CESPHN Head Data Sharing and POLAR Licensing Agreement Renewal Update

CESPHN is progressing the renewal of the Head Data Sharing and POLAR Licensing Agreement with participating general practices across Central and Eastern Sydney.

Thank you to the practices that have already reviewed and signed their updated agreement.

The renewal program commenced on 1 October 2026 as part of a national review of data sharing agreements to ensure they reflect current privacy, governance and information security requirements while maintaining transparency with participating practices.

As a reminder, the updated agreement reinforces CESPHN’s commitment to protecting practice and patient information. CESPHN continues to receive and use only de-identified data, and practices retain ownership of their clinical data.

The revised agreement provides greater clarity about how de-identified data is collected, stored, governed and used, while strengthening transparency around privacy, security and data governance arrangements.

For practices that have not yet completed their renewal, updated agreements are being distributed via DocuSign and support remains available from CESPHN’s Digital Health team.

We encourage practices to review and complete the agreement as soon as possible to support a smooth transition and ensure ongoing participation in POLAR supported quality improvement activities.

Key reminders

• The updated agreement supports continued use of the POLAR clinical audit tool and JSON file submissions.
• There is no anticipated impact on day-to-day practice workflows.
• CESPHN will continue to receive and use de-identified data only.
• The renewal supports ongoing participation in quality improvement activities and assists eligible practices in meeting PIP QI data sharing requirements.
• The target date for completion of all agreement renewals is 30 November 2026.

If you have any questions about the agreement or renewal process, please contact your CESPHN Digital Health Officer or email digitalhealth@cesphn.com.au.