Practice terms & conditions
Thank you for entrusting the care and attention of your pet to Animal Medical Centre.
This document details our terms and conditions. If you require any clarification, please ask a member of staff, who will be happy to assist.
Fees
All fees and charges are subject to VAT at the current rate. Fee levels are determined by the time spent on a case and according to drugs, consumables, materials, diets, and equipment used.
A member of staff will be happy to discuss any queries you have. An invoice for every consultation, surgical or medical procedure or transaction with us is available on request at the time of payment or retrospectively.
Patient notes
You may request a copy of your pet’s clinical notes at any time. These will be issued by email. Copies of clinical notes and history can be forwarded to another veterinary surgeon as requested but we will seek your authorisation before doing so.
Missed appointments
A missed appointment fee (50% of the consultation fee) will be added to your account if you fail to cancel the appointment less than three hours before the appointment. This fee must be settled prior to scheduling any further appointments.
Missed surgical procedures
A missed surgical procedure fee (50% of the consultation fee) will be added to your account if you fail to cancel a procedure with less than 24 hours’ notice. This fee and a 50% deposit will be required prior to scheduling further procedures.
Settlement terms
Payment is due at the time of treatment, collection of medication/food, etc. or at discharge unless alternative arrangements have been agreed in advance.
Should an account not be settled within 14 days, then a reminder will be sent. If it is necessary for further reminders to be sent, further charges may be incurred.
After due notice to you the client, overdue accounts will be referred to our Debt Collection Agency and further cost will be levied in respect of costs incurred in collecting the debt, such as production of reports, correspondence, court fees, attendance at court, telephone calls, etc.
Any debit or credit card not honoured, and any cash tendered that is found to be counterfeit will result in the original account being restored to the original balance with further charges added in respect to bank charges, administration costs together with interest on the principal sum.
Inability to pay
If, for any reason you are unable to settle your account as specified, please discuss this with a member of staff as soon as possible and before any treatment takes place. Please note instalments and part payments can only be sanctioned with express permission of the practice owner.
Method of payment
You may settle your accounts using cash, certain credit cards or a debit card. We are unable to accept cheques.
If you will not be collecting your pet and unable to settle your account as above, please call us to make alternative arrangements for payment in advance of the appointment or collection of items.
Estimate of costs
We will be happy to provide a written estimate as to the probable cost of treatment or surgical procedure. Please bear in mind that any estimate given can only be approximate and additional costs may occur which cannot be predicted at the outset of treatment. We make every effort to discuss any additional costs as they occur.
Pet health insurance
We strongly recommend the use of pet health insurance against unexpected illness and accidents. Please be aware it is your responsibility to determine the level of cover provided by your insurance company for any treatment we recommend, and to reclaim any fees from your insurance company. It is your responsibility to pay any excess that may be set by your insurance company.
Complaints and standards
We hope to ensure that you never have recourse to make a complaint about the standard of service received from us. However, if you feel there is an issue you wish to raise, please direct your comments in the first instance to the owner and partner of the practice.
Pharmaceuticals
Repeat prescriptions. If your pet requires long term medication, then we advise (and are legally required) to examine your pet at regular three-monthly intervals before we are able to dispense further prescription only medication. Such a clinical examination by our veterinary surgeons will incur an examination fee.
We strongly advise the regular use of anti-parasitic medication. Some of these are prescription only medications and can only be dispensed to pets under our care which are regularly examined by a veterinary surgeon.
In accordance with the Medicines Act we will always use a veterinary licensed product. Should this not be the case we will then use veterinary products licensed for use in other species and failing that a human medical product. Our use of off licence medication will be based upon our knowledge of the use in animals and an assessment of the risks and benefits involved. This is particularly common in species other than dog s and cats, for which few licensed products are available. Please speak to the veterinary surgeon if you have any concerns about this issue.
Written prescriptions are available from Animal Medical Centre at a fee. You may obtain Prescription Only Medicines, Category V, (POM V’s) from your veterinary surgeon OR ask for a prescription to obtain these medicines from another veterinary surgeon or pharmacy. A prescription may not be appropriate if your animal is an inpatient or immediate treatment is necessary. You will be informed on request of the price of any medicine that may be prescribed for your animal.
Out of hours, emergency cover and home visits
We do not generally have staff on the premises overnight. If your pet requires overnight hospitalisation, we will discuss with you the level of supervision required based on their condition. In some cases, we may refer your pet for overnight intensive care. Animal Medical Centre provides a 24hr emergency cover via Village Vet, Hampstead (11 Belsize Terrace, Hampstead, London, NW3 4AX - 020 7794 4948) for the provision of hospitalisation, overnight monitoring post-surgery or further treatment as recommended by the vet.
Home visits are available if booked in advance, at an extra charge. In an emergency it is in the best interest of the pet to be seen at the practice. AMC is unable to offer home visits out of normal working hours.
Preventative health care reminders
Whilst we make every effort to send out remainders for vaccination and other preventative health care, the responsibility to keep them up to date remains with the owner.
