The RVC will use your personal data to carry out the necessary tasks for administration and management of your interactions with our clinical services.

This is likely to include your contact details, payment details, and details of your insurance provision so we can carry out clinical work at your request. It may also include a record of your consent to be contacted by the RVC for a range of purposes which may include: appointment or vaccination reminders, events or clinical services relevant to the care of your companion, working or production animal, requests to take part in research studies in support of veterinary medicine or communications from the Animal Care Trust which is a charity that supports our activities.

In certain circumstances we may be obliged to share your information with third parties such insurance companies, debt collection agencies, microchip registration companies, the RSPCA, the police or the courts.

Where we are processing your personal data for the purposes of the clinical services we are providing to you we do so on the legal bases of contract.

Where we are processing your data for other purposes for which we have sought your consent (e.g. marketing, research) then the legal bases for processing that data is the consent that you have provided.

Full details can be provided to you in writing or found at: RVC Client Privacy Notice

Raising a Concern

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) is committed to providing clinical services of the highest standard and so we welcome customer communication and feedback. If you have a concern or are dissatisfied with our service, please contact us as soon as possible. We will proactively work with you to resolve your concerns.

Contact us

You can contact us in a number of ways:

Face-to-face:

• If you have a concern with the clinical service you received from the RVC, please in the first instance please talk to the RVC veterinary surgeon caring for your animal. They are often in the best position to answer any questions you may have
• If your concern relates to a non-clinical aspect of our service, or you would rather speak to someone who has not been directly involved with the care of your animal, please speak to a member of our reception team who will direct you to an appropriate person
• If you would like to discuss your concerns in more detail, we are happy to arrange meetings with relevant members of our team

Telephone:

• Please contact our Customer Care Team on (0)1707 666399
• If we are unable to put you through to your veterinary surgeon or the relevant manager directly, please leave a message. Please tell us your name and your animal’s name together with daytime contact details and a brief description of your concern. We will return your call within two working days

In writing:

 QmhaCustomerCare@rvc.ac.uk

• Client Liaison Manager, Queen Mother Hospital for Animals, Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hertfordshire AL9 7TA

To help us investigate your concern, please provide us with the following information:

• Your name and full contact details
• Your animal’s name, species, breed and age
• A clear description of your concern
• Copies of any relevant supporting documentation (if applicable)
• Details of the outcome you would like to see

We will acknowledge your email or letter within five working days.

We will instigate a thorough investigation immediately. We will ask all those involved to provide a statement detailing their version of events. This allows us to produce a detailed chronology to gain a full picture of what happened.

We will write to you within four weeks. If our investigation is complete the letter will detail our final response. If we have determined that more in-depth research is required we will advise you of this and we will have a maximum response time of eight weeks to answer your concerns in full.

If, in exceptional circumstances, our investigation is still not complete, we will explain our position and let you know when we expect to be able to provide a final response

We may not always provide the answer you are looking for, but we will make sure we offer a clear explanation for our decision.

If you remain unhappy

If you are dissatisfied with our response, you can ask The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) for an independent review. The RCVS register veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses to practise in the UK, and regulate their educational, ethical and clinical standards.

The RCVS has a responsibility to investigate all concerns raised with them about veterinary surgeons and registered veterinary nurses (RVNs).

The contact details for the RCVS are:

Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Belgravia House, 62-64 Horseferry Road, London SW1P 2AF

 +44 (0)20 7202 0789

 animalowners.rcvs.org.uk/concerns/

The RCVS also offers a mediation service:

 +44 (0)34 5040 5834

 enquiries@vetmediation.co.uk

 animalowners.rcvs.org.uk/concerns/veterinary-client-mediation-service/