Privacy policy

1. Our commitment

Bayfern Home Care Inc. ("Bayfern") collects only the information we need, uses it only for the reasons we tell you, and protects it carefully. We have a Privacy Officer who is responsible for our compliance with this policy.

2. Laws we follow

We handle personal information in line with the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and, where it applies to us, New Brunswick's Personal Health Information Privacy and Access Act (PHIPAA). Where those laws set a higher standard than this policy, we follow the law.

3. What we collect

From people who contact us

• Name, phone number, email and preferred contact time.
• The community where care is needed and the kind of help you are looking for.
• Anything you choose to tell us in a message. Please do not send detailed medical information through the website.

From clients, with consent

• Contact details for the client, family members and substitute decision-makers.
• Health and care information needed to plan and deliver safe care, such as conditions, medications, mobility, routines, allergies and behaviour support plans.
• Visit notes written by caregivers, care plans and incident reports.
• Billing information and information about funding programs or insurance.

From job applicants and staff

• Resumes, references, certifications, and criminal record and vulnerable sector check results.
• Information needed for payroll, scheduling and legal requirements.

4. How we use information

• To respond to enquiries and arrange free care visits.
• To assess needs, write care plans, match caregivers and deliver care.
• To communicate with clients, families and, with consent, other members of the care team.
• To bill clients, insurers and funding programs.
• To recruit, screen, train and supervise caregivers.
• To improve the quality and safety of our services, and to meet legal and insurance obligations.

We do not sell, rent or trade personal information, and we do not use it for unrelated marketing.

5. Consent

We ask for consent before we collect, use or share personal information, except where the law allows or requires otherwise. If a client cannot give consent, we work with their substitute decision-maker. You may withdraw consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual limits. We will explain how withdrawing consent may affect our ability to provide care.

6. When we share information

We share only what is needed, and only:

• with the caregivers and coordinators involved in your care;
• with other members of your care team, such as your nurse, physician, the Extra-Mural Program or a Social Development case manager, with your consent;
• with funding programs or insurers, to arrange payment, with your consent;
• with service providers who help us run our business, such as scheduling, payroll and website hosting, under agreements that protect the information;
• where required or allowed by law, for example to report suspected abuse or neglect, to prevent serious harm, or in response to a court order.

Some of our service providers may store information outside New Brunswick or outside Canada, where it may be subject to the laws of those places.

7. Our website, cookies and forms

• No advertising or tracking cookies. This website does not use advertising cookies or third-party trackers.
• Your settings. If you change the text size or colour theme, your choice is saved in your own browser (local storage) so it is remembered. It is never sent to us. You can clear it in your browser settings at any time.
• Hosting. Our website host may keep standard server logs, such as IP address and pages visited, for security and reliability.
• Forms. Information you submit through our forms is processed and stored by our website host, Netlify, and sent to our team by email. It may be stored outside Canada.
• Maps. The map on our areas page is provided by OpenStreetMap, which may receive your IP address when the map loads.
• Email. We will only send you messages related to your enquiry, care or application. We do not add you to marketing lists without your express consent, in line with Canada's anti-spam legislation.

8. Safeguards

We protect information with physical, organisational and technical safeguards, including access limited to staff who need it, password-protected systems, confidentiality agreements signed by every employee, privacy training, and secure disposal of records. No method of storing or sending information is completely secure, so please use the phone for sensitive matters.

9. How long we keep information

• Client records: 7 years after care ends, or longer where the law requires.
• Enquiries that do not lead to care: up to 12 months.
• Job applications from people we do not hire: 12 months.

When information is no longer needed, we destroy it securely.

10. Privacy breaches

If personal information is lost, stolen or accessed without authorisation, we will act quickly to contain it, notify affected people where there is a real risk of significant harm, and report to the appropriate regulator as the law requires.

11. Your rights

You have the right to ask what information we hold about you, to see it, to ask for corrections, and to withdraw consent. Send a request to our Privacy Officer at info@bayfernhomecare.ca. We will respond within the time the law requires and may need to confirm your identity first. In limited cases the law allows or requires us to refuse access, and we will explain why.

12. Questions and complaints

Please contact our Privacy Officer first at info@bayfernhomecare.ca or (506) 926-0044. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact:

• Ombud New Brunswick, which oversees the Personal Health Information Privacy and Access Act, about personal health information.
• The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, which oversees PIPEDA, about other personal information.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. The date at the top of the page shows when it last changed. Significant changes affecting current clients will be shared with them directly.