Requesting medical records

In British Columbia, you have a legal right to obtain copies of your own medical records from any hospital, clinic, or health authority that holds them. This page explains how to request them — including direct contact numbers for the major BC hospitals — and, if you are preparing for a neuropsychological assessment at Sparrow, how to have records sent to us.

What records to request

For a neuropsychological assessment, the records most useful to gather are:

• Your referring clinician’s reports
• Neurologist or specialist records
• Reports or notes from a psychologist or therapist
• Reports or notes from a psychiatrist
• MRI, CT, or EEG results
• Previous neuropsychological or psychoeducational testing results
• Hospital discharge summaries

How to request your records

Records are held by the hospital, clinic, family physician, or specialist who created them. You request them by contacting that provider directly. Most BC hospitals have a Health Information or Release of Information office; family physicians and private clinics handle requests themselves.

You can ask the provider to send the records to you, to your referring clinician, or to a third party such as Sparrow Neuropsychology.

If you would like records sent to Sparrow, the contact details are:

Christopher Benjamin
Sparrow Neuropsychology Inc.
Fax: (236) 501-5099
Email: clinic@sparrow.clinic

If you prefer to send records by email and want the email to be encrypted end-to-end, either email and request a secure link or create and email from a free Proton address (automatically secure).

Online portals — view and download many BC records yourself

Many British Columbia residents can view, download, or share their own records through free provincial portals. These are usually the fastest first stop, especially for recent lab results, imaging reports, and immunizations.

• Health Gateway BC — the BC government portal. Covers immunizations, prescriptions, lab results, imaging reports, hospital visits, COVID-19 results, and more, for residents enrolled with BC’s Medical Services Plan.
• Access My Health — the Interior Health and Northern Health regional patient portal.
• LifeLabs Patient Portal — for lab tests performed at LifeLabs locations in BC.

BC hospitals — direct contacts for records requests

Use the table below to find the phone number and online records-request page for major hospitals across British Columbia, organised by health authority.

If your records are with a family physician or specialist

For records held by a family physician, specialist, or private clinic outside the hospital system, contact the office directly. Most clinics have a written records-request form and may charge a small administrative fee. Records are usually released within 30 days, in keeping with BC’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) for private-sector providers, and BC’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) for public-sector providers such as hospitals and health authorities.

Why bring records to a neuropsychological assessment

Bringing your records to a Sparrow assessment allows a more accurate evaluation by giving the clinician access to previous diagnoses, imaging findings, medication history, and any prior cognitive testing. This helps avoid duplicate testing where existing data are still valid, and provides the clinical context needed to interpret new test results.

See services for an outline of what an assessment involves, or book an introductory consultation to discuss whether assessment is right for you.