These terms set out the contract established between Forth coast veterinary clinic and yourself as our client. By registering with us and requesting us to provide any veterinary service to you, you agree to accept and abide by these terms. If you do not agree to these terms, you must not buy veterinary products or services from us. If you have any queries regarding these terms of business, please contact us.
The Terms
- Forth coast veterinary clinic is registered in Scotland with registration number SC487508. ( The registered office is 1 Wayfarers Way, Dalgety Bay, Fife, KY11 9GQ )
- You may contact us via post, email or phone – all details can be found on our website
- We may contact you via post, email or phone using details provided when you register with us
- We will require as accurate information from you as possible, to enable us to carry out treatments for your pet. If you do not provide this information within a reasonable time, we will not be liable for any delay in carrying out services or injury or death of an animal as a result
- These terms will be emailed to you upon registration, and are available at any time on our website
Veterinary Services
- Consultations are available by appointment
- We may ask for payment up front if you repeatedly miss appointments. If you know you cannot make you appointment, please make us aware as soon as possible via phone or email.
- Opening times are visible on our website.
- Services will be provided by a suitably trained or qualified member of staff, sometimes this may include trainees and assistants working under direct supervision of a suitably trained or qualified member of staff.
- We will provide veterinary services to you during our normal business hours. Out of hours emergency services will be provided to you by Vets Now Kirkcaldy. By registering with us and requesting our veterinary services, you are accepting that your pets may need to be seen by the vets at this establishment outside of our business hours.
- Veterinary services will usually be provided to you at our premises 10 Regents Way, Dalgety Bay, Fife, KY11 9YD. We may also provide services at other premises such as your home.
In some cases, referral to other specialist facilities may be required. You must comply with health and safety instructions given by any other premises we recommend, and you are responsible for any belongings left at those premises. Where services are provided at home, you are responsible for making sure that the premises is safe and accessible by our staff. Additional costs will be incurred, and you will be provided with an estimate of fees when booking home visits. We cannot guarantee to be able to provide home visits, but will always endeavour to where appropriate. - You are responsible for making and attending appointments, via phone/email/our online booking system. We cannot guarantee that appointments will be available at your desired time. We reserve the right to refuse veterinary treatment if you arrive without an appointment, or arrive late for your booked appointment.
- Estimates can be provided verbally during a consultation, and forwarded in writing. All estimates are approximate and are not a guaranteed definitive figure. During a treatment, if the costs change and are potentially higher, we will update you through the process.
- You may obtain prescription only medicines, category V (POM-Vs) from Forth coast veterinary clinic, or ask for a written prescription and obtain these from another veterinary surgeon or pharmacy. We are only able to prescribe POM-Vs for animals under our care – this is defined as having been recently physically examined by our governing body. A written prescription may not be appropriate where immediate treatment is necessary. Prescription charges will apply if you request a written prescription and purchase the medication elsewhere. Animals requiring repeat prescriptions will need to be examined periodically, and the period varies depending on the case. Usually the maximum time between examinations is 6 months. There is a charge for re-examinations.
- We are unable to refund or exchange any unused medication once it has left the premises.
- In certain circumstances, where no alternative is available, we may use or prescribe medications which are not licensed for veterinary use. We may ask you to sign a consent form when prescribing such medications.
CONSENT
- We will normally agree a treatment plan during an initial consultation, and wherever possible we will obtain your consent before carrying out any procedure or treatment. You will be required to sign a ‘consent form’ for this purpose. In exceptional circumstances such as emergency presentations, where deemed necessary and in the best interests of the patient, we can only proceed with initial verbal consent.
- We will provide you with full details of treatment provided as soon as is reasonably possible.
- We can accept and rely on instructions and information given by your representatives, for example a family member, pet sitter or kennels presenting your pet to us. We reserve the right to refuse to accept instruction from them, such as if they are under 18 years old or we reasonably believe they are not authorised to represent you. We may require proof that they are authorised to represent you. You can email us to let us know who is authorised (or not authorised) to represent you should you wish.
Second Opinions, Records and Insurance
- You are free at all times, at your own cost, to seek or request a second opinion concerning any veterinary services that we have provided.
- We will not be responsible for any delays outside our control, but will always contact you as soon as possible to let you know and take steps to minimise any further delay
- Your animal’s medical records, including x-rays, test results, ultrasound images are our property. You may request a copy of your animal’s medical records to be sent to another veterinary service provider, by emailing or phoning us. We will process your request as soon as possible and in a reasonable period of time. We may request that you pay any fees outstanding to us before doing so.
- We do not provide animal insurance, you are responsible for arranging this and we recommend that our clients take out appropriate insurance for their animal with a reputable insurer.
Our staff, clients and animals
- We have a zero tolerance policy against offensive, violent or aggressive behaviour.
- We reserve the right to decline to supply veterinary services, to ask you to leave the premises, and to terminate our contract with immediate effect with you if you or any person connected with you engage in such behaviour (whether in our practice, on the phone, via email or via our website or social media sites).
- You can end your contract with us at any time.
- When your contract ends, you are responsible for paying any outstanding bills. It is your responsibility to register your animal with another veterinary practice from the date your contract ends.
- If you wish to end your contract with us, please let us know via email (one registered with us) or post.
- We may end the contract with you if you break any terms of the contract, do not make payment to us within 7 days of us reminding you that payment is due, or in exceptional circumstances, break any payment arrangements that have been agreed in writing.
Payment
- Veterinary practices provide private healthcare, and professional fees vary according to the case and level of treatment required. All charges are subject to VAT at the current rate (20%). A full itemised invoice will be provided for any transaction made with us.
- Payment is expected at the time of treatment or discharge of your animal
- We may at our discretion require you to pay for part or whole of the estimated services in advance
- Where you have a valid insurance policy, we may at our discretion agree to make a claim for payment directly to your insurance policy. You agree to pay us any amounts that the insurance company do not pay within 30 days of the invoice being issued to you.
- You may pay via cash, debit or credit card. We are unable to accept cheques.
- We may take further action to recover overdue payments. We may refer overdue accounts to our debt collection agency for recovery. Additional charges in connection to collecting outstanding balances will be added to your bill, including but not limited to administration costs and debt collection agency fees
- We may refuse to supply further veterinary services to you and will provide first aid treatment only, until all outstanding bills are paid. This is in line with our minimum legal responsibilities and the code of conduct for animals in our care under the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Client confidentiality
- Phone calls may be recorded for training and monitoring purposes
- CCTV recording is used at Forth coast veterinary clinic for the safety of our staff, clients and patients.
Complaints
Whilst we hope that you never have cause to complain about the standards of service received from our practice. We appreciate there may be occasions when you may wish to bring something to our attention. In these situations, we ask for you to raise the matter with our Practice Manager – Emily Simanavicius.
Most concerns can be resolved over the phone or face to face. In the event a concern cannot be resolved verbally, we kindly request that you submit your complaint in writing, either by post or email for the attention of Emily Simanavicius.
Email – emilysim@forthcoastvets.co.uk
Postal address – Forth coast veterinary clinic, 10 regents way, Dalgety bay, Fife, KY11 9YD
We will aim to acknowledge any complaints within 48 hours and hope to provide a full response within 15 working days. Regretfully, we are unable to investigate complaints made more than six months after the event.