Terms & Conditions

We have set out below our terms and conditions of business at Priory Veterinary Surgeons Ltd.

Some aspects may not be relevant to you, and where necessary we are more than happy to offer further explanation/clarification.

Our relationship with you and your pet

1) Upon registration, Priory Vets take responsibility for making clinical judgements regarding the health of your pet(s) and after the necessary discussions you (the client) agree to follow our professional recommendations. This is called ” being under our care” and comes with professional and legal responsibilities that we have to abide by when treating your pet.

2)  All of our recommendations and treatments have as their priority what is best for your pet’s welfare. If you require further clarification about any course of action that we recommend, please do not hesitate to ask for it.

3)   For the best effective care to be delivered to your pets, a positive relationship of trust and mutual respect between Priory Vets and you the client is essential and should be maintained at all times by all involved in that care.  Because none of us are infallible, any concerns with the care of your pets, and any difficulties in communications between us are best discussed promptly and openly at the time, in order to preserve these relations.

4)    The high standard of care which we are committed to provide will require regular and clinically appropriate physical examinations of your pets by our Vets, for nearly all significant conditions and definitely where prescription-only medications are likely to be required. This may include preventative parasite control and will always be the case for pets new to us and those receiving ongoing medication.

5)    Priory Vets keep accurate and accessible clinical records which are confidential between  us and you the client, within the restrictions of GDPR legislation.

6)  Priory Vets provide emergency consultations and treatment for clients of the practice on a 24/7 basis all year round, by our own staff and in our own premises.  These emergency services are for those clients’ pets for whom we are providing regular day time veterinary care. This means we always have immediate access to the past health records of your pet.

7)   Priory Vets require those clients wishing to use our emergency services, to designate us as the regular day time provider of care for their pets. This is to clarify that we are the vet primarily responsible for decisions about a pet’s treatment, “ as in under our care” , so that errors are not made, and the responsibilities of prescribing medications are clear.

8)   To be clear: As a default policy, pet owners will not be allowed to only use our emergency services.  Our professional regulator requires that every UK Veterinary practice has to provide 24/7 emergency services for their clients’ pets.

9)    Priory Vets are committed to continuous audit and improvement of our performance in the interests of our patient’s welfare.

Fees

All fees, drug charges, diets and other products are subject to VAT at the current rate. Fees are charged according to the nature of the procedure, test and the time taken to carry them out; as well as the drugs, consumables and diets used. The fees are provided in detailed form on invoicing and patient’s records.

Estimates for the Cost of Treatment

At any time we are happy to provide a written estimate for the anticipated cost of treatment on request. Please note that this is an estimate and NOT a quotation, as your pet’s treatment may sometimes not follow a predictable course, and their welfare is our primary concern. We will endeavour to keep you up to date with costs throughout treatment.

Payment Terms

We accept the following payment methods:

• Cash
• Cheque – with current bankers card (Made payable to Priory Veterinary Surgeons Ltd)
• Credit/Debit card – Switch, Solo, Mastercard, Visa and Delta. Apologies at this time we do not accept American Express
• BACS transfer – MetroBank, Priory Veterinary Surgeons Ltd, Sort Code: 23-05-80, Account no: 16158852

Reference – Please use the invoice number if known, and surname/animal name

We reserve the right to allocate payments received against the oldest outstanding invoice unless that invoice is under dispute.

Please note:-     We work on a strict policy of Payment at the time of treatment. This means payment after each visit, and after receiving products such as medications or diets. If your pet has been hospitalised, then payment is due on collection of your pet. Invoices are offered and available on request showing the break-down of the fees.

Failure to Pay

Invoices not paid at the time of treatment are considered overdue, unless we have agreed a Direct  Insurance claim – see below for details – and invoices will be sent out  to you with a request for prompt settlement. We will attempt to contact you by various methods, however after due notice, any unsettled accounts will be referred to our External Debt Recovery Agency, and will incur their additional charges including potential court costs. This may affect your credit rating and will likely result in notice of termination of services provided to you by Priory Veterinary Surgeons. Once your debt has been referred to our External Debt Recovery Agency then payment of the full amount including the additional charges should be made directly to the debt agency and not to Priory Veterinary Surgeons.

Inability to Pay

If for any reason you foresee difficulties paying for treatment, please discuss this with us as soon as possible. Any part payments or instalments can ONLY be authorised by a member of management, and may only be agreed prior to treatment.

Treating Your Animal in Your Absence

In some circumstances, it may be necessary for you to give permission to a person other than yourself to present your pet to the treating Vet, so this person is acting as your agent. In these cases any decision made by your agent they will be treated as though you had made that decision.  We will therefore fully discuss your animal’s case with that agent, which may include treatment options, relevant past clinical history and estimated costs of treatment, as well as a decision to treat. If you are going away, or have a regular person caring for your pet (while you are at work for example), please call your local branch and advise reception of the caregiver’s details. Please remember that  consent for any treatment  can only be given by those 18 years of age or older. It is possible to give us verbal consent over the telephone.

Pet Insurance

Priory Vets strongly recommend pet insurance for your pet to cover the cost of illness and injury. Please be aware that if your animal is insured, as the policyholder it is normally your responsibility to settle our account at the time of treatment, and reclaim your fees from the insurance company. In these circumstances, we make no charge for completing the Vet section of your form and providing the relevant documentation.

Direct Insurance Claims

In certain circumstances, we may agree to claim our fees back directly from your insurance company. This is subject to criteria set by ourselves and requires prior approval which will include paying any excess amount on your policy at the time of treatment. Please do not assume that this will be carried out automatically. We currently charge £30 (inc.VAT) which may vary from time to time for this process because it involves us in greater administrative paperwork. Priory Veterinary Surgeons reserve the right to refuse a direct claim at any time.

** Vetsure Pet Insurance® Policyholders – We work very closely with and promote Vetsure Pet Insurance for cats and dogs. Direct claims are offered routinely through Vetsure and we are happy to carry these out at no charge, once the excess has been paid.  This is also  true for members of our Priory  Health Plan  Health Plan & Insurance – Priory Veterinary Surgeons (prioryvets.co.uk)

Ownership of Records

Case notes and similar records for your pet are the property of and are retained by the practice. You may request a copy of your animal’s notes at any time. These can be passed, on direct request from you, to other Veterinary Practices treating that animal, if it is appropriate. In accepting these terms and conditions, you agree that Priory Vets may share your record information with other clinicians and their organisations when necessary for the treatment of your animals.

Ownership of Radiographs and Similar Records

During your pet’s treatment, we may have taken radiographs or similar diagnostics such as ultrasound scans. Even though you may have incurred a charge for carrying out and interpreting these, the ownership of the resulting record, for example, a radiograph, will remain the property of Priory Veterinary Surgeons Ltd. Copies of these records may be requested and provided where possible – usually in digital format. This may incur a small administrative fee.

Prescriptions

Prescriptions are available on request from Priory Veterinary surgeons. You may obtain Prescription Only Medicines, Category V (POM-V’s) from the practice, or alternatively request a written prescription to obtain these medicines from another Vets or pharmacy.

There is currently a charge of £24.00 (inc VAT) for a written prescription which may vary from time to time. All requests require 48hrs notice.

Prescriptions are only authorised to animals under our care ( see above “ Our relationship  with you and your pet”).  A prescription is not always necessary for an in-patient or where immediate treatment is required. Regular examinations of your pet are required by regulations set by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. The frequency of examinations depends on the medicine being prescribed. This will be advised by your treating Veterinary Surgeon.

Complaints and Standards

We really hope that you never feel the need to complain about our service or standards of care, however it would be foolish to assume that we are infallible, and events will not always go as you expect them to all of the time. If there is any aspect of our work that concerns you or has been left unresolved, then please let us know, so that we can listen, understand, and act on your concerns. It is important for us to receive feedback because it gives us an immediate opportunity to put problems and mistakes right and to quickly learn from them. Most importantly we want you to have confidence in us to do the right thing for your animals when it matters.

You may in the first instance raise a complaint with the member of staff directly involved if appropriate. We hope that problems can be resolved quickly and easily this way. If however, you would like to make a formal complaint, you can phone, email or write to our Business manager using the details below:

Email: feedback@prioryvets.co.uk / Tel: 01737242190

Priory Veterinary Surgeons
For the attention of the Directors:

10 Evesham Road
Reigate
Surrey
RH2 9DF

We will endeavour to acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days. After which, we will investigate your concerns with the relevant members of staff if necessary within 10 working days of the receipt of the complaint. We will be then in a position to respond accordingly. We hope we can ascertain what went wrong and why, provide an opportunity to discuss the problem with those concerned if you wish, provide an apology where appropriate, and make sure the problem doesn’t happen again.

Out of Hours Emergency Service

Priory Veterinary Surgeons operates a 24-hour Emergency service for our client’s pets in line with requirements by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. You can access this service by telephoning any of our branch numbers, where you will then be given the opportunity to speak with a Vet or Nurse to handle your emergency.

Emergencies are received at our Reigate branch, and in most circumstances, it is by far the best decision to transport your pet to this branch, which may not be the usual branch your pet attends. You will see one of our own vets that has full access to your pet’s records. Home visits are possible but may delay effective treatment and will incur greater cost.

Patients that are hospitalised on-site at our Reigate branch, are treated and monitored overnight and throughout the weekend as appropriate by our own  staff who are continuously on site.

Data Protection

We may obtain, use, process and disclose personal data about you in order to discharge our duties as your Veterinary Surgeon under these standard terms of business, and for other related purposes including updating and enhancing client records, analysis for management purposes and statutory returns, crime prevention and legal and regulatory compliance. You have a right of access, under data protection legislation, to the personal data that we hold about you. We may also send you from time to time in the future, free of charge, details of the services we provide.

For the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1988, the Data Controller in relation to personal data supplied by you is the Business Manager.

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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.

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 a Practice Director. No agent or person employed by, or under contract with, the practice has the authority to alter or vary these conditions in any way.

17. Date of Publication

This page was last updated on 14.11.23.