Thank you for entrusting the care and attention of your pet to Oak Barn Veterinary Centre LLP (Oak Barn Vets). Some aspects of the Terms may not be relevant to you and we request that you ask for further explanation /clarification if required.
Fees – All fees, diets and drug charges are subject to VAT at the current rate. Fee levels are determined by the time and skill level required on a case and according to the medicines, materials, consumables and diets used. Fees levels will also have a contribution towards general overhead costs. Any fee is available on request. A detailed itemised breakdown for every consultation is available on request. You are liable for any fees incurred in the diagnosis and treatment of your pet even if your pet is brought to us on your behalf by a relative, friend or agent.
Methods of Payment – Accounts are due for settlement at the end of the consultation, the discharge of your pet or upon collection of medicines/diets. You may settle the account using: Cash or a Credit/Debit Card – Switch, Solo, Mastercard, Visa and Delta, and in some cases relevant vouchers that are valid and in date.
Estimates of Treatment Costs – We will happily provide a printed/written estimate as to the probable costs of a course of treatment. Please bear in mind that any estimate given can only be approximate – often a pet’s illness will not follow a conventional course. We will try to contact you on the contact numbers you have given us if we believe the treatment costs are going to exceed the estimated costs however if you are not contactable we will treat your pet as is necessary for the prevention of pain or suffering.
Settlement Terms – Should an account not be settled within 14 days, then a reminder will be sent with an additional accounting fee in respect of the administrative costs incurred. Should it be necessary for further reminders to be sent, further charges will be incurred. These however, may be deducted if payment is made promptly. After due notice to you, the client, 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: such as production of reports, correspondence, courts fees, attendance at court, phone calls, home visits, etc. Any cheque 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 original account being restored to the original sum with further charges added in respect of bank charges and administration 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 as soon as possible with a member of staff. Please note that instalments or part-payments of any account may only be sanctioned with the express permission of one of the partners.
Responsible Pet Ownership and Pet Health Insurance – Oak Barn Vets believes in responsible pet ownership. This includes regular appropriate vaccinations, parasite control dependent on lifestyle and a permanent means of identification for your pet. Please ask us for advice on the best methods to achieve this. Oak Barn Vets strongly supports the principle of insuring your pet against unexpected illness or accidents. Under the regulations of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) we are authorised to promote and administer the claims of the insurance company PetPlan, exclusively: the practice does not receive commission for this. Please ask for details of Petplan insurance from any member of staff but be aware though that with any insurance company it is your responsibility to determine your level of cover and to then reclaim any fees you have paid the practice. It is also your responsibility to pay any excess 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 when sums involved are high enough. Please be aware that it is your responsibility to settle our account and then reclaim the fees from your insurance company.
Complaints and Standards – Oak Barn Vets is committed to providing an exceptional standard of service and care and are accredited by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. We realise, however, that things can go wrong and there may be occasions when you feel your expectations were not met. We hope that you will give us a chance to put things right. Most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise. So please do let us know if there is an issue. If your problem cannot be sorted out in this way, and you wish to make a formal complaint, we would like you to let us know in writing within 6 months. An acknowledgement letter will be sent once your formal complaint has been received. This will detail the name of the person handling your complaint and the estimated timeline for any investigation and response.
Ownership of Records – Case records including radiographs, photographs and similar documents are the property of, and will be retained by Oak Barn Vets. 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.
Ownership of Radiographs and Similar Imaging Records – 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 Oak Barn Veterinary Centre LLP.
Out of Hours Policy – Oak Barn Vets reserves the right to contract our 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.
Prescription Policy – Prescriptions are available from this practice. 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 pharmacy. Your veterinary surgeon may prescribe POM V’s 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 general policy of this practice is to re-assess every 6 months any animal that requires repeat prescriptions, but this frequency may increase, depending on the individual circumstances. Please ask at reception for the costs involved where we will happily give you an estimate.
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.
General – Oak Barn Vets may contact you either by letter, phone, text or electronic means in order to advise you of outstanding accounts, reminders of your pet’s preventative health care treatments and any marketing offers that might be of benefit to you or your pet. Please tell reception if you wish no contact to be made. However please be aware that this will remove the ability for us to send vaccination reminders.
No addition or variation of these conditions will bind the practice unless it is specifically agreed in writing and signed by one of the partners. No agent or person employed by or under contract with, the practice has the authority to alter or vary these conditions in any way.
