Terms and conditions

TERMS & CONDITIONS

This document details our Practice Terms and Conditions. By registering your pet/pets with the practice you agree that you have read and understood our conditions of business and agree to be bound by them, should you require any clarification of any aspect of the terms then please ask one of our team.

FEES

All fees, diets and drug charges are available on request and will be subject to VAT at the current rate. Fee levels are determined by the levels of expertise required, complexity and time spent on a case and according to drugs, consumables and materials used. A member of staff will be happy to discuss any queries you may have.

SETTLEMENT TERMS

Payment is due at the time of treatment or discharge unless alternative arrangements have been agreed in advance.  Should an account not be settled, we will ring to take payment. Failure to settle will lead to a reminder will be sent. After due notice, unpaid accounts will be referred to our debt collection agency and further charges, such as to produce reports, correspondence, court fees, attendance at court and phone calls will be levied in respect of costs incurred in collecting the debt. While it is our policy to co-operate with our clients whenever possible, if payment is not made in accordance with our terms, then debts will be escalated for further action and may include to the County Court to issue proceedings.  Any cheque or credit/debit card transaction not honoured or any cash tendered that is found to be counterfeit will result in the account being restored to the original sum with further charges added to cover bank charges and administrative costs.

If the debt is a business to business debt, then we will pursue payment of all charges and interest to which we are entitled under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 including our Administrative costs. If outstanding accounts are referred for legal proceedings the Court Fees and Legal Costs will also be claimed.

We may refer overdue accounts to our debt collection agency.

INABILITY TO PAY

If for any reason, you are unable to settle your account as specified, we ask you to discuss the matter with a member of staff, as soon as possible and before treatment takes place. Please note that instalments or part payment of any account may be sanctioned with the express permission of a director, but any such arrangement must be agreed before treatment takes place.  Emergency treatment to alleviate suffering will always be given irrespective of ability to pay.

METHODS OF PAYMENT

Accounts are due for settlement at the end of the consultation, the discharge of your pet or upon collection of drugs and/or diets. You may settle your accounts using cash or credit/debit cards. Card payments can be taken over the phone for your convenience. 

ESTIMATES OF TREATMENT COSTS

Any estimate given can only be approximate and additional costs which cannot be predicted at the outset may occur as treatments progresses. We will make every reasonable effort to discuss any such additional costs wherever possible.  Written estimates are valid for one month and as they are estimates only, they may not reflect the final costs incurred. 

PET HEALTH INSURANCE

Vet Well Soon Limited strongly supports the principle of insuring your pet against unexpected illness and accidents. Please ask for details about insurance from any member of staff but be aware though that with any insurance company it is your responsibility to determine your level of cover and then to reclaim any fees you have paid the practice. 

We accept direct insurance claims at the discretion of our directors. A direct insurance claim is one where you do not pay us the full amount, just the excess and fees not covered by your insurance policy; rather we claim the money directly from the insurance company. We require a full clinical history for your pet and your insurance policy details in advance of any direct insurance claim. If all or any part of the insurance claim is not paid by your insurance company for any reason you will be liable for the outstanding balance.

VACCINATION REMINDERS

Whilst we make every reasonable effort to send out reminders for annual vaccinations, the responsibility to keep them up to date remains with you. Please be aware that PETS passports require rabies vaccination boosters so please keep a personal record of when this is due.

HOME VISITS

In an emergency, it is usually in the best interest of your pet to be seen at the surgery where facilities and a full range of drugs are available. We will endeavour to offer a home visit service as soon as practically possible, but please understand that this may not be on the same day. We carry portable card machines and payment is expected at the time of treatment. If you wish to pay in cash, please note we don’t carry change with us to house visits. 

PHARMACEUTICALS

Prescriptions are available from the practice. The current charge for a written prescription is £20. You may obtain Prescription Only Medicines, Category V, (POMVs) from your veterinary surgeon or ask for a prescription and obtain these medicines from another veterinary surgeon or a pharmacy. Your veterinary surgeon may prescribe POMVs only for animals under his or her care. A prescription may not be appropriate if your animal is an in-patient or immediate treatment is necessary. You will be informed, on request, of the price of any medicine that may be prescribed for your animal. The policy of this practice is to re-assess an animal requiring prescriptions every three months, but this may vary with individual circumstances. The charge for this re-examination is our reduced consultation fee (£38). Flea and worm treatments can however be dispensed without examination as part of a health plan agreed at the annual health assessment. Clients are requested to give 48 hours’ notice for repeat prescriptions..

In accordance with the Medicines Act we will always use a veterinary licenced product. Should this not be available we will then use veterinary products licenced for use in other species and failing that a human medical product. Any use of off-licence medication will be based upon or knowledge of its use in animals and an assessment made of the risk and benefits involved. This is particularly common in species other than dogs and cats for which few licenced products are available. Please speak to a veterinary surgeon if you have any concerns about this issue.

EMERGENCY COVER

We offer a 24/7 on-call service. Please ring the normal practice number (01246 280 288) to speak to the on-call veterinary surgeon.

OWNERSHIP OF RECORDS

The care given to your pet may involve making some specific investigations, for example taking radiographs or performing ultrasound or MRI scans. Case records including x-rays, ultrasound or MRI scans are the property of, and shall be retained by, us. Copies with a summary of the history of any patient can be passed to another veterinary surgeon taking over a case, on written request to us and upon settlement in full of all sums due to us in respect of such patient’s treatment by us. Please note it is your responsibility to provide us with accurate contact details.

COMPLAINTS AND STANDARDS

We hope you will never have cause to complain about our staff or services. If you have a complaint, we will try and resolve this over the phone of face-to-face initially. If this proves futile or we need time to investigate, then we request a written letter of complaint to be addressed to our directors. We endeavour to respond to every complaint within 28 days, but on occasion this will be delayed by any internal investigations. We will always keep you updated of the complaint progression and discuss outcomes.

VARIATIONS IN TERMS AND CONDITIONS OR BUSINESS

No addition or variation of these conditions will bind the Practice unless specifically agreed in writing by the partners. Additionally, no agent or person employed by or under contract with the Practice has the authority to alter or vary these terms and conditions in any way.

POLICY FOR OVERNIGHT CARE ON INPATIENTS

We are not a manned 24/7 hospital, so do not routinely have staff present overnight. Should a pet need overnight care, the level required will be discussed with the vet managing the case. If an animal stays overnight, we will make a hospitalisation plan with the owner, but all pets needing 24/7 monitoring will be offered this care at an external provider.