Frequently asked questions

Telstra Health is a standalone business unit of Telstra Corporation. Telstra Health has a strong record of delivering health solutions through the use of transformative technology.

The infrastructure platform that is part of the NCSR has been in use over the last 20 years and is proven to be robust, scalable and capable of supporting the collection, storage, analysis and reporting requirements of the NCSR.

The Australian Department of Health and Aged Care is the data custodian.

As custodian of the information, the Australian Government has control over the information, especially with respect to its use and disclosure. 

If you are eligible to participate in either the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program and/or the National Cervical Screening Program, the NCSR will collect information about you. Authority to collect, use, store and disclose this information is provided under the NCSR Act 2016.

The NCSR collects information including your name, address, contact details, date of birth, sex, Medicare number or Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) number and individual healthcare identifier. This helps us identify you, send screening invitations and reminders, and support clinical follow-up of abnormal screening results.

The NCSR may also collect information about you in relation to cervical and bowel screening, such as:

• your screening history, for example, the date of your last screening test
• details of screening test results
• other clinical information that relates to screening, including information on any clinical follow up or investigation you may have attended
• your HPV vaccination status (specific to cervical screening)
• Medicare claims information which may indicate whether you have undergone or should undergo screening
• diagnosis of cervical or bowel cancer, or pre-cursor to cervical or bowel cancer (if any)
• your Personal Representative (if you have one)
• your nominated healthcare provider for cervical and bowel screening (if you nominate one)
• any healthcare providers you may have seen or who have been involved with your cervical or bowel screening tests and follow-ups (i.e., GP, test collector, pathology laboratory, colposcopists, colonoscopists or other specialists)
• any requests you have made about your participation in the national bowel or cervical screening programs.

The NCSR also collects:

• your Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status
• information about country of birth, language spoken at home and whether you need an interpreter when communicating with us or program representatives
• information about any assistance you require due to a medical condition or disability.

If you are a Personal Representative:

• please read ‘you’  as including yourself and any actions you undertake on behalf of the individual that you represent
• the NCSR collects information about you to confirm your identity to ensure you can act on behalf of the person that you are representing.

If you are an individual healthcare provider:

To confirm your identity and allow you to access and report to the NCSR, we may also collect information about you from:

• individuals nominating you as their healthcare provider
• other healthcare providers (e.g., pathology laboratories and other specialists)
• the Department of Human Services
• the National Health Service Directory
• NASH Directory
• Endpoint Locator Service

state and territory health departments.

The NCSR collects your information from the following sources:

The NCSR uses and discloses your information for the following purposes:

No. In accordance with the National Cancer Screening Register Act 2016 and other relevant laws, data in the NCSR may only be used for the purposes of the NCSR. 

The Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care and Telstra Health takes your privacy very seriously and complies with strict security standards. Information is only collected, used and disclosed for the purposes of operating the NCSR, and as otherwise authorised by the Australian Government in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (including the Australian Privacy Principles) and the National Cancer Screening Register Act 2016. View the Privacy Policy for more information.

In addition to the legal requirements for protecting privacy, the NCSR operates in accordance with strict Australian Government security policies and guidelines. Only authorised personnel have access to information held in the NCSR and this is monitored for authentication credentials upon access.

Your information in the NCSR is stored within Australia in secure data storage facilities.

The NCSR Act provides the legislative framework to safeguard protected information in the NCSR by prohibiting its use and disclosure for purposes outside the requirements of operating the NCSR and by creating an offence arising from the unauthorised recording, use or disclosure of Personal Information contained in the NCSR. The legislation also requires notification to the Australian Information Commissioner if there is a data breach.

Telstra Health must comply with all legal and legislative requirements applicable to the processing of and access to health data. This includes the following Commonwealth Acts:

• Privacy Act 1988 and Australian Privacy Principles
• Archives Act 1983
• National Cancer Screening Register Act 2016 
• Healthcare Identifiers Act 2010

See also: 

• Privacy Policy

The NCSR only collects, uses and discloses information about individuals participating in the National Cervical Screening Program and National Bowel Cancer Screening Program for the purposes of the NCSR as authorised by the NCSR Act.

Sometimes, information might be sent from pathology laboratories or specialists about people who have made a request to not have their screening information stored in the NCSR. The NCSR will either not accept, delete, or securely destroy this information so that it is not stored in the NCSR.

Yes. If you have participated in bowel and cervical screening, you can manage your contact information and access your screening status through the Participant Portal or by calling our Contact Centre on 1800 627 701.

There are strict rules about who can access or use your personal information. Your information can only be accessed for purposes related to the NCSR, the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program and the National Cervical Screening Program, or for other purposes as authorised by law.

• You can ask for access to your Personal Information or request to correct it.
• If you have a Personal Representative (parent, guardian, trustee, power of attorney or nominated person), they will be authorised to access your Personal Information.
• As the data custodian for the NCSR, the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care is authorised to access your personal information but only for the purposes of the bowel and cervical screening programs.
• As the contracted service provider for the NCSR, Telstra Health is authorised to access and use your personal information but only for the purposes of the bowel and cervical screening programs.
• Healthcare providers (including pathology providers and specialists) can access your information for the purposes of providing you healthcare in relation to cervical or bowel screening.
• State and territory health departments can access your personal information in the NCSR to enable local program policy and service planning, monitoring and evaluation and to implement strategies to increase screening participation, access to follow-up services and maximise access of under-screened and never-screened groups.
• Professional disciplinary bodies, such as the Medical Board of Australia, child protection officers and law enforcement officers may be provided with access to your personal information where that access will enable or assist them to perform their functions.
• Other persons may be provided with access to your personal information for the purposes of court or tribunal proceedings or a coronial inquiry or in accordance with an order of a court, tribunal or coroner.

If you have any privacy concerns, please contact the Department of Health and Aged Care Privacy Contact Officer through the following:

• Phone: (02) 6289 1555 or freecall 1800 020 103
• Online: Online enquiries form 
• Email: enquiries@health.gov.au
• Post: Department of Health and Aged Care
  GPO Box 9848
  CANBERRA ACT 2601

You also have the option of contacting the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner through its website if you wish to make a privacy complaint against us or if you are not satisfied with how we have handled your complaint.

No, there is no fee to access your record.

The NCSR holds relevant information about people participating in bowel and cervical screening in one place.

The Participant Portal allows easy access to your screening information, including your last screening date and when you’re next due to screen, when you need it.

The Participant Portal is accessed via your myGov account. Visit our Participant Portal User Guide for more information.

You can use the Participant Portal to:

• View and update your demographic and personal details
• View your screening status
• Update your program demographic details and participation such as defer next screening and cease correspondence
• Nominate a healthcare provider (bowel and cervical program) or personal representative (bowel program) to assist you or receive reminders
• View previously sent program correspondence
• Choose how you would like to receive communications from the NCSR

You can still call the Contact Centre, the Participant Portal is just an additional option for contacting us.

Changing your formal name:

We obtain your name information from Medicare.

If you wish to change your legal name as recorded with Medicare, you will need to contact Medicare directly on 132 011 or visit servicesaustralia.gov.au.

Nominating a preferred or alternate name:

You may wish to have a preferred or alternate name (a name that you use regularly, such as a nickname or shortened version of your name) for the bowel or cervical screening program.

This name will appear on all screening program-related correspondence, notifications and contact made through the NCSR for the screening programs.

You can nominate a preferred or alternate name by using the Participant Portal, submitting a webform, or by calling us on 1800 627 701.

Nominating a pseudonym:

You may wish to have a pseudonym, which is an alias or fictitious name assumed for a particular purpose (for example, to protect your privacy) held in the NCSR..

This name will be used in place of your legal name for all letters, notifications and contact made through the NCSR for the bowel and cervical screening programs.

You can nominate a pseudonym by submitting a webform or by calling us on 1800 627 701.

For further information about pseudonyms, please refer to the Manage your participation page.

You can update your address held in the NCSR by updating your contact details in Medicare.

If your address has changed and you wish to change your primary address details as recorded with Medicare, you will need to contact Medicare directly on 132 011 or visit www.servicesaustralia.gov.au.

Alternatively, you can use the Participant Portal or call us on 1800 627 701 to provide an alternative address to be used by the NCSR only.

We obtain your date of birth details from Medicare.

If you wish to change your date of birth details as recorded with Medicare, you will need to contact Medicare directly on 132 011 or visit www.servicesaustralia.gov.au.

To help you stay on track with your screening, the Australian Government sends SMS reminders for the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program and National Cervical Screening Program.

If you would prefer to get reminders in the post, follow the instructions in the SMS or update your communication preferences in the Participant Portal.

SMS reminders for bowel or cervical screening will always come from HealthGovAu and will never contain a link or ask you to reply or send any information.

You can find more information about how to identify and avoid scams via the myGov and Services Australia websites.

Yes, you can select to be notified by SMS or email when you have a new message in the Participant Portal, reducing the amount of mail received.

To do this, log in to the Participant Portal and select the 'Communication Preference' tile.

If your details change in future, you can update them in the Participant Portal or call us on 1800 627 701.

If we are unable to deliver your notification via SMS or email, we will send a letter to your postal address instead.

Yes, you can go back to receiving letters in the mail by updating your communication preferences in the Participant Portal.

All participants in the supported screening programs can nominate a personal representative to act on their behalf in interactions with the NCSR.

A personal representative may be a family member, friend, medical practitioner, carer, guardian, or a person acting as power of attorney or under a health directive.

Visit Manage your participation for details on how to nominate a personal representative.

The NCSR is responsible for sending correspondence (invitation and reminder letters) on behalf of the screening programs to:

• eligible women and people with a cervix to screen for cervical cancer once they turn 25
• eligible people to screen for bowel cancer once they turn 50.

You will have received a letter because you are due or overdue for screening. For more information, contact your healthcare provider or the NCSR Contact Centre on 1800 627 701.

You can update your address held in the NCSR by updating your contact details in Medicare.

If your address has changed and you wish to change your primary address details as recorded with Medicare, you will need to contact Medicare directly on 132 011 or visit www.servicesaustralia.gov.au.

Alternatively, you can use the Participant Portal or call us on 1800 627 701 to provide an alternative address to be used by the NCSR only.

Please do not open any letters that are not addressed to you.

If you have received a letter that is for someone who does not live at your address, the advice from Australia Post is to:

• Write 'return to sender - unknown at this address' on the front of the envelope
• Place the item in a red street posting box or hand it to a staff member at any Post Office for return.

All cervical screening participants now have the choice to self-collect their own Cervical Screening Test sample. The self-collected sample is taken from the vagina and is checked for human papillomavirus (HPV) – a common infection that causes almost all cervical cancers.

If you are due for screening and decide collecting your own sample is the best option for you, your healthcare provider will give you a swab and instructions on how to collect your sample.

Self-collection is not suitable if you require a co-test (for example because you have symptoms or you are on the Test of Cure pathway).

Visit the Department of Health and Aged Care website for more information.

If you are aged between 50 and 74 and are eligible to screen you are sent a National Bowel Cancer Screening Program test kit every 2 years. If you have not received your kit you can call 1800 627 701 or you can order a free replacement kit.

Please ensure your Medicare address details are up to date by contacting Medicare directly on 132 011 or visit www.servicesaustralia.gov.au. If you have requested for alternative contact details to be used by the NCSR, you can check and update these via the Participant Portal or call us on 1800 627 701.

Change to eligible age for bowel screening:

From 1 July 2024, people aged 45 to 49 can join the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program. People aged 45 to 49 will be able to request their first free kit or talk with their doctor about getting a kit.

From 1 July 2024, people aged 45 to 49 can join the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP).

People aged 45 to 49, who are an Australian resident with an Australian mailing address will be able to request their first free bowel screening kit by submitting a webform or calling 1800 627 701.

You can also ask your doctor about getting a kit.

Your next test kit will automatically be mailed every 2 years after your last screening test is completed.

People with signs, symptoms, or a family history of bowel cancer, should talk with a doctor before screening with the NBCSP.

Find out more

The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) is a population-based screening program that offers screening to all people in a target population group for the purpose of detecting disease earlier and improving disease outcome.

The NBCSP’s target population is informed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) approved Clinical practice guidelines for the prevention, early detection, and management of colorectal cancer (Guidelines). In September 2023, the NHMRC approved updates to these Guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence, including appropriateness of screening age.

The Guidelines do not recommend a ‘one-size-fits-all’ population-scale approach to screening for people outside the age range of 45 to 74. Instead, clinical guidance recommends talking with your doctor about screening options.

Your doctor is best placed to explain the benefits and potential harms of bowel screening in context of your individual health situation. Your doctor may recommend bowel screening available via Medicare. Bowel screening kits are also available for purchase at pharmacies or online.

Find out more the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program

As part of the 2024-25 Budget, the Government announced from 1 July 2024, people aged 45 to 49 are eligible to participate in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP). This decision was taken after carefully considering the implications for the broader health system, including the benefits, costs and flow-on effects.

This means people aged 45 to 49 can join the NBCSP by requesting their first free bowel screening kit be mailed to them from 1 July. Their next test kit will automatically be mailed to them every 2 years after their last screening test is completed, consistent with existing program practice across all eligible ages.

People with signs, symptoms, or a family history of bowel cancer, should talk with a doctor before screening with the program.

Find out more

The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) is a population-based screening program that offers screening to all people in a target population group for the purpose of detecting disease earlier and improving disease outcome.

The NBCSP’s target population is informed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) approved Clinical practice guidelines for the prevention, early detection, and management of colorectal cancer (Guidelines).

In September 2023, the NHMRC approved updates to these Guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence, including as it relates to appropriateness of screening age. These updates included a recommendation to lower the screening age for population bowel cancer screening from 50 to 45.

The Government recently announced that from 1 July 2024, people aged 45 to 49 are eligible to participate in the NBCSP.

Find out more

If you have not received your last bowel or cervical screening test result we suggest you take the following action:

1. Call your nominated healthcare provider and ask if they have received your results
2. Check that your address and contact details are up-to-date. The NCSR obtains your primary contact details through Medicare which you can contact directly on 131 011. If you have requested for alternative contact details to be used by the NCSR, you can check and update these via the Participant Portal or call us on 1800 627 701.
3. Call the NCSR Contact Centre on 1800 627 701 to see if your last screening test results have been received.

The NCSR will not contact you once you have opted out. If you previously opted out of your local state or territory cervical screening program that referred to the Pap register, you might still receive invitations or other correspondence from us. This is because some of the former local state and territory registers de-identified personal information, so we will not know you have previously opted out. If this happens, you will need to request to opt out of the NCSR. For more information, see manage your participation.

You may choose to cease correspondence indefinitely or for a defined period.

This means we will continue to collect your screening test results and other screening information, but you will not receive any contact or reminders from us.

Your healthcare provider will still be able to access your screening information and will receive follow-up contact if required. 

You can do this using the Participant Portal, submitting a webform, or by calling us on 1800 627 701.

To defer your next screening date, you can:

• use the Participant Portal to defer your next screening date for either program
• complete a webform to defer your next bowel screening date
• complete a  webform to defer your next cervical screening date
• call the Contact Centre on 1800 627 701.

Please read important information about opting out of the NCSR.

If you previously opted out of the NCSR for bowel or cervical screening program, you can choose to resume participation at any time by using the Participant Portal or completing a resume participation webform.

You can also request your healthcare provider to opt you back in or call the Contact Centre on 1800 627 701.

We only collect screening test results that have been performed in Australia. If you have a screening test overseas, the NCSR will not get your result.

Please use the Participant Portal or call 1800 627 701 to update your record with information that you are going overseas.

Once your test has been processed by the pathology laboratory, the results will be sent to your nominated healthcare provider and the National Cancer Screening Register. Pathology test results will also be uploaded to My Health Record unless you have requested otherwise. For more information on how and when these results can be viewed in My Health Record, visit digitalhealth.gov.au.

BreastScreen Australia is a joint initiative of the Australian Government and state and territory governments. The Australian Government provides overall policy direction, and the program is delivered at the local level by state and territory governments.

BreastScreen Australia data is not included in the NCSR because each state and territory is responsible for recording and managing client information and for operational activities like issuing invitations and managing bookings.

You can contact BreastScreen Australia on 13 20 50 to connect to your nearest BreastScreen Australia service within your state or territory.

The NCSR collects your personal information for the purpose of inviting you to screen through the National Cervical Screening Program and National Bowel Cancer Screening Program and for recording your screening test results. The NCSR provides a follow-up service for people who have an abnormal screening result and requires your contact information for this purpose.

In order to keep your screening information safe, when you call the NCSR Contact Centre you will be asked to provide five points of identity. These can include:

1. First Name
2. Last Name
3. Date of birth
4. Address
5. Medicare Number or Individual Healthcare Identifier (IHI) or Register Reference Number (RRN) or Department of Veterans Affairs Number

The five-point identity verification check enables the Contact Centre operator to confirm they are speaking with the correct person who is authorised to accessyour screening information record, and also ensures that the correct record is being accessed.

Verification over the phone is secure and the NCSR Contact Centre staff must only use this information for the purposes permitted under Section 17(1) of the NCSR Act 2016 when accessing information about the person’s record, which they are authorised to do.

It is not compulsory for you to have your cervical or bowel screening results recorded in the NCSR. You can choose to opt out of the NCSR at any time or restrict how we interact with you.

If you chose to opt out, no future clinical information will be stored on your screening record and you will not receive any further correspondence from us. We will keep your personal information on file and flag it for the purpose of ensuring future screening information isn’t recorded against it. If you have a screening record that predates your request to opt out, access to this information will not be restricted.

Depending on your preference, you can make the following requests to the NCSR:

See manage your participation  for more information. Alternatively, you can call the Contact Centre on 1800 627 701 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm in all Australia state and territory timezones).

If you are eligible for bowel or cervical screening, the NCSR will send you an invitation to start screening, or a reminder of when your next screening is due.

You can use the Participant Portal to check your screening status and when you are next due to screen.

No. Telstra (including Telstra Health) are only permitted to use your personal information to support the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program and the National Cervical Screening Program.

For more information on privacy, please refer to the Privacy Policy.

More answers to frequently asked questions relating to the NCSR are available on the Department of Health and Aged Care’s website.

For more information on the Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principles, please refer to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner website.

You can access participant information relating to bowel and cervical screening by:

• registering access to the Healthcare Provider Portal,
• integrating your clinical software, or
• calling our Contact Centre on 1800 627 701.

You can also refer to our Quick Start Guide for Healthcare Providers.

The introduction of the  Healthcare Provider Portal provides an alternate channel for interacting with the NCSR to help improve user experience, reduce phone calls, paper forms and fax.

The Portal and clinical software integrations are designed to give healthcare professionals more choice in how they access and submit patient screening information to the NCSR.

Healthcare providers will be required to authenticate themselves through the creation of a PRODA account or be the delegate of a provider with a PRODA account, to then login to the web-based portal.

Provider Digital Access, commonly known as PRODA, is an online authentication system used to ensure sensitive information held by the NCSR is securely protected.

Non-registered healthcare professionals, without a Medicare Provider number, will need to apply for a PRODA account and then request to be a delegate of a health professional with a Medicare Provider number (likely the head clinician or equivalent).

For more information, visit our Healthcare Provider Portal page.

Each provider requires a PRODA account in order to verify your identity and subsequently gain access to the Healthcare Provider Portal.

The process will require you to:

• Create a unique username and password
• Create security questions and answers
• Provide information from identity documents, such as a passport, driver’s license or Medicare card.

Each person must keep their PRODA username and password secure and confidential.

Find out more about registering with PRODA.

By registering and logging into the Portal you can:

• Search for your patient and view their screening history and when they are next due to screen
• Submit a request on behalf of your patient, such as opt out, defer and cease correspondence
• Submit screening information about your patient, such as colonoscopy or colposcopy clinical forms
• Nominate other people to assist your patient, including another doctor or a personal representative (bowel program only)

More information on how to register is available in the Healthcare Provider Portal User Guide.

Eighteen months prior to the release of the Healthcare Provider Portal, the NCSR team worked closely with healthcare providers to gain feedback on the additional functionality and get a better understanding of how they interact with the screening programs to help us create an optimal user experience. We did this through enquiry sessions, design validation sessions, and User Experience testing with healthcare providers. We also worked with them to conduct external Clinician Verification Testing on the new functionality.

A pilot for the Healthcare Provider Portal ran throughout September 2020 with 30 healthcare providers who were provided with early access and encouraged to integrate portal usage into their existing ways of working when accessing or submitting data to the NCSR. The pilot was introduced to assess the user experience and to ensure the portal was operating as intended. Following the success of the pilot, the portal was accessible to all eligible users from October 2020.

The NCSR has developed a non-proprietary and standardised common interface (REST FHIR API 2.0) to integrate with clinical software vendors (excluding lab software).

The introduction of clinical software integration allows healthcare providers to access and report clinical data for the bowel and cervical screening programs seamlessly from the clinical software they use on a daily basis.

Find out more about clinical software integration.

Yes, you can continue to call the Contact Centre to communicate with the NCSR or manage your patient’s details and participation in the screening programs.

Yes. The Healthcare Provider Portal provides an online alternative to submit clinical information which aims to create efficiencies and improve data quality, however you can continue to send paper forms such as colonoscopy forms, adverse events forms and colposcopy forms.

Yes, we support a fax service.

Fax completed forms for abnormal results questionnaire, colposcopy and treatment forms to one of the following numbers:

• Cervical Screening Fax – 1800 627 702
• Bowel Screening Fax – 1800 115 062

Please include a separate cover letter with:

• additional information
• number of pages faxed (including cover sheet)
• your practice name
• your fax number.

You must fax each participant report individually for privacy of personal information.

You can access participant information relating to bowel and cervical screening by:

• registering access to the Healthcare Provider Portal, or
• calling our Contact Centre on 1800 627 701.

You can also refer to our Quick Start Guide for Healthcare Providers.

To access the NCSR web-based portal, Healthcare providers and pathologists are required to authenticate themselves through the creation of a PRODA account, or be the delegate of a provider with a PRODA account.

Provider Digital Access, commonly known as PRODA, is an online authentication system used to ensure sensitive information held by the NCSR is securely protected.

Non-registered healthcare professionals, without a Medicare Provider number, working in a laboratory (such as a triage scientists etc) will need to apply for a PRODA account and then request to be a delegate of a health professional with a Medicare Provider number (likely the pathologist).

For more information, visit our Accessing the NCSR page.

You can use the NCSR to:

• request and view screening histories
• submit HPV molecular, cytology and histology test results
• enquire about a person’s eligibility or screening status

The Healthcare Provider Portal enables you to view participant screening histories and next screening date online. More information on how to register is available in the Healthcare Provider Portal User Guide.

You must either connect your lab to the NCSR to submit test result electronically via HL7, or via fax. See below for more information.

Yes. If your laboratory does not have access to the Healthcare Provider Portal, you can call or fax the Contact Centre to make a request or send results as follows:

Phone:

1800 627 701 to speak to a member of our contact centre team.

Fax:

• Cervical Screening Fax – 1800 627 702
• Bowel Screening Fax – 1800 115 062

Please include a separate cover letter with:

• additional information
• number of pages faxed (including cover sheet)
• your practice name
• your fax number.

You must fax each participant report individually for privacy of personal information.

We use HL7 messaging to provide a fast and efficient service for cervical screening results/history requests and bowel screening results. Read more about HL7 messaging from HL7 Australia.

You can view charts and tables relating to HPV positivity rates page.