Thank you for entrusting the care and attention of your pet to The Moray Coast Vet Group.

This notice details our Practice Terms and Conditions. Some aspects of the Terms and Conditions may not be relevant to you and we request that you ask for further explanation/clarification if required.

Our commitment to you  

We aim to provide you with a first-class service and to provide your animal with the highest standard of treatment and care. 

Fees 

All fees, diets, and drug charges are subject to VAT at the current rate. Fee levels are determined by the time spent on a case and according to the drugs, materials, consumables and diets used. A list of our prices for consultations, drugs and surgical procedures is available upon request and a detailed invoice is provided for every consultation or procedure. Estimates can also be provided on request for surgical procedures and treatments prior to any treatment that occurs.

Methods of payment 

Accounts are due for settlement at the end of the consultation, the discharge of your pet or upon collection of drugs/diets. You may settle the account using the following:

CASH, CHEQUE, CREDIT/DEBIT CARD Mastercard, Visa, or BACS to the following account:

ACC NAME: MORAY COAST VETS LTD

ACC NO: 00288603

SORT CODE: 83-20-14

Please note that we do not accept American Express cards.

Estimates of treatment costs  

We will, upon request, provide a written estimate for proposed treatment[s] prior to any treatment commencing. Please bear in mind that this will be an estimate only and is not a fixed quotation.  We will seek your agreement to any changes to the treatment plan, which may include additional  procedures and tests, depending on the progress of the animal’s condition[s]. We will endeavor to keep you updated on ongoing costs while an animal is in our care.

Settlement terms 

Should the need arise to settle an account, and the account is not settled within 30 days, you, the client, will receive a reminder. Following this, further charges may be incurred. In the event of non-payment, after due notice given to you, the client, overdue accounts will be referred to our Debt Collection Agency. Further charges will also be levied in respect of costs that are incurred in collecting the debt if it remains unsettled.

Any cheque returned by our bank as unpaid, any credit card payment not honored, and any cash tendered that is found to be counterfeit will result in the account being restored to the original sum, with further charges added in respect of bank and administrative costs/charges.

Appointment Times

Appointments are available in the morning, afternoon and evening from Monday to Friday until the Practice[s] closes. The Forres Practice is open on a Saturday for appointments from 0900 to 1700 and we ask clients to avoid booking routine treatments on this day, as we attempt to keep these for sick and or injured pets. This is the same for Mondays.

24-Hour Emergency Cover  

Our Practice has an On-Call vet who deals with emergencies at times when the Practice is closed. In the event of an emergency, please dial the main phone number. Here your call will be answered by an Out-Of-Hours Phone Service and your details will be passed on to the On-Call vet. Please provide the information that is requested. When you contact us outside of our Opening Times, you will be informed by our Out-Of-Hours Phone service that the Out-Of-Hours phone advice carries a charge of £47.26. To be seen by a vet Out-Of-Hours carries a charge of £156.28 from 6.30pm until midnight. From Midnight until 7am, this charge increases to £191.02.

If you, the client, receive advice from our On-Call vet over the telephone but the conclusion is that your pet needs to be seen in the same night, then the telephone advice charge is waivered and the appropriate charge provided. If your pet is seen the next day, the charge still stands.

The On-Call vet will arrange to meet you at either our Forres or Nairn surgeries if they feel that your pet requires attention. These surgeries are equipped to deal with necessary emergency situations. House visits will only be provided if the On-Call vet feels that your animal’s welfare would be compromised by moving them. It is you, the owner’s, responsibility to provide transport to the practice. There is a surcharge for Out-Of-Hour’s consultations and treatment. The vet can provide an estimate of costs.

Ownership of Radiographs and Similar Records

The care given to your animal may involve specific investigations, for example, we may need to take radiographs or perform ultrasound scans. Even though there is a charge for carrying out these kinds of investigations, and the interpretation of the results and ownership of the resulting record[s] remains with the Practice. Copies with a summary of the animal’s history will be passed on following a request by another Veterinary Surgeon who would be taking over the case. Medical History can be also be forwarded to Insurance Companies, Referral Practices and new Vet Practices should the need arise. This will not be done without your consent being given.

General Data Protection Regulation [GDPR]

Moray Coast Vet Group is committed to protecting your data and remaining transparent in the way that your data is collected, stored and used. Moray Coast Vet Group Privacy Policy is available to view at any view, and can be given to new clients upon registration.

Practice Health Plan

We currently offer a Pet Health Plan managed by Vet Success. This plan is an excellent way of spreading the annual costs for routine vaccinations, wormer, and flea/tick treatments for dogs, cats and rabbits over monthly installments. This is done by a monthly Direct Debit. Members of this plan also receive 10% off foods brought from the Practice, consultation fees, routine neutering and routine dental work. Should you wish to join, you can complete a registration form on our website. You can also ask any questions to our reception team who will happily assist you.

Care of In-Patents

Out-Of-Hours, when the Practice is closed, Moray Coast has an On-Call Vet and registered Vet Nurse for the care of all in-Patient. These individuals assess each Patient and make regular trips in to the practice as they feel necessary with regard to each animal’s individual treatment plan. At times when they are not in the building, patients can be viewed via a webcam which is only accessible by our clinical staff.

Requesting a Second Opinion[s] or a Particular Vet

Please do not hesitate if you would prefer to seek a second opinion from another of our vets. Our Reception Staff or Nurses can advise you how you can go about this. If you would prefer to see a particular vet, please do just ask. You will not cause offence by requesting either a Second Opinion or to have the assistance of one of our Vets. We understand that visits to the vets can be an emotional time, and seeing a vet that you are familiar with can ease any stress. This may not be possible if your pet requires immediate attention during our Out-Of-Hour’s service.

Wildlife

In the event of a wild animal requiring Veterinary Attention, the SSPCA must be phoned by the member of the public who found the animal. Our Practice can only provide treatment on the instruction of the SSPCA.

Terms and Conditions 

Insurance claims 

Please make sure you read the small print on your Insurance Policy documents, so that you are fully aware of what will, and will not, be paid for in the event of a claim. It is your responsibility to inform your insurer.

If the insurance payment is to be made direct to you, please ensure that you settle your account in full. In some circumstances we can make a Direct Claim to your Insurance company, this can only be done after agreement with a member of staff and a Direct Claim consent form completed.

If you pay your insurance excess when you submit your claim form to us, please clearly indicate that you are instructing your insurance company to pay us directly. You will be responsible for paying all fees should they not be covered by the Insurance Company.

We charge an Annual Administration fee for completing insurance forms. This charge covers 1 year and is per condition.  A member of the team can quote you this fee.

Consent and Instructions 

In most cases we will only accept instructions following your consent, as the owner of your pets. If you are happy for external parties to request veterinary services on your behalf, please inform us of their name, and we will record your wishes on your account. 

Medication  

In order to comply with RCVS Medicines Regulations, we cannot supply prescription medications without first examining your pet. In order to prescribe, we have by law to be able to demonstrate that the patient is “under our care”. To allow us to re-prescribe, we must re-examine the patient every 6 months.

We have a strict no return policy as per RCVS guidelines for any medication dispensed by the practice.  

Normal Working Hours/Office Hours  

The Forres and Nairn Surgeries are open from 0800 – 1830 on Monday to Friday. Our Lossiemouth and Balloch Surgeries have varied opening hours during the week, please see our website for these times.

An ‘Out of Hours’ call out fee will be charged for all requests for visits that are telephoned before 0800 and after 1830 on weekdays. On Saturdays, our Forres Surgery is open 0900-1700 and an ‘Out-of-Hours’ call out fee will be charged on Saturday from 1700 to Monday 0800.

The Emergency Service can be accessed via our normal practice number on:

01309672243 / 01667453161

Marketing 

As a client of Moray Coast Vet Group we may, send you relevant and carefully selected marketing literature and newsletters. This would be done either by post or email. We will NEVER give your details to external companies for such marketing. If you would prefer for us NOT to send you such information, please contact us and let us know.  

Complaints & standards 

We hope that you never feel the need to complain about the standards of service received from Moray Coast Vet Group.  However, if you feel that there is something you wish to raise, please contact the Practice Manager via email at

rfinlayson@moraycoastvetgroup.co.uk

Variations in terms and conditions of business  

No addition or variation of these conditions will bind the Practice unless specifically agreed in writing by the Moray Coast Vets ltd. Additionally, no agent or person employed by or under contract with the Practice, has the authority to alter or vary these terms and conditions in any way.