Managing User Access: Giving the Right People Access to the Right Information
| 5 Min Read |
Access Changes Over Time
Aged care and retirement living organisations rely on a range of staff to access sensitive resident, clinical and operational information every day. However, not every user needs access to the same information or system functions. What someone needs to access should depend on their role, responsibilities and the work they are required to perform.
The challenge is ensuring that access remains appropriate over time. Roles and responsibilities change, people move throughout an organisation, and access that was once necessary may no longer be required. Without effective management, unnecessary permissions can remain in place and gradually increase an organisation’s exposure to sensitive information.
Effective user access management is therefore about more than granting access. It means maintaining appropriate access throughout a user’s time with an organisation, while ensuring sensitive information remains available to the people who genuinely need it.
| Access should be intentional, not simply inherited over time.
At a Glance
Access should reflect individual roles
Users should have access to the information and system functions they need to perform their responsibilities, without unnecessary permissions.
Access needs change over time
When employees join, change roles or leave, their access should be updated to reflect their current responsibilities.
Limiting access helps reduce risk
Applying the principle of least privilege can reduce unnecessary exposure to sensitive information and limit the potential impact of compromised accounts.
Visibility supports stronger governance
Individual accounts, audit trails and activity records can help organisations understand who has accessed information and maintain greater accountability.
Where Access Becomes a Security Risk
User access is necessary for staff to perform their roles, but access that is excessive, outdated or poorly managed can create unnecessary security risks. As organisations and responsibilities change, permissions can easily accumulate or remain in place longer than they are needed.
Some of the most common access-related risks include:
1. 🗝️ Excessive Permissions
Users with access beyond what they need for their role may be able to view or manage unnecessary information. This increases exposure of sensitive data and can increase the potential impact if an account is compromised.
2. 🔀 Changing Roles
When employees move roles or take on different responsibilities, their access requirements change too. Adding new permissions without reviewing existing ones can result in unnecessary access accumulating over time.
3. 🚪 Departing Staff
When someone leaves an organisation, their access should leave with them. Accounts that remain active unnecessarily can create an avoidable pathway into systems and sensitive information.
4. 🎭 Shared Accounts
When multiple people use the same account, individual accountability is lost. It becomes much harder to determine who accessed information or performed a particular action.
5. ⏳ Outdated Access
Even without a formal role change, access requirements can evolve over time. Regularly reviewing permissions helps identify access that may once have been appropriate but is no longer required.
| Every unnecessary permission creates access that doesn’t need to exist.
The Principle of Least Privilege
One of the most important principles of effective access management is also one of the simplest: people should only have access to the information and system functions they need to perform their role. This is known as the principle of least privilege.
In an aged care organisation, different roles can have very different responsibilities. A care worker, clinical manager, administrator and finance team member may all use the same system, but that doesn’t mean they need access to the same information or functionality.
In practice, least privilege means:
- Role-based access
- Limited permissions
- Controlled access to sensitive information
- Access aligned with responsibilities
- Regular access reviews
By limiting unnecessary access, organisations can reduce the exposure of sensitive information and potentially limit the impact of a compromised account, while still ensuring staff have the access they need to perform their roles effectively.
Managing Access Throughout the User Lifecycle
User access shouldn’t remain static throughout someone’s time with an organisation. As people join, change roles and eventually leave, the systems and information they need access to will change with them.
The Joiner–Mover–Leaver (JML) model provides a useful framework for managing these changes throughout the user lifecycle. It focuses on ensuring access is appropriately granted, adjusted and removed as a person’s relationship with an organisation changes.
| 01
JOINER
Grant appropriate access
| 02
MOVER
Review and adjust access
| 03
LEAVER
Remove access promptly
Access Should Change When People Do
When someone joins an organisation, they should be given access based on what they need to perform their role. Starting with appropriate permissions helps prevent unnecessary access from being granted from day one.
When someone moves roles or takes on new responsibilities, existing permissions should be reviewed alongside any new access. Continually adding permissions without removing those no longer required can lead to access creep, where users gradually accumulate more access than they need.
When someone leaves, access should be removed promptly as part of the offboarding process, helping ensure accounts and permissions don’t remain active unnecessarily.
This is particularly important in healthcare environments, where staff may have access to sensitive patient and clinical information. Clinicians, contractors and administrative staff often require different levels of access, and those requirements can change as people move between roles, departments or facilities. The Joiner, Mover, Leaver (JML) model helps organisations manage these changes by ensuring access is granted, adjusted and removed at the appropriate stages of a person’s employment.
For aged care and retirement living providers, the principle is simple: access management should be an ongoing process that evolves alongside people, roles and responsibilities.
| Access must change when people do.
Visibility, Accountability and Audit Trails
Managing who can access information is only one part of effective access management. Organisations also need visibility into how users interact with information once access has been granted.
Individual user accounts and audit trails can provide a record of activity within a system, helping organisations understand who performed particular actions and when they occurred. This creates greater accountability while providing useful information when reviewing activity, investigating concerns or completing internal audits.
For aged care and retirement living providers, this visibility is particularly valuable when managing sensitive resident and operational information. Clear records of user activity can support stronger governance by providing organisations with greater oversight of how information is being accessed and managed.
Manage User Access with VCare
VCare supports organisations in putting these access management principles into practice, with controls that help manage who can access information and what they can do within the platform.
Alongside access controls, VCare provides audit trails and activity records that support greater visibility and accountability. Organisations can maintain a clearer record of user activity, helping strengthen internal oversight, governance and auditing processes.
Together, these capabilities support a more controlled approach to managing access to sensitive information throughout everyday operations.
Learn more about VCare’s approach to information security in our Security & Trust Centre
