General Terms of Engagement
Thank you for entrusting the care and attention of your pet to Beech House Veterinary Centre Ltd
1. These terms
1.1. What these terms cover. These General Terms of Engagement are the terms and conditions on which we will agree to supply services to you (the Terms).
1.2. Why you should read them. Please read these Terms carefully before you use any services we provide. These Terms tell you who we are, how we will provide the services to you, how you and we may change or end these Terms, what to do if there is a problem and other important information. If you think that there is a mistake in these Terms, please contact us to discuss. By using any of our services, you agree to be bound by the Terms.
1.3. Our contract with you. Each time you engage us to provide services to you, you agree to be bound by these Terms.
2. As part of our Commitment to you as a registered client of Beech House Veterinary Centre Ltd, we:
2.1. make animal welfare our first consideration in seeking to provide the most appropriate attention for animals committed to our care
2.2. ensure that all animals under our care are treated humanely and with respect
2.3. promote responsible animal ownership
2.4. comply with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons' (RCVS) Code of Professional Conduct
2.5. maintain and continue to develop our professional knowledge and skills
2.6. foster and maintain a good relationship with all our clients, earning your trust, respecting your views and protecting client confidentiality
2.7. aim to keep you up to date about the health of your pet(s) by reminding you of important treatments or providing useful information by using SMS, Email & print
2.8. uphold the good reputation of the veterinary profession
2.9. ensure the integrity of veterinary certification
2.10. foster and endeavour to maintain good relationships with our professional colleagues
2.11. understand and comply with our legal obligations in relation to the prescription, safe-keeping and supply of veterinary medicinal products
2.12. familiarise ourselves with and observe the relevant legislation in relation to veterinary surgeons as individual members of the profession, employers, employees and business owners
2.13. respond fully and courteously to complaints and criticism (see Clause 11.2)
3. By providing veterinary services we agree to a contractual relationship under which we will:
3.1. ensure that clear written information is provided about practice arrangements, including the provision, initial cost and location of the out-of-hours emergency service and information on the care of in-patients
3.2. take all reasonable care in using our professional skills to treat patients
3.3. keep our skills and knowledge up to date
3.4. keep within our own areas of competence save for the requirement to provide emergency first aid
3.5. maintain clear, accurate and comprehensive case records and accounts
3.6. at all times aim to offer and explain a range of reasonable treatment options, including prognoses and possible side effects
3.7. aim to give realistic fee estimates based on treatment options
3.8. provide fully itemised accounts if requested
3.9. keep you informed of progress, and of any escalation in costs once treatment has started
3.10. obtain your informed consent to treatment unless delay would adversely affect your animal's welfare
3.11. ensure that all staff are properly trained and supervised where appropriate
3.12. ensure that you are made aware of any procedures to be performed by support staff who are not veterinary surgeons
3.13. comply with current Consumer Protection legislation, such as Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and other consumer protection legislation
3.14. recognise that you have freedom of choice
4. The professional/client relationship is one of mutual trust and respect, under which we will:
4.1. maintain client confidentiality
4.2. treat you with respect, and observe professional courtesies
4.3. avoid conflicts of interest
4.4. give due consideration to your concerns and wishes where these do not conflict with the patient's welfare
5. We ensure that all our professional activities are covered by professional indemnity insurance.
6. Continuing Professional Development
6.1. We guarantee that we continue our professional education by keeping up to date with the general developments in veterinary science, particularly in their area of professional activity and maintain a record of CPD undertaken as evidence of so doing.
6.2. We encourage and facilitate participation in CPD programmes. As part of this commitment, we close for staff training every Wednesday between 2pm and 4pm.
7. Ownership of Records
7.1 Case records including radiographs, photographs and similar documents are the property of, and will be retained by Beech House Veterinary Centre Ltd. Copies with a summary of the history can be passed on request to another veterinary surgeon taking over the case if needed upon your request.
8. Ownership of Radiographs and Similar Imaging Records
8.1 The care given to your pet 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, photograph or video, remains with Beech House Veterinary Centre Ltd.
9. Out of Hours Policy
9.1 Beech House Veterinary Centre Ltd reserves the right to contract its out of hours emergency and night care. This may mean sharing the out of hours with other vets in the area or utilising a third party provider to provide our statutory out of hours provision. Please ask at reception for further details or have a look at the Emergency Section on our website. Currently, we use North Surrey Veterinary Emergencies, 4 Park Road, East Molesey, Surrey, KT8 9LE
10. For Medicines that are prescribed or supplied by our veterinary surgeons, we:
10.1. follow the Cascade system determined by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate at all times but we may need to prescribe a medicine that is not specifically licensed due to the lack of a suitably licensed veterinary medicine
10.2. ensure you are able to obtain prescriptions, as appropriate but we as Veterinary Surgeons may prescribe a medicine of category Prescription Only Medicine, Veterinarian, [POM-V] only following a clinical assessment of an animal deemed to be under our care; a prescription may not be appropriate if the animal is an in-patient or immediate treatment is necessary
10.3. subject to any legal restrictions, ensure there is adequate provision of information on medicine prices.
10.4. provide the price of any relevant veterinary medicinal product stocked or sold, to you, or other legitimate enquirers, making reasonable requests; and if requested, inform you of the price of any medicine to be prescribed or dispensed.
10.5. where possible and relevant, inform you of the frequency and charges regarding further examinations of animals requiring repeat prescriptions.
10.6. provide you with an invoice that distinguishes the price of individual relevant veterinary medicinal products.
10.7. advise you that you may obtain relevant veterinary medicinal products from us, or you may ask for a prescription and obtain medicines from another veterinary surgeon or pharmacy. We would recommend if you are considering obtaining medicines from an online retailer to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate’s Accredited Internet Retailer Scheme (AIRS). We charge a fee for providing Written Prescriptions and comply with Prescription legislation. We advise you, by means of a prominently displayed sign (in the waiting room or other appropriate area), with reference to prescriptions being available:
“Prescriptions are available from this practice.
You may obtain relevant veterinary medicinal products from our Dispensary OR ask for a prescription and obtain these medicines from another veterinary surgeon or a pharmacy.
We may prescribe relevant veterinary medicinal products only following a clinical assessment of an animal under our 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 gap between checkups may vary, depending upon the veterinary medicinal product and the patient. The interval between prescription and the re-examination may vary from a few days to an absolute maximum of twelve months for Flea and Worm treatments, with the Practice’s general policy usually being a maximum of 3 months, depending upon the situation, for all other drugs.
We charge our Minimum Check Up Fee for a Re-examination for Repeat Prescriptions. This Minimum Check Up Fee is charged if the re-examination is on time, otherwise the normal Consultation Fee will apply. Please give at least 2 working days notice so that we can have them ready for collection. Further information on the prices of medicines is available on request.”
10.8. we are happy to accept unused medications back into the practice for disposal only. However as drugs which have left the premises are no longer fit for resale, no refund can be given. Drugs purchased from any other supplier will not be accepted for disposal.
11. Your Commitment to us as a registered client of Beech House Veterinary Centre Ltd:
11.1. Communication
Please ensure you keep us informed of all of your current contact details and any changes, as they occur. We aim to keep you informed & in touch and presently use post, SMS text and email but our commitment to the environment means we would prefer to use text & email to keep you informed of urgent news, reminders and special offers. For further details on this and how we may use any data you share with us please see our Privacy Policy.
11.2. Client Satisfaction
a. Satisfying your requirements and expectations requires not only a professional approach on our part, but that we should be kept aware of any concerns that you have about our care and service. We therefore hope that you will raise any such concerns promptly and frankly, and indeed tell us of any suggestions to improve our services.
b. Any concerns or complaints you may have in relation to our services not resolved informally above, should be raised by writing to the Practice Manager. They will investigate the subject matter of the concern or complaint promptly, and attempt to resolve the issue to your and our mutual satisfaction.
c. If such a resolution cannot be achieved, or if the concern or complaint relates to the Practice Manager, you should contact the Practice Director, who is responsible for trying to resolve disagreements between the practice and clients. They will explain to you the procedure that they will follow to investigate the matter, and to try to resolve the issue in question.
d. If you remain dissatisfied after receiving the Practice Director’s report, the complaint or matter of concern can be referred to the RCVS, Belgravia House, 62-64 Horseferry Road, London, SW1P 2AF.
11.3. Payment of Fees
a. Fees are invoiced as the services are provided with payment due at this time (at the time of your appointment; your pet’s discharge from our hospital, or when any other services are performed). Fees are generally complete when your pet is discharged from hospital but some may be unknown and will therefore be invoiced at a later date. We do not provide credit.
b. We reserve the right to charge 2% interest each month on any outstanding amounts in addition to a £25 Administrative Fee for late payment
11.4. Missed Appointments
a. We ask most respectfully that you arrive on time for your appointments and if - for whatever reason - you cannot attend your appointment, that you contact us immediately, ideally giving us 24-hours notice. In this way, we may be able to re-book the appointment, so giving another pet with more pressing needs, an earlier opportunity to be seen. Unfortunately, if you fail to attend, or cancel only a couple of hours before your appointment, such cases will have been prevented from being seen at an earlier and more beneficial opportunity
b. Therefore, please don’t miss or cancel the appointment at the last minute; if you do, then please offer to pay the £10, or please do not be offended when we ask for £10. We feel that £10 is a small amount to charge in these circumstances
b. Therefore, please don’t miss or cancel the appointment at the last minute; if you do, then please offer to pay the £10, or please do not be offended when we ask for £10. We feel that £10 is a small amount to charge in these circumstances
Updated 21st June 2019