Company Information

Furness Veterinary Centre Ltd Terms & Conditions

Thank you for entrusting the care of your pets to Furness Veterinary Centre.  Please find below our terms and conditions of service. If you require any clarification, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Supply of Veterinary Services:

In order to supply veterinary services to your pet(s) we must first ensure your registration and have accurate and up to date records of treatment. 

We shall ensure that veterinary services are provided by suitably qualified personnel.

Where practical, a treatment plan will be agreed with you following an initial consultation in advance of any further treatment or investigations. We endeavour to provide accurate estimates of cost and to keep you informed should those costs change during treatment. In an emergency we reserve the right to provide appropriate treatment at the professional discretion of the veterinary surgeon.

We will endeavour to provide veterinary services in accordance with reasonable standards denoted by the RCVS guidelines for practice standards and the professional conduct of veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses. All Veterinary Services shall be supplied in accordance with normal professional standards. 

Costs:

All fees, drugs and reception sales are subject to VAT. Fee levels are determined by the time, materials and expertise used. All prices quoted, either on our website or on an estimate are inclusive of VAT. We reserve the right to make periodic increases in fees but endeavour to keep these fair and reasonable. 

Methods of payment:

Accounts are due for settlement at the end of the consultation, the discharge of your pet and upon collection of drugs, diets and reception sales. You may settle the account using cash or credit card/debit card, MasterCard, Visa, Delta and Switch. We don’t accept cheques. 

If you do not pay your invoice when it falls due, we shall take such action as we consider appropriate to recover our fees which may include engaging third-party debt collection agencies to recover the outstanding fees and/or instigating proceedings against you in the county court. In such cases, any costs levied by the debt collection agency will be added on to the outstanding balance owed by you and/or we will seek to recover any legal expenses from you. Please note that the use of debt collection agencies and the county court could affect your future credit rating. 

We shall be entitled to suspend the provision of any further goods and/or services until you have paid any outstanding sums in full. Where we consider it appropriate to do so we may also request payment ahead of any goods/services being delivered. 

Return of unused drugs:

We are happy to receive unused drugs for disposal.  We are unable to refund unused drugs as they are no longer fit for re-sale once they have left the premises.  A refund will be issued when an error on Furness Veterinary Centres part has been made in dispensing. 

Prescriptions:

Written prescriptions for medications are available on request.  A prescription fee applies when you request a written prescription but purchase the medications elsewhere e.g. online.  The quantity of medication on any prescription and the number of repeats depends upon the medication and is at the prescribing veterinary surgeon’s discretion.  Prescriptions are sent directly to your chosen supplier so please order the medication and inform us where your prescription is to be sent and a reference number. 

For ongoing medications your pet will require regular repeat examinations. The re-examination interval will be determined by the case veterinary surgeon with a maximum interval of 6 months (apart for anti-parasitic medications which is 12 months). There is a charge for repeat examinations in line with our normal repeat examination fee. 

Pet health insurance:

Furness Veterinary Centre strongly supports the principle of insuring your pet against unexpected illness or accident. For invoices over £300 (or £100 for a continuation) we can claim directly with the insurer if a completed claim form, proof of current and valid insurance policy and your policy excess and any co-payments of exclusions are paid on or before the collection of your pet. If your insurance company does not pay the outstanding balance, then you will be responsible for paying this upon notification that this has occurred. 

If you are concerned that your insurance company will not cover the costs, then with many companies we can submit a preauthorisation prior to the treatment being carried out (if treatment is not very time sensitive) which will give indication as to if the insurance company are likely to pay. 

Out of hours service:

Our out of hours service is provided by our own veterinary surgeons at Furness Veterinary Centre.  We operate an on-call service so there is not always a member of staff present in the building and the vet will need to travel to the surgery to see you pet.  Animals, which are hospitalised outside our normal working hours, will be checked, and treated according to their clinical needs, if the Veterinary Surgeon is sure your pet is stable then they may be left for periods of time between checks. 

Our out of hours service is only available to registered clients of Furness Veterinary Centre.

There is a separate out of hours consultation fee, you will be advised of the current fee by the attending vet.

Home visits:

Home visits are available at an extra charge and if booked in advance. 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.  In the event of euthanasia we endeavour to be as flexible as possible with home visits but these are subject to the caseload of the duty vet. 

Consent:

We request written, signed consent on admission for procedures or hospitalisation. We may request consent for use of ‘off license’ medications. These are medications that are prescribed in line with the ‘cascade’ prescribing guidelines, where there is no licensed medications appropriate for the species or indication. Using a cascade drug may mean the medicine has not passed regulatory assessments for safety and efficacy for the proposed use.  The use of cascade medicines is only done when we have sufficient information to safely advise a dose and is recognised as standard clinical practice.

Where a treatment plan changes, whilst an animal is hospitalised, we may take verbal consent over the phone to update the plan, and this will be recorded as necessary. 

Recording of phone calls:

Phone calls are routinely recorded for training and safety. In the event of a payment being taken over the phone recording will be paused. By using these methods of communication, you consent to the monitoring and recording of these. 

Complaints:

We try to ensure that you receive a high level of service but in the event, you are not happy with the treatment or service received then please first raise this with the vet in charge of your pet’s case.  If you wish to speak to another veterinary surgeon, please request this with reception.  If you would like to place your complaint in writing, please address this to one of the directors, Robert Mitchell or Claire Mitchell. We aim to acknowledge a complaint within 48 hours and issue a full response with in 14 days to allow full investigation. In the event of a complaint you consent to us sharing the details of the case with our insurers and/or professional body. 

Cancellations:

Please allow as much notice as possible for cancellations. If you repeatedly fail to show for appointments without reasonable notice, we reserve the right to request pre-payment at the time of booking. 

Restraint and safety:

All pets should be reasonably restrained by an owner or representative whilst on the premises (dogs must be on a lead and cats/small pets in an appropriate carrier). Where deemed appropriate by the attending veterinary surgeon we may use muzzles or other restraining devices to ensure the safety of both staff, owners and the patients.  We reserve the right to refuse treatment of a pet that is dangerously out of control and cannot be restrained. 

Changes to Terms and Conditions: 

No alteration may be made to these terms and conditions without the express written consent of the Practice Director. We may update or amend these terms and conditions at any time by placing a notice to that effect in our premises.