Linkswood Equine Vets Limited, registered number 14158402.
Below are the terms of business set out upon which we will provide veterinary services.
Fees:
All fees and drugs are subject to VAT. All prices quoted are inclusive of the current rate of VAT. Professional fees are determined by the time spent on a case and will vary according to the drugs, resources, materials, and consumables used. We believe our prices are transparent, honest and competitive.
Payments:
It is our policy that payment is due in full at the time of consultation, this includes payment for emergency work and out of hours work. We also reserve the right to ask for payment in advance of the consultation or in advance of treatment. All outstanding accounts must be settled within 30 days of receiving an invoice. Payment outwith these terms must be agreed in writing by the Directors.
Payment can be made with cash, Visa, Solo, Delta or Mastercard. BACS may also be used upon confirmation with our accounts department.
Interest will be charged at a rate of 5% per month on invoices that remain unpaid after 1 month of the date of the invoice unless by prior agreement in writing with the Directors.
Any overdue invoices will be referred to a debt collection agency and any fees associated with the use of the debt agency will be added to the invoice and owed in full. Involvement of a debt collection agency may adversely affect your credit rating. We reserve the right to remove our services with non-payment of invoices.
Estimates of treatment costs:
We will happily provide a written estimate (not a quotation) as to the probable cost of a course of treatment using our practice management system. This estimate will be saved to your file and will be valid for 30 days. Any estimate given can only be approximate; often a horse’s illness will not follow a predictable or standard course. The size of your horse will affect drug dosages and these variable costs are hard to predetermine.
Insurance:
We strongly support the principle of insuring your horse against unexpected illness or accidents, although we cannot give any recommendations regarding individual insurance companies.
We charge an administration fee of £15 per claim for completion of insurance forms. The fee covers the professional time, letters and correspondence with the insurance company by our administration and veterinary staff.
It is standard policy for us to ask for payment of the excess of your policy in advance of treatment. In addition, if it is estimated that diagnostics or treatment costs will exceed £500, we may ask for a prepayment sum in advance- this may be the case with insured and uninsured cases. We will ask for a copy of the Insurance Certificate prior to starting work and submitting insurance claim forms so we may check for any exclusions on the policy.
Clients should be aware that we cannot guarantee that their insurance company will cover the costs of their animal’s treatment and they are therefore encouraged to contact the insurance company to verify the cover prior to treatment. If the insurance company subsequently refuses to cover the cost of any part of the invoice, this will be owed in full by the registered client and payment under our terms and conditions will apply.
Repeat prescriptions:
Linkswood Equine Vets clinic would like to make clients aware that they are able to obtain veterinary medicines (POM-V) from an alternative source with a written prescription.
There will be a fee for writing this prescription and a repeat consultation will be required at the prescribing vet’s discretion; as by law, we can only prescribe POM-Vs for animals under our care. A prescription may not be appropriate for an in-patient or where immediate treatment is necessary.
The general policy of Linkswood Equine Vets is to re-assess a horse/donkey/animal requiring repeat prescriptions every 6 months, but this may vary with individual circumstances. The cost of re-examination can be provided on request.
We ask for 48 hours’ notice for repeat prescription requests, either written or pharmaceutical. We currently do not have the facility to post medications via Royal Mail, we are able to use a courier at the clients expense if required. We would encourage collection from our clinic to save on costs.
For orders via an online pharmacy, prescriptions will be emailed directly to the pharmacy to prevent fraud. All human medications will require the original prescription and therefore this can be collected in person 48 hours after ordering.
Unused drugs:
There are tight legislation requirements surrounding the temperature, storage and handling of medications. Once a drug has been dispensed and left our premises, we cannot offer a refund simply because safety and efficacy of the medication may be compromised, therefore we offer disposal only.
Out of hours service:
We offer a full out of hours service to registered clients.
We will team up with other experienced local equine veterinary clinics to provide out of hours care. This is to allow our Veterinary Surgeons to work safely after long shifts.
Out of hours care incurs higher visit and examination costs. Payment is due at the time of services for emergency care.
Access to emergency care is through our usual phone number which will divert to the on call vet (phone and pager system).
Vaccination reminders:
Maintaining correct vaccination dates is an owner’s responsibility. We will send reminders via text but our text service should not be relied on. We are not able to send reminders for vaccines we have not administered. We will not be held liable for vaccine courses which lapse because an owner has missed the date upon which the vaccine was due. Our veterinary surgeons will not backdate any work, this includes vaccination dates and we expect clients to support our integrity by not asking us to do so.
Horse passports:
All horses, ponies and donkeys MUST have passports, which should be available for the vet to check at every visit, and we strongly recommend that passports should be signed in the appropriate section by the owner (Section 9), to confirm that the animal is not going for human consumption.
Linkswood Equine Vets reserves the right to sign the relevant section of the passport if it is presented to the vet unsigned. This allows treatment of the Equine according to its clinical needs. The passport must remain with the horse and therefore will be stored with us if your horse is admitted to our clinic.
Social media/Photography acknowledgment:
Whilst providing medical care for your horse, staff may take photographs of your horse for purposes of social media, website articles, referrals, and training purposes. As a Linkswood Equine Vets client, you authorise us to use these images, while retaining absolute anonymity, for educational purposes without further consent. If you do not consent, please contact our office in writing so we can update your file accordingly.
Feedback and complaints procedure:
Linkswood Equine Vets welcomes feedback, both positive and negative. We hope you will be entirely happy with the service you receive and would love feedback of any type in writing or by email. Where appropriate we will acknowledge your communication and assign someone to pursue it further for you. Further details of our complaints procedure are available on request.
Referrals/Second opinions:
If you wish to request a referral to, or second opinion from, another veterinary surgeon or practice we will, with your permission, assist you in the process and forward on all clinical records promptly to that veterinary surgeon/practice. There may be a fee associated with the referral of your records – we are happy to provide estimates for this.
Ownership of medical records:
Linkswood Equine Vets remains the owner of your horses’ medical records. This includes test results, x-rays, and ultrasounds. You may ask us to provide a copy of your pet’s medical records to another veterinary service provider (such as an out-of-hours service or if you are moving to another veterinary practice) by sending us a written request to the address or email address above. There may be a fee associated with the referral of your records – we are happy to provide estimates for this.
Termination of service:
You may ask us to stop caring for your pet at any time.
We reserve the right to remove veterinary care to our client if: you do not accept our advice; or fail to settle your account on time; or if we are prohibited by law from doing any further work on your matter; or if the relationship between you and us sadly breaks down; or if we no longer have the expertise. Under these circumstances we will serve notice in writing of imminent withdrawal of services. Your animal’s welfare is our priority and if veterinary care is withdrawn we will advise on the best steps to take and will forward veterinary records to a veterinary surgeon of your choice so that the welfare of your animal is not compromised.
If our services are withdrawn, we will invoice you for any work already done. We reserve the right to hold your pet’s records until all outstanding invoices and expenses have been paid.
Staff, client and equine wellbeing:
We take the health, wellbeing and safety of our staff, clients and pets in our care very seriously. We therefore take a zero-tolerance approach against intimidating, intrusive, offensive, violent or aggressive behaviour. We reserve the right to decline to supply veterinary services, to ask you to leave our premises and/or to terminate our contract with you, if you or any person accompanying or connected with you engage in any such behaviour, whether in our practice or when speaking to our staff via telephone, email or through our website. Social media libel will also prompt removal of our services with immediate effect.
Equal opportunities:
We are an equal opportunities employer, and we are committed to providing the same high-quality service to all our clients, regardless of age, disability, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
Confidentiality and data protection:
Client confidentiality is of the utmost importance to Linkswood Equine Vets. We will not pass any of your personal identifiable details to third parties without your permission.
We use any personal data we collect in accordance with our Privacy Notice. Further information regarding your rights with respect to your Personal Data can also be found in our Privacy Policy which is available on request or on our website.
Additions and variations to these terms and conditions:
No addition or variation of these terms and conditions will bind Linkswood Equine Vets unless it is specifically agreed in writing and signed by one of the practice Directors. No agent or person employed by, or under contract with the practice has the authority to alter or vary these conditions in any way.
Changes to these terms and conditions:
We may amend these terms from time to time. We recommend that you check them each time you use our website to make sure that you are aware and understand the terms that apply at that time.
Last update on 1st September 2022.