Introduction
First of all we must thank you for entrusting the care of your pet to Rase Veterinary Centre and Aldervale Vets. Whilst under our care, we will endeavour to take all reasonable care, offer you appropriate advice, and treat your pet to the best of our ability.
Our commitment to you
We aim to provide you with a cost-effective veterinary service for your animals. We provide your pets with a high standard of treatment and care, based on current knowledge and modern therapies.
Office Hours
Our ‘office hours’ for the care and treatment of pets vary from surgery to surgery but can be viewed on our website at www.raseveterinarycentre.com and www.rasevets.com Our surgery hours are of course subject to change during bank holidays. Appointments are generally required and can be made on the surgery telephone numbers. We kindly ask that if an appointment made is no longer suitable or required that you provide us with some notice of cancellation.
Emergency 24 Hour Service
We offer a 24 hour emergency service for our clients that covers all species. The practice always has at least six of its own veterinary surgeons on call. They can be contacted via the usual practice telephone number, which will be answered by our own staff. They respond as soon as they can; which means as soon as the case in hand has been dealt with. Out of hours calls of all types will involve additional charges.
Disabled access
In order to accommodate our disabled clients we have disabled access at most of our practices. If you are concerned or require additional assistance for any reason, please advise the receptionist at the time of booking and we will be more than happy to accommodate any reasonable requests.
Car parking
Cars and trailers parked on practice premises are parked entirely at the owners’ risk. The practice takes no responsibility for damage to, or theft from, parked vehicles; or for any injury caused by vehicles to persons or patients whilst they are using the car park.
Ownership of Records
Case records, x-rays, laboratory reports and similar documents are the property of, and will be retained by, Rase Veterinary Centre / Aldervale Vets. Although a charge will be made for carrying out the investigations and interpreting the results, ownership of the resulting records e.g. radiography or ultrasound scans remain with the practice. On request, copies of records with a summary of the clinical details for your pet, will be passed to another Veterinary Surgeon. In order to support an insurance claim, or as part of the procedure to obtain insurance cover, copies of records will be passed to an insurance company or their representatives.
Reminders
We send reminders to clients advising that vaccinations, dental check ups etc are due. Our reminder system works well, but we must remind clients that it is the responsibility to ensure that their pets are vaccinated at the correct time lies with the owners. We now offer the option of postal, email or sms reminders.
Use of Client Data
We may contact clients by letter, telephone, or electronic means to advise of outstanding accounts, vaccinations becoming due, client evenings and other marketing offers. If you do not wish to receive information from the practice, please advise either the reception staff, or the accounts department. We do not pass on clients personal details to third parties for marketing purposes without the clients prior consent.
Fees
All fees, consumables and medicine charges are subject to VAT at the current rate. Fee levels are determined by the time spent on a case, the type and quantity of the medicines used, and the materials used. A detailed invoice is provided for every consultation, procedure or transaction and pre-treatment estimates can also be provided on request. Basic structure consist of 1) Consult Fee 2) Procedure fee (if attending for operation or further investigation) 3) Additional drugs and pharmaceuticals (if necessary) 4) Laboratory workups (if necessary)
Estimates of Treatment Costs
As far as possible we will try to provide realistic estimates of costs at the start of treatment. Please be aware that the estimate can only be approximate, as it can be difficult on occasion to predict the final cost when the problem is found to be more complicated as the treatment evolves or the treatment does not respond as one would hope. We will do our best to contact you should we believe that costs are likely to significantly increase above the original estimate. Firm quotations for work to be done can be given on request. These ‘quotes’ will be made on the basis of ‘worst case scenario’ costs. The quote will not be exceeded, unless the work performed changes substantially. You will be informed of this before it does. The charge made at the end of treatment may in fact be less than the original quotation.
Settlement Terms
Invoices are expected to be settled either at the time of treatment, or when the patient is collected from the surgery. Prescriptions for medicines and other items are to be paid for either at the time of ordering, or at the time of collection. Exceptions to this would be if there is in existence already a small animal account, or an ongoing insurance claim.
Methods of Payment
All payments are due at the time of treatment. The account may be settled using the following: Cards: We prefer payment by card, either in person, or over the telephone. The following cards are acceptable: – Switch, Solo, Delta, Diners Club, Mastercard or Visa. We are unable to accept American Express cards. Cash: This must be delivered in person to the surgery. BACS (Bank Automated Credit Service), with an email notification requesting your client reference number prior to payment from our accounts department at accounts@rasevets.com.
Debt Collection
The practice reserves the right to send unpaid accounts to outside collection agencies and/or to the County Court. Should these outside agencies be used, the cost of collection will be carried by the debtor. Unpaid accounts will be sent for collection after a period of three months from the date of completion of the work, unless good reasons for non-payment have been produced. Information regarding non-payment of accounts, or a perceived inability or reluctance to pay, may be shared with other veterinary practices and credit reference agencies.
CCTV
For both training and security purposes, the practice reserves the right to record and store, for an indefinite period, video and sound recordings of the reception and examination areas at the practice premises. The practice confirms that in the cause of security and animal welfare, activities in the car park and stable areas are also recorded and images stored. In some areas, CCTV cameras are monitored via the internet; and in some areas monitoring occurs on the premises.
Second Opinions and Referrals
Although we have the facilities and knowledge to deal with most cases and issues, there are occasions where a pet would benefit from a referral to a centre with specific expertise in certain treatment areas. We have good relationships with a number of referral centres and are happy to assist with providing information and liaising with them to ensure the most positive outcome.
Photographs
Photographs may be taken, and video-recordings made, of patients; and those images may be used as an aid to diagnose, for submission to referral centres, and for educational and training purposes. These images may be published online, within literature, journals and periodicals, but no owners’ names will be published. If you wish such images not to be used in this way, please advise at the time of booking in.
Complaints and Feedback
We are always pleased to receive feedback on the service we provide. Whilst we hope that our service does not give cause for complaint, we realise that there may be occasions when it is felt that the treatment or general care could have been different, and expectations could have been better met. In case of complaint, please call your local branch and ask to be transferred to the customer support department. If we are informed of the problem promptly, often we can resolve the issue immediately with the persons concerned.