certain Victorian employers to implement, monitor and report on progress towards achieving gender equality in their workplace.

The Latrobe Regional Hospital Gender Equality Working Group is pleased to share a recently developed action plan which will inform the next steps to creating an environment and culture where diversity and equality are embedded.

The action plan is the result of 12 months work behind the scenes, incorporating insights on matters relating to diversity and inclusion – both as it relates to gender, and more broadly within our workforce. The working group conducted a detailed workplace gender equality audit, drawing from a number of sources including de-identified workforce and payroll information, consultation with staff and unions and feedback gleaned through the 2021 People Matter Survey.

The findings of the audit were grouped into five strategic priorities for LRH:

• understanding the collective identity of our workforce
• providing flexibility in the workplace
• working towards pay equity
• equitable recruitment and career development
• building an inclusive culture.

The action plan drills down on each of these pillars and makes a firm and positive commitment towards achieving greater gender equality in the workplace. It’s an exciting piece of work, and one that offers diverse and interesting opportunities for staff to get involved in further developing LRH as a workplace that both embraces and celebrates diversity and equality.

You can download the plan here

Latrobe Regional Health is committed to promoting and protecting the interests and safety of children. We have zero tolerance for child abuse.
Everyone working at Latrobe Regional Health is responsible for the care and protection of children, and for reporting information about child abuse.

Our systems and processes are designed to protect children from abuse. Our organisation will take all allegations and concerns about child safety seriously and will respond to them in a consistent and timely manner in line with our policies and procedures.

If any person believes that a child is in immediate danger from abuse, contact the Police on 000.

The Victorian Public Sector Commission has guidelines for giving and receiving gifts, benefits and hospitality.

Latrobe Regional Health’s policy and register for gifts, benefits and hospitality are available for public viewing.

Click here to download our Gifts, Benefits and Hospitality policy

Gifts, Benefits & Hospitality Register 2020-21

Gifts, Benefits & Hospitality Register 2019-20

Gifts, Benefits & Hospitality Register 2017-2019

What is Freedom of Information?

The Victorian Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 1982 gives you the right to request information held by government agencies including public hospitals and community health centres.

The Act gives you:

• the right to access documents about your personal affairs, including Medical Records and the activities of government agencies
• the right to request that incorrect or misleading information held by an agency about you be amended or removed.

Latrobe Regional Health is an agency under the FOI Act.

How can I access information held by Latrobe Regional Health?

Requests for patient information can be emailed to:
foi@lrh.com.au
or in writing to:
The Freedom of Information Officer
Latrobe Regional Hospital
PO Box 424
Traralgon Vic 3844

FOI applications must:

• be in writing – not verbal
• clearly describe the documents you are requesting access to
• include the application fee or evidence that you qualify to have the application fee waived
• be made to the agency that holds the documents you are seeking.

You can make a request yourself or you can authorise another person (for example, a solicitor) to make a request on your behalf. If you want someone to make a request on your behalf for your personal information, you must give them your written authorisation. In the case of requesting information relating to a deceased person, the consent of the person’s most senior next of kin who is of or above the age of 18 years is required. Proof of this relationship is required.

There is a LRH application form for requests for information.

Is there a cost involved when accessing documents?

There are two costs associated with making a FOI request – an application fee and access charges.

These charges are set by government regulations.

Application fee:
There is a standard non-refundable application fee of $30.10 (effective from July 2021).
Access charges:

An access charge is applied under the Act for processing your request. Access charges are applied according to the nature of the request and could include:

• search fees – $22.50 per hour
• photocopying – 20 cents per page
• providing written transcripts of a recorded document – $20 per hour
• supervising an inspection of documents – $5 per quarter hour

Can an application fee be waived?
The application fee can be waived if payment is likely to cause you hardship. If you wish to make a claim to have the fee waived you must provide evidence that you receive social security benefits eg: a current social security benefits or health benefits card.

Processing FOI requests
The Freedom of Information Act 1982 stipulates all FOI requests shall be completed within 45 days of the Health Information Unit receiving the completed request form and payment. Latrobe Regional Hospital provides an equitable service to all applicants, regardless of their financial resources. All FOI requests are treated in strictest confidence, as per the LRH Confidentiality Policy.
Requests requiring interpretation of, or opinion on medical records or reports will be referred to the Chief Medical Officer for separate consideration.

The following factors are taken into consideration when prioritising your request:

• date your request becomes valid
• the size of your request
• the availability of the assessing Chief Medical Officer
• the time taken to search for your documents.

If your request is declined, LRH is obliged to notify you within 45 days of the date your request was received. If you are not satisfied with this decision you are entitled to contact the LRH Consumer Liaison Coordinator on 5173 8530 to discuss your concerns.

Correction of personal records
Every person has the right to request the correction or amendment of personal information held by LRH which they believe is inaccurate, incomplete, out of date, or misleading. If there is information in your records which is incorrect or you do not agree with complete a request for it to be corrected, include in your request details of why the information is considered incorrect. Please note that you may be required to provide evidence to support your request.

Mail the completed amendment request to:
The Freedom of Information Officer
Latrobe Regional Health
PO Box 424
Traralgon Vic 3844

Latrobe Regional Health shall notify the applicant of the decision within 30 days on which the request is received.

Further information

Contact the LRH Health Information Unit on 5173 8844.

You can also access more information on Freedom of Information from:

Freedom of Information Act
Victorian Government Freedom of Information website
Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal
Victorian Ombudsman