Whitehouse Veterinary Clinic Terms and Conditions Visiting the vet All consultations are by appointment only. If it is a revisit appointment you are making, please tell the receptionist which vet you would like to see, and which animal(s) you are bringing for treatment. When you visit the clinic, please bring your pet in a carrier or on a leash. This will prevent any incidents with other animals that may also be in the waiting area. Should you have any questions about your upcoming visit or procedure, please do not hesitate to call us on 02871262596, email us on whitehouse.vc@btconnect.com or contact via our website on www.whitehouseveterinaryclinicni.co.uk Missed Appointments We reserve the right to charge a fee for appointments that are made and not attended. At Whitehouse Veterinary Clinic we often see pets coming from other clinics for second opinions, emergencies, and people visiting or new to the area. If you bring records from your previous practice or provide us with contact details, we will be happy to request this for you. You may also have your records faxed to us on 028 71264494 (04871) from ROI, or e-mail at whitehouse.vc@btconnect.com we will also be happy to contact your previous clinic for you to have the appropriate records transferred to our clinic. Emergency Procedures and Arrivals Your pet will be triaged and assessed on arrival. Life threatening conditions will receive priority treatment. Emergency Treatment Plans If your pet is in a life threatening condition and requires immediate care you will be asked to sign a consent form this will allow the vet to begin immediate treatment. The vet will speak to you as soon as your pets status is stable. At that time the vet will give you advice plan, which will include further testing, and treatment. Treatment Plans If your pet is not in a critical condition the vet will explain what treatments or tests they recommend and you will be presented with an approximate quotation of the treatment plan of those treatments and tests for your approval. Once you have been advised with a treatment plan for treatments and/or tests you will be asked to approve the cost and sign a consent form. Estimates of Treatment Costs The vet will provide an estimate as to probable costs of a course of treatment. Please bear in mind that any estimate given can only be approximate as each case is individual and will receive the appropriate treatment. Please let the veterinary
surgeon in charge of the case know if costs are a major concern or if you have a budget before the treatment begins. If you have financial concerns, we will work with you on a treatment plan that will best help your pet, while taking into consideration your finances. We accept Visa, Master card, American Express, debit cards, cheques and cash. It is possible to make regular payments in advance of treatment or a procedure if you wish to build up a credit balance. If your pet must be hospitalised you will be asked to leave a deposit of 60% of the high end of the estimate. The balance will be paid at the time you pick up your pet. Fees All professional fees, food, merchandise and drug charges are subject to VAT at the current rate of 20% rate. Fee levels are determined by the time spent on a case and according to the drugs, materials, consumables, diets and equipment used. Prices for consultations and routine procedures are available on request. You will receive on request a detailed invoice and receipt for every transaction with us. Settlement Terms Bills are due for settlement at the end of each consultation, on the discharge of your pet after surgery or upon collection of drugs or diets. We cannot offer credit facilities. Should a bill remain outstanding, administration and account charges will be levied following our correspondence. After due notice to you, 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. Any cheques returned by our bank as unpaid, any credit card payment not honoured and any cash tendered that is found to be counterfeit will result in the account being restored to the original sum with further charges added in respect of bank fees and administration costs. House Calls We are happy to make house calls (an additional charge will be incurred) if requested. The vet may require you to bring the pet into the clinic for further treatment after or on the day of the house visit. However, if your pet is seen at the practice we have better resources to hand with which to make a full examination and administer treatment. Patient Updates You may call the clinic at any time to get an update on your pet. The nurse s cannot discuss diagnosis; prognosis or test results specifically, but will be happy to talk to you about how your pet is doing in the hospital. If at any time your pets condition deteriorates, you will be contacted immediately by a vet. Please leave all your contact phone numbers with the office staff, prioritise the contact numbers in the order you want us to call you. Visiting your pet in the clinic
You are welcome to visit your pet while hospitalised, during busy times you may have to wait until we can bring you into the treatment area. If your pet is stable enough, we will allow you to visit in a consultation room. We ask you limit your visits to 15-30 minutes as treatments of our other patients may be delayed while you are visiting. Discharge Information When your pet is ready to go home, you will receive a typed detailed discharge letter and an invoice. The invoice will cover why your pet was here, what diagnostics were performed, what treatments were given and what medication they received and the discharge letter will provide discharge instructions and aftercare. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask any staff member, if we cannot answer your question the vet will be available to answer them. Questions and Concerns Our clinic is open Monday through Friday from 9am 7pm. We open on Saturday from 9am 5pm. Please call if you have any questions or concerns after discharge. If you think your pet should be seen again and, do not hesitate to return to the clinic during our business hours or in the case of an emergency call our out of hours service on 02871262596. Pet Health Insurance We strongly recommend the principle of insuring your pet against unexpected illness or accident. Please be aware that it is your responsibility to settle your bill and then reclaim the fees from your insurance provider. Occasionally we may agree to claim fees directly from your insurance company subject to prior agreement from your Veterinary Surgeon and the production of supporting documentation as per our Practice Insurance Protocol. Please be aware that you remain liable for the bill and any dispute regarding insurance payments, exclusions or late payments is between you and your insurance provider. By law we are unable to intervene beyond providing details of treatment, costs and our professional opinion. Prescriptions Prescriptions are available from this practice, for which a fee will apply. You may obtain Prescription Only Medicines, (POM Vs) from us or you may ask for a prescription and obtain these medicines from another Veterinary Surgeon or a Pharmacy. Your Veterinary Surgeon may prescribe POM-V prescriptions only for animals under their care. The Veterinary Surgeon may only prescribe the minimum amount of product needed for the treatment course. A prescription may not be appropriate if immediate treatment is necessary. You will be informed, on request, the price of any medicine that may be prescribed for your animal. Practice Policy is that animals requiring repeat prescriptions must be examined by a Veterinary Surgeon every three (3) months; this may vary with individual circumstances at the vet s discretion. A consultation fee will be charged. Further information on the prices of medicines is available on request.
Repeat Prescriptions The general policy of this practice is to re-assess an animal requiring repeat prescriptions every 6 months, but this may vary with individual circumstances. Ownership of Radiographs and Similar Records The care given to your animal may involve making some specific investigations, for example taking radiographs or performing ultrasound scans. Even though we make a charge for carrying out these investigations and interpreting their results, ownership of the resulting record, for example a radiograph remains with the practice. Complaints & Standards We hope that you never have reason to complain about the standards of service received from Whitehouse Veterinary Clinic. However, if you feel that there is something you wish to complain about, please direct your comments in writing to the Practice Manager. Data Protection We are registered under the Data Protection Act of 1998 to keep your personal information for accounting and record purposes. We will not divulge your details to other agencies except for debt collection purposes. We will use the data that we have on file to contact you with the information beneficial to your animals health, for example vaccination reminders, drug recall information, other products which may be relevant and newsletters. If you DO NOT want us to send you such information please advise the Practice Manager in writing. Thank You We appreciate the fact you have chosen to bring your pet to the Whitehouse & Claudy Veterinary Clinic. We will do everything possible to make your pets time at the clinic as comfortable and as pleasant as possible. We treat all pets as though they were our own. We understand the stresses you are feeling so if there is anything we can do to help you or your family at this time, please ask. Feel free to call with any questions, concerns or comments. Your feedback is greatly appreciated We reserve the right to alter these terms and conditions at any time. SURGERY HOURS
Whitehouse Veterinary Clinic Opening Times Weekdays 9am 10am & 4pm to 7pm (By appointment only) Saturday 9am to 10am & 2pm 3pm (By appointment only) Sunday Emergencies only by appointment Claudy Veterinary Clinic Opening Times Weekdays 9am to 6pm (By appointment only) Saturday 9am to 5pm (By appointment only) Sunday Emergencies only by appointment We operate a 24-hour service, out of normal hours your call will be answered and a member of our veterinary team will arrange to see you at the practice if considered necessary.