Practice terms & conditions

Clarendon Street Veterinary Surgery Fees

Once an owner has requested the opinion of a member of the professional staff, a fee may be charged. All professional fees, medications and reception sales are subject to VAT at the current rate. Fee levels are determined by the time spent on the case, and in surgical cases, by the complexity of the surgery. Fees will also be applied in respect to certificates, drugs, materials, consumables and diets used. You are entitled to a detailed invoice for every consultation, surgical procedure or transaction with us.

Please note all telephone calls are recorded for training and monitoring purposes.

Methods of Payment

Clients are required to settle their account after each consultation, on discharge of a pet or on collection of drugs and food. Accounts may be settled by cash, cheque with current bankers card or debit/credit card (Mastercard, Visa, Solo, Electron, Maestro).

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, preferably before treatment starts.

Settlement Terms

Should an account not be settled within 14days, then a reminder will be sent. After 14days and further notice to you the client, overdue accounts will be referred to our Debt Collection Agency and further charges will be levied in respect of costs incurred in collecting the debt, such as production of reports, correspondence, court fees, attendance at court, phone calls etc. Any cheque returned by our bank as unpaid, any credit card payment not honoured and any cash tendered that is counterfeit will result in the original debt being restored to the original sum with further charges added in respect of bank charges and administrative costs.

Estimates of Costs

We will be pleased to provide a written estimate as to the probable cost of treatment upon request. Please remember that any estimate is approximate and for guidance only as an animals illness may not follow a conventional course. Should a situation arise where additional costs are necessary, for example after initial investigation or treatment, we will endeavour to seek discussion and the approval with the client in advance. Should we be unable to contact the client for any reason, we will act in the best interests of the animal.

Pet Insurance

Where an owner has elected to obtain insurance to assist in the payment of veterinary bills, special conditions pertain: Clarendon Street Vets have no knowledge of the basis, terms and conditions of provision of insurance for a pet. Clients must therefore take care to know and understand these clearly through discussion as required with their chosen insurance company.

Payment should be made in full to the clinic and the insurance company will attend to re-imbursing the client.

Emails

Treatment, results, pictures and instructions may be emailed by the veterinary surgeon to our clients. We would also like to email you our monthly news stories. This will be sent to the email address you provide. If you do not wish to receive these mailings please send us an email stating you wished to be removed from the mailing list.

Reminders

Reminders are provided as a complimentary service to our clients and as such Clarendon Street Vets cannot be held liable for any costs which may result from the failure of a client to receive any reminder.

Emergencies/Out of Hours Service

In the case of an emergency, please call us immediately. During out of hours or bank holidays, please contact our emergency cover provider: Vets24 on 0845 500 4247. A vet and a nurse are on duty at all times outside our normal working hours. Vets24 are based in Milton.

Re-examination and Repeat Prescription Policy

Medication may be used to treat patients for extended periods of time. In order to comply with legislation Clarendon Street Vets must be sure that the medication is safe, efficacious and appropriate for your pet. This responsibility can only be met by checking the patient at regular intervals to ensure, for example, no harm is occurring. Re examination of the patient may take place monthly, quarterly, six-monthly or annually, depending on the medication, the patient and the condition. This involves staff time for which a professional fee may be charged.

On request, the practice will provide a written prescription for any medication prescribed by the veterinary surgeon. A fee will be charged for the issue of written veterinary prescriptions. Written prescriptions will normally be for an average of 1 month’s supply (maximum of 3 month’s supply of drugs) but this may vary dependant on the nature of the condition. 24hrs notice is required to prepare a repeat prescription.

Ownership of Records, Radiographs

Your Pets clinical records, including radiographs, ultrasound scans and laboratory test results are the property of Clarendon Street Veterinary Surgery and will be retained by us. On request, copies, with a summary of the history, will be passed directly to another veterinary surgeon giving a second opinion. Radiographs and results of all other tests we have performed remain the property of Clarendon Street Veterinary Surgery, even though we have raised an invoice for undertaking and interpreting these procedures. The results will be passed directly to another veterinary surgeon if a second opinion is sought. Owners are encouraged to inform the practice of any changes in their circumstances so records are kept up to date. Clarendon Street Veterinary Surgery complies with GDPR.

Complaints and Standards

We hope you never have recourse to complain about the standards of service received from Clarendon Street Veterinary Surgery. However, if you feel that there is something you wish to complain about, please direct your comments, in writing, to info@clarendonstreetvets.co.uk or in person to either Patrick or Harriet.