From 8th October 2024

Our commitment to you

• We aim to provide you with a first-class professional service.
• We aim to provide your pet with the highest standards of care and treatment.
• We understand that when your pet is hospitalised, this may be a stressful time for you. We aim to provide appropriate means for you to have effective communication with the hospital during their stay.
• If your pet has been admitted to the Hospital, we will provide you with an estimate of costs before commencement of treatment. This estimate is subject to change, as all animals are unique and will respond differently to treatment, the diagnosis may change, or a complication could occur. Where possible, we will keep you informed as soon as possible of any changes to an estimate and seek your agreement to continue with treatment if the costs are likely to increase.
• We will endeavour to arrange appointments at convenient times and dates for you.
• In the sad event of your animal passing away, we can put you in contact with a bereavement support advisor.
• As a condition of registration, or continued registration of your dog with The Kennel Club, we will advise The Kennel Club of the correction of any defect which altered the natural conformation of your dog and / or of any caesarean operation.

Your commitment to us

• We require all clients to provide proof of address on arrival for their first appointment. This includes a valid UK driving licence, a utility bill or bank/credit card statement no older than 3 months. We will also need confirmation of your date of birth.
• A deposit of 50% of the estimated bill will be required from you at the time that your pet is admitted to the hospital and with each additional estimate increase unless you are insured (see below).
• You are responsible for full settlement of your account at the time your pet is discharged from the hospital. After due notice to you the client, overdue accounts will be sent to our Central Debt Team and then onto our debt collection agency, incurring a 5% fee of the total balance, should the debt continue beyond 90 days. Further charges may be levied in respect of costs incurred in collecting the debt, such as production of reports, correspondence, court fees, attendance at court, phone calls, home visits etc.
• To behave with respect and courtesy toward all of our staff at every point of contact.

Deposits and Cancellation Fees

Our goal is to provide quality health care to all pets in a timely manner. No-shows, late arrivals, and cancellations impact our overall clinical service provision. Please be aware of our policy regarding appointment deposits and cancellations.

• A deposit of £125.00 will be required at the time of booking your appointment.
• Any cancellation or reschedule made with less than 3 working days’ notice will result in a cancellation fee of the deposit amount of £125.00.
• If you are more than 30 minutes late for your appointment and have not notified us, we may not be able to accommodate you. In this case, the same cancellation fee will apply. We will do our very best to reschedule your service for another time that is convenient to you.
• In the event of a true, unavoidable emergency, all or part of your cancellation fee may be refunded or applied to future services.
• If you no longer require your appointment, please provide 3 working days’ notice and a refund can be arranged.

Prescriptions

• Written prescriptions are available on request.
• You may obtain Prescription Only Medicines, Category V, (POM Vs) from your Veterinary Surgeon OR ask for a prescription and obtain these medicines from another Veterinary Surgeon or a Pharmacy.
• Your Veterinary Surgeon is only permitted to prescribe POM Vs for animals under his or her care.
• A prescription may not be appropriate if your animal is an in-patient or immediate treatment is necessary.
• You will be informed, on request, of the price of any medicine that may be prescribed for your animal.
• The general policy of this hospital is to re-examine a pet that requires repeat prescriptions every three months, but this may vary with individual circumstances.
• Non-veterinary licensed medications may be prescribed for your pet. We will ask you to sign for consent at the time of discharge.
• The British Veterinary Association Code of Practice on Medicines (2000) states: "Once stock has been dispensed, it should not be accepted back into the dispensary. No returned goods should be offered for resale because there may have been problems with storage conditions beyond the veterinarian’s control."
• This means that we cannot give refunds for returned medications as we are obliged to dispose of them. We are happy to safely dispose of your unused medication if it was purchased from the RVC.

Insurance

• Please speak to us to discuss what paperwork is required to claim the costs back and ensure that these are emailed to qmhaccounts@rvc.ac.uk prior to your appointment or within 24hrs of admission.
• We will not be able to process your claim unless we are in receipt of ALL required documents, and you will be responsible for full payment.
• Our report to your referring Veterinary Surgeon may be forwarded to your insurance company at their request.
• It is important that you contact your insurance company prior to your appointment to establish the level of cover remaining on your policy, any exclusions on your policy and any excess that will not be covered for the condition your pet has.
• We are happy to liaise with the insurance company about recovery of fees on your behalf, but you may be required to give permission allowing us to do this.
• If, for any reason, the insurance company does not pay part, or the entire amount, you will be responsible for paying the balance in full, we do not offer payment plans.

If your pet is insured and you are claiming costs back to yourself (an INDIRECT claim):

• A deposit of 50% of the estimated bill will be required from you at the time that your pet is admitted to the hospital.
• Payment will be expected in full at the time of collection of your pet; this will enable us to process your indirect claim.
• We aim to process claim forms promptly so that insurance companies can reimburse you swiftly, but please be advised that it can take 28 working days.

If your pet is insured and a DIRECT claim (claiming costs paid directly to us) has been agreed by our Accounts team:

• If a £125.00 deposit has not been taken up front for your appointment, on admission, an administration fee of £25.00 (incl. VAT) and a deposit of £100 will be requested at the time of the first consultation, this is to cover any shortfalls or excesses deducted by your insurance provider. If your policy states that your excess is higher than this, we will take a higher payment from you. This £100 deposit will be refundable if full payment is received from your insurance company.
• Please ensure that you have an initial claim made with your regular Veterinary Surgeon if applicable.
• You are responsible for liaising with, and providing any requested information by, your insurance company.
• If an insurance claim is not settled within 60 days, we will require you to settle your account in full.

Feedback

• We will always do our best for you and your animals. If you have a concern which cannot be resolved informally through our customer service team, please put your concerns in writing to us at QmhaCustomerCare@rvc.ac.uk
• Our full complaints process is available at https://www.rvc.ac.uk/small-animal-vet/specialist-referrals/for-pet-owners/privacy-statement

If you have any queries concerning payments, please do not hesitate to contact us:

The Queen Mother Hospital for Animals 01707 666399 between 8.30am and 7.00pm Monday to Friday

Please note that all telephone calls to and from the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals may be recorded for training and monitoring purposes in order to improve our services.

Attending your appointment will be considered as acceptance of the above.

Data Protection Statement:  The Royal Veterinary College complies with the UK Data Protection Act 2018 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Our full Privacy Notice can be viewed at https://rvc.uk.com/client-data-use-policy

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