We aim to be transparent in both the work we do and our terms of business. When you request our services you and we are bound by the terms and conditions outlined in this document.
Our ‘office hours’ for the care and treatment of horses are Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 6.00pm. These are of course subject to change during bank holidays. Appointments are required to be seen at the surgery, and can be made on the surgery telephone number 01673 842448.
We kindly ask that if an appointment made is no longer suitable or required that you provide us with some notice of cancellation.
We offer a 24 hour emergency service for our clients that covers all species. The practice always has at least two of its own veterinary surgeons on call. They can be contacted via the usual practice telephone number, which will always be answered by a member of our own staff. All our veterinarians have access to mobile phones, and can usually be contacted quickly. They respond as soon as they can; which means as soon as the case in hand has been dealt with. Out of hours calls of all types will involve additional charges.
We have excellent parking for horse lorries and trailers at our new facilities in Walesby suitable for HGV’s and trailers, along with a loading ramp for the use of clients. However, cars, lorries and trailers parked on practices premises are parked entirely at the owners’ risk. The practice takes no responsibility for damage to, or theft from, or theft of parked vehicles; or for any injury caused by vehicles to persons or patients whilst they are using the car park.
Case records, x-rays, laboratory reports and similar documents are the property of, and will be retained by, Rase Veterinary Centre / Rase Equine. Although a charge will be made for carrying out the investigations and interpreting the results, ownership of the resulting records, eg. Radiographs or ultrasound scans, remains with the practice. On request, copies of records with a summary of the clinical notes for your horse, will be passed to another veterinary surgeon should this be required. In order to support an insurance claim, or as part of the procedure to obtain insurance cover, copies of records will be passed to an insurance company or their representatives.
We send reminders to clients advising that vaccinations, dental check ups etc are due. Our reminder system works well, but we must remind clients that it is the responsibility lies with the owner to ensure that their horses are vaccinated at the correct time. We now offer the option of postal, email or SMS reminders.
We may contact clients by letter, telephone, or electronic means to advise of outstanding accounts, vaccinations due, client evenings and other marketing offers. If you do not wish to receive information from the practice, please advise either the reception staff, or the accounts department. We do not pass on clients details to any third parties for marketing or any other purposes and abide by all regulations of the Data protection Act 2018.
Ambulatory services
For all pre booked routine work we ask for payment in full prior to your visit.
For emergency visits we ask for £100 upfront payment on a daytime callout and £150 deposit for out of hours visits. These payments are deducted off your final invoice.
Hospital Services
Invoices are expected to be settled either at the time of treatment or when an inpatient is discharged.
A deposit of £500 will be requested for clients with an unknown credit history on admissions for horses requiring substantial treatment.
As far as possible we will try to provide realistic estimates of costs at the start of treatment. Please be aware that the estimate can only be approximate, as it can be difficult on occasion to predict the final cost when the problem is found to be more complicated as the treatment evolves, or the patient does not respond as one would hope. We will do our best to contact you should we believe that costs are likely to significantly increase above the original estimate.
Firm quotations for work to be done can be given on request. These ‘quotes’ will be made on the basis of ‘worst case scenario’ costs. The quote will not be exceeded, unless the work performed changes substantially. You will be informed of this before it does. The charge made at the end of treatment may in fact be less than the original quotation.
Invoices are expected to be settled either at the time of treatment, or when the patient is collected from the surgery. Prescriptions for medicines and other items are to be paid for either at the time of ordering, or at the time of collection. Exceptions to this would be if there is in existence already an ongoing insurance claim for the animal or the horse is still undergoing treatment.
If a booking is being made on our Equizone system, the payment must be paid in advance
The following methods are acceptable:
The practice reserves the right to send unpaid accounts to outside collection agencies, including the County Court. Should outside agencies be used, the cost of collection will be carried by the debtor. Unpaid accounts will be sent for collection after a period of three months from the date of completion of the work, unless good reasons for non-payment have been produced to the accounts department. Information regarding non-payment of accounts, or a perceived inability or reluctance to pay, may be shared with other veterinary practices and credit reference agencies.
Second Opinions and Referrals Although we have the facilities and knowledge to deal with most cases and issues, there are occasions where an animal would benefit from a referral to a centre with specific expertise in certain treatment areas. We have good relationships with a number of referral centres and are happy to assist with providing information and liaising with them to ensure the most positive outcome.
For both training and security purposes, the practice reserves the right to record and store, for an indefinite period, video and sound recordings of the reception and examination areas at the practise premises. The practice confirms that in the cause of security and animal welfare, activities in the car park and stable areas are also recorded and images stored the same. In some areas of the practice premises, CCVT cameras are monitored via the internet; and in some areas monitoring occurs on the premises.
We are always pleased to receive feedback on the service we provide. Please use our online feedback form via our website with suggestions or comments to the practice manager. Whilst we hope that our service does not give cause for complaint, we realise that there may be occasions when it is felt that the treatment or general care could have been different, and expectations could have been met better.
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