Terms & Conditions
We pride ourselves on providing a high-quality service, clinical expertise at a reasonable cost. To achieve this we must invest in expensive equipment, facilities and training our staff to an appropriate level. Our fees reflect the standards of care we can provide.
All consultations are by appointment only. Clients are requested to inform the surgery in advance, preferably at least 24 hours before your appointment time, if you wish to cancel, or reschedule your appointment. We reserve the right to charge £20 fee for missed appointments, or for appointments cancelled, or changed at short notice (short notice defined as 30mins before). We are not responsible for delays outside our control. If our supply of the veterinary services is delayed by an event outside our control, such as an emergency or an external factor, then we will contact you as soon as possible to let you know and we will take steps to minimise the effect of the delay. Late arrivals (arriving more then 7minutes late for a 15 minute slot) will be rebooked unless it is an emergency. We rebook late arrivals to prevent subsequent clients from being kept waiting.
You can appoint an agent to act on your behalf by contacting us in writing. We may require proof that they are authorised to represent you. They must be over 18 years of age. We are not responsible for disagreements between you and your agent regarding decisions made by your agent with regards treatment plans and costs.
For every pets’ safety, all dogs must be on leads and cats must be in cat carriers. The safety of your pets, you and our team is of the highest priority. We may ask you to use a muzzle for your pet or provide sedation as appropriate.
We shall ensure that all veterinary services are supplied by suitably qualified staff, taking into account the nature of the veterinary service to be supplied in each instance. Veterinary services may also be provided by or with the involvement of other staff as part of their training and development (such as student vets, nurse and animal care assistants) under the supervision of a suitably trained and/or qualified member of staff involved in the care of your animal. You have the right at any time for them not to provide or be involved in the care of your animal.
We do not have staff on premises outside of our opening hours. If your hospitalised pet requires overnight care we recommend that you transfer your pet to The Lighthouse for overnight and/or weekend care. You are responsible for the transfer and any costs associate with the out-of-hours providers’ care.
All service fees and product prices are inclusive of VAT. Prices are updated at our discretion. Prices for common items are listed on our website for transparency. Details of further fees are available upon request. An examination fee applies when you see a veterinary surgeon. Fee levels are determined by the time spent on the case, and in surgical cases, by the time and complexity of the surgery. Administration fees are charged such as for insurances claims etc.
We can provide estimates for many procedures and clinical investigations. Estimates are a guide due to the uncertain nature of clinical investigations. Should the investigation process change due to updated information we will endeavour to inform you of the revised costs so that you can make an informed decision of how to proceed. In an emergency we reserve the right to provide such veterinary services as are reasonably necessary, in the professional judgement of the veterinary surgeon providing the veterinary services, without first agreeing a treatment plan.
All fees are payable at the time of service provision. Consults are paid for at the completion of the service. Surgery and inpatient care must be paid for upon collection of your pet and a deposit may be required. Diagnostic tests, such as laboratory tests are paid for at the time of submission of samples. Failure to pay at the time of service, may result in a surcharge of up to 15% of the invoice. Attempts will be made to recover unpaid accounts, and associated costs will be allocated to the account. A monthly administration fee of £25 may be charged for out-standing accounts. In the event that payment requests are unsuccessful, we may then pass your details to a debt recovery agency.
Clinical records including imaging and laboratory test results are the property of the Portsmouth Vets and are retained by us. On request, copies are passed directly to another veterinary surgeon giving a second opinion or specialist care. The results of all tests and procedures we perform remain the property of the Portsmouth Vets, even though we raise invoices for undertaking and interpreting these tests and procedures.
It is to be understood that anaesthetics carry a small risk. We use the safest available anaesthetics as deemed appropriate by the veterinary surgeon. We recommend a pre-operative blood sample for dogs over 6 years and cats over 8 years old or those in a higher risk category. Intravenous fluids may also be advisable in certain situations. It is to be accepted that whilst taking blood samples, placing an animal on an intravenous drip or performing an ultrasound scan there will be clipping of the coat.
Insurance
We recommend all pets have insurance cover for unexpected illness and injury. Direct insurance claims are permitted on the basis that the insurance excess is paid and that the insurance documents are brought in to the surgery. This facility is provided at our discretion, is assessed on a case by case basis and should be discussed with the veterinary surgeon before commencement of treatment. We endeavour to complete and send insurance forms within two weeks however on occasion there may be a backlog of claims and this may take longer. We have charges for completion/submission of insurance paperwork on your behalf and for any additional correspondence required to process or appeal claims.
In the event that all or any part of the insurance claim is not paid by your insurance company for any reason you will be liable for the outstanding balance. We take no responsibility for the decisions of your chosen insurance company.
Our Out-of-hours providers is The Lighthouse (inside Optivet). 01243 765 247
You acknowledge and agree that all products must only be used in accordance with the instructions supplied with them or issued orally by the Veterinary Surgeon providing the veterinary services or other of our staff. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the use of any product, you should consult the Veterinary Surgeon providing the veterinary services or other of our staff for clarification. As a licensed supplier of veterinary medicines, we are unable to offer a refund for medications that have left our clinic due to a break in the traceability. We can safely dispose of medications for you free of charge.
On request, we provide written prescriptions. A fee, displayed on our website, is charged for preparing, recording and issuing written veterinary prescriptions. Prescriptions for continuing medicines are usually issued 3 to 6 month period but this varies according to the nature of the condition and the type of medicine. Controlled drugs can only by 28days. Please make requests with 24 hours notice. Health reviews are required every 6 months. In some cases, this will be less, according to the severity of the condition.
We shall treat all our clients with honesty, politeness, and respect at all times, and ask the same of you in return. We take a zero-tolerance approach against intrusive, offensive, violent or aggressive behaviour. This includes information posted online. This can include making malicious allegations, derogatory remarks, racial remarks, sexual remarks, offensive sexual gestures and abusive or threatening language and behaviour. If such a situation should occur, we reserve the right to ask the client in question to leave the practice premises immediately, to suspend all future veterinary services to that client, or to raise a police complaint if the situation warrants.
We reserve the right to decline or withdraw service fully at any stage.
Our liability in respect of all and any claims, damages or losses arising in respect of the goods and/or services provided by us or arising in connection with any attendance at our practice or attendance at any property by one of our vets shall be limited in accordance with our insurance cover. In the event of any uninsured claims, damages or losses our liability shall be limited to the value of the goods and/or services to which the claim, damages or loss relates. We only supply the products and services for domestic and private use and we will have no liability to you for any business related liability.
Complaints
We hope you do not find the need to complain about our service. However, our complaints procedure is all complaints are to be put in writing either via letter or email to complaints@portsmouthvets.com. Complaints are handled by our senior team and responded to within 21 days.
