Practice terms & conditions

Southill Veterinary Group Ltd

Wincanton Surgery: The Surgery, Balsam Fields, Wincanton, Somerset. BA9 9HE

Gillingham Surgery: Kingsmead Business Park, Gillingham, Dorset. SP8 5FB

Milborne Port Surgery: 1 & 2 North Street, Milborne Port, Sherborne, Dorset. DT9 5EW

Mere Surgery: Manor Road, Mere, Wiltshire. BA12 6HY

 

Thank you for entrusting the care of your pet to Southill Vets Ltd. The following information details our practice Terms and Conditions. Some aspects of the Terms may not be relevant to you, and you can ask for further explanation or 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 spent on a case and according to drugs, materials, consumables, and diets used. Please ask us if you wish to receive a detailed invoice for any consultation, surgical procedure, or transaction with us.

Methods of payment

We will happily provide a written estimate as to the probable costs of a course of treatment. We will try to be as accurate as possible when calculating an estimate, but please bear in mind that any estimate given can only be approximate – often a pet’s illness will not follow a conventional course. Estimates are valid for 30 days from the time of generation. Payments are due at the end of the consultation, discharge of your pet or upon collection of drugs or products. For larger procedures, we may ask that you pay up to 75% of the estimate on admission of your animal. You may settle your account using:

• Cash
• Debit or Credit Card
• BACs payments

Settlement terms

Should an account not be settled within 14 days, a reminder will be sent. Should it be necessary for further reminders to be sent, additional fees may be added in respect of administration costs. These 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, court fees, attendance at court, phone calls, home visits etc. These fees may increase the outstanding balance due by a minimum of 20%.
If the account is not settled, Southill Vets Ltd reserve the right to ask you to find another Veterinary Surgeon to treat your pet(s). You will be informed of this by letter and given notice to do so.

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.

Pet health insurance

Southill Vets Ltd strongly supports the principle of insuring your pet against unexpected illness or accidents. We do not recommend any specific policies, but if you would like to discuss pet insurance, please do not hesitate to talk to us. Learn more about pet insurance.

Complaints and standards

We hope that you never have recourse to complain about the standards of service received from us. However, if you feel that there is something you wish to complain about, please contact the practice on 01963 33226 or email us on admin@southillvets.co.uk

Ownership of records

Case records including radiographs and similar documents are the property of and will be retained by Southill Vets Ltd. Copies of these will be passed on request to another veterinary surgeon taking over the case.

Ownership of radiographs and similar records

The care given to your animal 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, remains with the practice. As above, copies are available on request.

Out of hours service

Southill Vets Ltd are proud to provide their own out of hours service, meaning that you can speak to and see one of our team 24/7. If you need to contact us outside our opening hours just call the practice’s normal phone number and you will be given the out of hours number to contact us during an emergency. This service is provided by our vets for our clients, we are not obliged to see clients registered at other vet practices, except for circumstances where animal welfare is likely to deteriorate rapidly without our intervention. A surcharge may be added to accounts for non-registered clients seen out of hours. You are expected to transport your pet to the surgery to receive treatment. Out of hours fees apply to all treatments provided by our on-call service. Learn more about our out of hours service. 

In-patient care

Some pets will have conditions that will need them to be hospitalised beyond our closing time of 6:00pm weeknights and 12pm Saturdays. Our hospitalised patients are cared for at our Wincanton surgery and may require transportation from another branch to this facility. Hospitalised patients will be checked periodically by the duty vet or vet nurse as required by an individual care plan tailored to the medical needs of the patient. A veterinary surgeon is available on call should a veterinary nurse have any cause to be concerned about a patient’s condition. At times other than for scheduled checks, the premises will not be manned.

Variation in terms of trading

No addition or variation of these conditions will bind the practice unless it is specifically agreed in writing and signed by one of the practice 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.

Applicable law

These terms are governed by and constructed in accordance with English Law. The courts of England will have exclusive jurisdiction in relation to any claim, dispute or difference concerning these terms and any matter arising from it. Each party irrevocably waives any right it may have to object to any action being brought in these courts, to claim that the action has been bought in an inappropriate forum, or to claim that those courts do not have jurisdiction. If any provision in these standard terms of business, or its application, is found to be invalid, illegal, or otherwise unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality or enforceability of any other provision shall not in any way be affected or impaired.

General data protection regulations

Details of our GDPR policy are available at Privacy Policy or in writing upon request

Prescription policy

Prescriptions are available from this practice.

You may obtain relevant veterinary medicinal products 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 relevant veterinary medicinal products only following a clinical assessment of an animal under his or her care.

A prescription may not be appropriate if your animal is an in-patient or immediate access to medication 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 an animal requiring repeat prescriptions for or supply of relevant veterinary medicinal products every 3-6 months, but this may vary with individual circumstances. There is a fee for writing a prescription to be filled at another pharmacy or practice.

At least 24 hours’ notice must be given for repeat prescription requests. It is your responsibility as an owner to ensure you have sufficient medications to continue treatment while awaiting fulfilment of your prescription request. You can order repeat prescriptions on our website.

Reminders

Southill Vets Ltd endeavour to issue reminders to our clients, where permissions to do so have been granted, for services such as parasite control and vaccinations. These reminder systems are automated and provided by a third party. It is your responsibility to ensure we have up-to-date contact details and permissions in order to provide this service. As an owner it is your responsibility to present your pet for vaccinations and to collect medications and parasite control products, including those dispensed as part of our Pet Health Club. We cannot be held responsible for missed appointments or overdue booster vaccinations, although we do endeavour to check our records periodically to trace any patients who may have missed their vaccinations. No refunds will be given if you do not present a patient for a service or collect your products provided under the Pet Health Club.

Learn more about Southill Veterinary Group