Sparrow Neuropsychology · Vancouver

Privacy Policy

Sparrow Neuropsychology Inc.
Last updated: October 1, 2026

Sparrow Neuropsychology Inc. follows the standards of the College of Health and Care Professionals of British Columbia (CHCPBC) and British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), which sets out rules for how organizations collect, use and disclose personal information. Where personal information crosses provincial or national borders, Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) may also apply. This policy describes our general practices; your consent form explains how they apply to your assessment.

1. Accountability

We are responsible for personal information in our control, including information our service providers handle for us. Questions about our privacy practices may be directed to our Privacy Officer (contact details below).

2. Identifying purposes and limiting collection

We collect only what is reasonably necessary to provide our services, including:

  • Contact details (e.g., name, address, phone, email)
  • Health, medical, educational, and work history
  • Psychological test results, observations, and clinical notes
  • Records from others, such as a referring party, other health professionals, or someone who knows you well, with your consent or as the law allows
  • Billing and payment information
  • Information you provide through our online booking, intake, and message forms

We use this information to:

  • Provide assessment and related clinical services
  • Prepare clinical documentation and reports
  • Communicate with you and, with your consent, others involved in your care or assessment (for example, other care providers or a referring party)
  • Bill agreed-upon services that have been provided
  • Meet legal, regulatory, contractual, and insurance requirements

If a third party (for example, WorkSafeBC, an insurer, or a lawyer) requests or pays for your assessment, your consent form explains what we share with them and how they may use it.

We obtain consent before collecting, using, or disclosing personal information, except where permitted or required by law. Consent may be written, electronic, verbal, or implied, depending on the context and sensitivity.

Before an assessment begins, we review our consent form with you and record your consent, which may be done electronically. Depending on the type of assessment, the form may also offer optional choices, such as contacting someone who knows you, sending a copy of your report to someone you name, or our use of AI tools (section 7). You may say no to any optional choice.

You may withdraw consent at any time, on reasonable notice, unless withdrawal would frustrate a legal obligation. Withdrawal applies from that point forward; it does not undo anything already done or shared. We will explain any likely consequences, for example if a third party requested your assessment.

4. Limiting use, disclosure and retention

We use and disclose personal information only for the purposes listed above, unless you consent to another use or disclosure, or the law permits or requires it. Disclosures without consent are uncommon, and may occur where there is:

  • Risk of serious harm to self or others
  • Suspected abuse or neglect of a child or vulnerable adult
  • A legal requirement (e.g., a court order or subpoena), or a review of records by our regulator (CHCPBC)
  • A medical condition that affects safe driving, where the law requires a report
  • A law that gives an organization a right to certain information (e.g., WorkSafeBC, for a claim it manages)
  • A need to seek advice on our professional or legal obligations, for example from a lawyer or our professional liability insurer (without identifying you where possible)

Where it is safe and appropriate, we will talk with you first.

We keep records for the period the CHCPBC requires (currently at least 16 years after the last date of service, or until age 35 for clients who were under 19 at their last service), or longer if required by law. After that, we securely destroy them. If Dr. Benjamin retires or can no longer practise, records will be transferred to another regulated health professional, health organization, or records-management service, as the CHCPBC requires.

5. Accuracy

We make reasonable efforts to ensure personal information is accurate and complete. You may request corrections; if accepted, we will update our records and notify third parties who received the information in the past year. If a correction is not made, we will annotate the record with your request.

6. Safeguards

We use administrative, physical, and technological safeguards to protect personal information against unauthorized access, use, disclosure, copying, modification, or disposal. This includes:

  • Encryption and password protection on all devices, and multi-factor authentication on accounts
  • Encrypted cloud storage with reputable providers bound by contract
  • Encrypted backups
  • Secure options for confidential communication, such as encrypted email and a secure upload link
  • Access limited to those who need it. Anyone who assists us (for example, with scheduling or billing) sees only the information needed for their role and is bound by confidentiality.

Where information is stored. Client records and email are stored, encrypted, with reputable providers in Canada. Some services (for example, online booking and forms, appointment reminders, video visits, test administration and scoring, billing, and AI tools) may process or store information outside Canada, including in the United States, where it may be subject to local laws. We choose Canadian storage where available, share only the information each service needs, and give test platforms de-identified or minimal information. Where a referring party requires it (for example, WorkSafeBC), your information stays in Canada, with narrow exceptions such as processing payment. The services we use may change over time; these safeguards still apply.

Email and text. Regular email and text are convenient but less secure. For anything confidential, please reply to an encrypted email from us or use our secure upload link.

If a privacy breach occurs, we will act to contain it, and will notify affected individuals and regulators as required by law and professional standards.

7. Artificial intelligence (AI)

Some of our consent forms include an optional choice about AI note-taking. With your consent, we may use secure AI tools to transcribe and summarize appointments and to help draft notes, reports, and correspondence. These tools may process identifiable personal and health information. We use only business AI services that keep information confidential, do not use it to train AI models, and do not keep audio recordings.

AI tools do not diagnose or make decisions about you. Dr. Benjamin reviews all AI-assisted work, all clinical opinions are his, and AI-assisted notes become part of your record. If your consent form does not offer this choice, or you decline, AI tools are not used with your identifiable information. You may withdraw consent at any time without affecting your assessment; withdrawal applies from that point forward.

We may use AI tools for general tasks that do not involve your personal information without asking for consent.

8. Individual access

You have the right to request access to your personal information, information about how it has been used, and the names of individuals and organizations to whom it has been disclosed. Requests must be made in writing. We may require proof of identity and may charge a minimal fee (a fee estimate will be provided in advance). We respond within the time the law requires (currently 30 business days), unless an extension is permitted by law. Some information may be withheld where the law allows. To protect test security, raw test data and test materials are provided to a qualified professional of your choosing rather than to you directly. If a third party requested your assessment, you may also be able to obtain your report from them. If we refuse access, we will explain why and outline your options.

9. Openness and challenging compliance

You may contact our Privacy Officer with questions or complaints about our privacy practices. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC (www.oipc.bc.ca) or, where applicable, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (www.priv.gc.ca). Concerns about a psychologist’s professional conduct can be raised with the CHCPBC (www.chcpbc.org).

10. Website and cookies

We use Cloudflare Web Analytics to understand how our website is used and to improve its performance. This service does not use cookies and does not track or identify individual visitors. It collects only aggregate technical information — such as which pages are visited, general location (country), device and browser type, and referring website — and cannot be used to identify you personally.

You are not tracked across other websites, and no advertising or profiling cookies are used on this site.

Online booking, intake forms, and secure messaging linked from this website are provided by third-party services bound by contract. We choose services that store information in Canada where available (see section 6).

If we add other third-party tools in the future (such as additional analytics or social media integrations), we will ensure those providers comply with applicable privacy laws, use any information only for the stated purposes, and update this policy.

Contact

Privacy Officer:
Dr. Christopher Benjamin, PhD
Sparrow Neuropsychology Inc.
PO Box 199, 3381 Cambie St
Vancouver, BC V5Z 4R3
Phone: (236) 501-5099
Email: clinic@sparrow.clinic

BC Privacy Regulator: Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC
Federal Privacy Regulator: Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada