Terms & Conditions - Pets

Our standard terms of business state that we require payment in full at the time of treatment. However, we understand that treatment of your pet may incur costs that you had not budgeted for. If you are struggling to settle an outstanding balance in full then please speak to one of our Client Care Team or Accounts team about our Carefree finance option. If you are unhappy with any aspect of your pet’s treatment then please speak to us about your concern. Please email enquiries to feedback@bishoptonvets.co.uk 

Terms and conditions

Our number one priority is the health and welfare of your pet. We have Practice policies that have been developed to give your pet optimum care whilst complying with the codes of practice from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, the Health and Safety Executive, Environmental Health and the Financial Services Authority.

Fees

In the absence of a pet NHS, we provide private healthcare, which is reliant on the fees paid by our clients to fund services, facilities, medicines and the expertise of our staff, which gives us the ability to offer your pets the best possible care. The ethos of the practice is to charge fairly, consistently and openly. We aim to provide a high level of patient and client care and place an emphasis on disease prevention.

All fees, food and medicines are subject to VAT and will be determined by the length of time spent on a patient, taking into account the medicines, materials and consumables used. We try to provide clients with accurate estimates of the cost of procedures beforehand, but these will only be approximate. We will always endeavour to keep you informed of any changes that may lead to additional costs, at the earliest opportunity. If finance is a concern, please discuss this with either the vet or speak to our Small Animal Accounts / Credit Control Team at the earliest possible time.

Our standard fees are as follows:

Consultation with a vet £50.16

There is an additional charge for out of hours treatment. Out of hours fees are charged based on what time you come in to see the vets, the vet on call will advise you of this.

For our registered* Bishopton Vets clients are out of hours fees are:

Out of hours fee  - 7.00am - 11.00pm registered clients £152.00 including consultation

Out of hours fee  - 11.00pm - 7.00am registered clients £185.00 including consultation

* If you are not registered with us our OOH fees may vary from above.

Payment

Payment is expected at the time of treatment or prior to the collection of your pet. We accept payment by cash, cheque, credit or debit card – Mastercard, Visa, Delta, Switch. Any cheques returned by our bank as unpaid, any credit card payment not honoured and any cash tendered found to be counterfeit will result in the account being restored to the original sum, with further charges added to cover our bank charges and administration costs. We reserve the right to refuse any treatment other than first aid to animals belonging to clients with long term outstanding accounts. Clients may be refused all treatment after appropriate notice has been given.

Insurance claim forms should be presented along with a £100 excess contribution for completion at the start of your pet’s treatment.

Microchipping

We strongly recommend that you have your pet microchipped in case of straying or loss. It is compulsory to microchip all dogs. Microchipping is free if you subscribe to our Lifetime Care Club. 

Ownership of records

All pet case records; diagnostic test results and interpretation and x-rays remain the property of Bishopton Veterinary Group LLP. Records can be copied and on request, forwarded to another veterinary surgeon taking over the case. We have controls in place to deal with personal details and client records in accordance with the Data Protection Act.

Complaints

We hope that you never feel the need to complain about the standard of service received from Bishopton Veterinary Group LLP. However, if you feel that there is something you wish to complain about, please email feedback@bishoptonvets.co.uk  and we will come back to you.

Prescription and dispensing policy

All the medication that our vets prescribe can be dispensed directly from our surgeries at the time of your appointment in accordance with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and Veterinary Medicines Directorate guidelines. All Prescription Only Medicines (POM-V) are dispensed with the authority of the vet treating your pet. Prices (including VAT) of any medication prescribed is available on request.

Written prescriptions for veterinary medications are available on request. These must be authorised by a vet and can only be issued to animals under their care. We charge £21.73 for a prescription and this covers the professional service of the vet in authorising appropriate medication, dosage advice and updating and maintaining the necessary pharmacy records for your pet.

For those pets on long-term medication, we have a repeat prescription service, which lets you re-order medication or written prescriptions over the phone. To comply with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons best practice guidelines, we must see your pet every six months (or more frequently if the specific medication requires it) for an examination and to ensure we carry out any diagnostic tests to monitor the efficacy and/or side effects of the drug. There are instances where flea and worm medication or POM-V medication used for preventative healthcare may also require your pet’s health to be checked six monthlies before it can be dispensed.

Medication posted to clients will be subject to a post and packing charge which will be payable when the medicines are ordered.

Feedback

We welcome your feedback on any of our services at any time, if you feel that any aspect of the Practice could be improved or we have exceeded your expectations, please ask reception for a feedback form or email feedback@bishoptonvets.co.uk

No changes to these terms and conditions will bind the Practice unless specifically agreed in writing and signed by the Principals. 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.