Parkside Veterinary Group

Terms & Conditions

Thank you for entrusting the care and attention of your pet to Parkside Veterinary Group. This document details our Practice Terms and Conditions. Should you require any clarification of any aspect of the terms then please ask.

FEES

All fees, diets and drug charges are available on request and are subject to VAT at the current rate. Fees are determined by procedure, time spent on a case and according to drugs, consumables and materials used. A member of staff will be happy to discuss any queries you may have. You will be presented with an itemised bill for every consultation, surgical procedure or transaction with us at the time of payment. We prefer you to pay as you go and not allow an account to grow and we accept all major credit cards to facilitate this. Please pay at the time of consultation.

OWNERSHIP OF RECORDS

The care given to your pet may involve undertaking some specific investigations, for example taking radiographs. The ownership of the resulting radiographs and all other records will remain at all times with the practice as part of your complete and comprehensive records. Charges made for x-rays are for the physical taking of the radiographs as well as the interpretation of them. If required, we can arrange to have copies of x-rays made but this would be at your expense.
Radiographs and copies of all laboratory results, with a summary of the history will be passed on, by request, to another Veterinary Surgeon should the need arise. You may view your pet’s clinical notes on request by appointment only. Please note it is your responsibility to provide us with accurate contact details.

SETTLEMENT TERMS

Payment is due at the time of treatment or discharge unless alternative arrangements have been agreed in advance; should an account not be settled a reminder will be sent. Should it be necessary for further reminders to be sent, administration charges may be incurred. After due notice, unpaid accounts will be referred to our debt collectors and a handling charge of £35 will be added to all acounts referred. Other charges such as for the production of reports, correspondence, court fees, attendance at court and phone calls will be levied at appropriate times in respect of costs incurred in collecting the debt and this will be additionally billed to the client who has the debt. Any cheque or credit/debit card transaction not honoured or any cash tendered that is found to be counterfeit will result in the account being restored to the original sum with further charges (currently £15.00) added to cover bank charges and administrative costs together with interest on the principal sum.

INABILITY TO PAY

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 and before treatment takes place. Please note that instalments or part payment of any account may only be sanctioned with the express permission of a senior member of staff and must be agreed before treatment takes place. These are a maximum of three installments. Emergency treatment to alleviate suffering will always be given irrespective of ability to pay.

METHODS OF PAYMENT

Accounts are due for settlement at the end of the consultation, the discharge of your pet or upon collection of drugs and/or diet products. You may settle your accounts using cash, credit/debit cards or cheque with a valid cheque guarantee card up to the value on the card. The accounts of hospitalised cases should be paid up to date when the balance reaches £500.

ESTIMATES OF TREATMENT COSTS

We will provide you with a written estimate as to the probable cost of a course of treatment or surgical procedure if requested. Please bear in mind that any estimate given can only be approximate and additional costs which cannot be predicted at the outset may occur as treatment progresses. We will make every effort to discuss any such additional costs whenever possible.

PET HEALTH INSURANCE

Parkside Veterinary Group supports the principle of insuring your pet against illness and injury. It is your responsibility to determine your level of cover and to then reclaim any fees you have paid the practice. The bill is always your responsibility and liability for payment rests with the owner and not the Insurance company. It is also your responsibility to pay any excess and excess percentages that may be set according to your policy and to have knowledge of any condition exclusions. In certain instances when clients do not have the funds to make payment in full, arrangements can be made for your insurer to make their payment directly to us but this only applies to particular insurance companies and even then, only when sums involved are high enough and with the express permission of a Partner.

COMPLAINTS AND STANDARDS

We hope to ensure you never have reason to complain about the standards of service received from us. However if you feel that there is something you wish to raise, please direct your comments, preferably in writing, to the Practice Manager who is based at Kings Cross Road. An acknowledgement will be sent by return and then a period will elapse while the case is investigated and reports collated from those staff involved. A reply in writing will follow, usually within 14 days although the period may be longer if the General Manger or staff involved are temporarily unavailable or delayed. In the unlikely event of this not being resolved to your satisfaction, you have the right to report such a complaint to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, our governing body.

PHARMACEUTICALS

A. Prescriptions are available from this practice.
The current charge for a written prescription is displayed in our reception areas or you may ask a member of staff for this information.
You may obtain Prescription Only Medicines, Category V, (POM Vs) from your veterinary surgeon or ask for a prescription and obtain these medicines from another veterinary surgeon or a pharmacy.
Your veterinary surgeon may prescribe POM Vs only for animals under his or her 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 policy of this practice is to re-assess an animal requiring repeat prescriptions at least every 6 months, but this may vary with individual circumstances. The charge for this re-examination is our standard ongoing consultation.
Many flea and worm treatments can however be dispensed without examination according to their legal category.
Clients are requested to give 24 hours advance notice for repeat prescriptions.

B. We strongly advise the regular use of routine anti-parasitic medication. Some of these products are POM Vs and legally we are only able to dispense such products without the need of an examination when an animal has been examined by a Veterinary Surgeon in the last 6 months. We may therefore be required to examine your pet prior to dispensing. In order to assist our clients, when the patient is just examined for the purpose of dispensing routine anti-parasitic treatment there is no charge for a consultation. Should clinical matters or a skin condition for which treatment is necessary arise out of that examination then a consultation fee will be incurred at this time.

C. In accordance with the Medicines Act we must always use a veterinary licensed product. Should this not be the case we will then use veterinary products licensed for use in other species and failing that a human medical product. Any use of off-licence medication will be based upon our knowledge of its use in animals and an assessment made of the risks and benefits involved. This is particularly common in species other than dogs and cats for which few licensed products are available. You will be asked to sign a form stating that you are aware of this fact. Please speak to a veterinary surgeon if you have any concerns about this issue.

D. We will supply a written prescription upon request as an alternative to Parkside Veterinary Group dispensing drugs. There is a charge for this.

EMERGENCY COVER AND HOME VISITS

Outside of normal business hours, emergency cover is provided Vets Now and additional charges will apply.

Home visits are, if booked in advance, at an extra charge. In an emergency it is usually in the best interests of your pet to be seen at a surgery where facilities and a full range of drugs are available. It is not normally possible to carry out home visits outside normal working hours, though some are necessary in an emergency.

VACCINATION REMINDERS

Whilst we make every effort to send out reminders for annual vaccinations, the responsibility to keep them up to date remains with you. In particular, please be aware that PETS passports require rabies vaccination boosters so please keep a personal record of when this is due.
No addition or variation of these conditions will bind the practice unless it is specifically agreed in writing and signed by the Manager or a Partner. No agent or person employed by, or under contract with, the company has the authority to alter or vary these conditions.