Terms and Conditions

Ace Vets (Cranham) aims to provide high quality veterinary health care. For this
reason, our fees and trading conditions (detailed below) are structured to allow the
practice to provide this service. We invest in modern facilities for the benefit of all
our clients. The service we offer is constantly reviewed and improved. A copy of this
notice is available for you to take away if requested.

Responsible Pet Ownership, Ace Vets, and You
Just like you, Ace Vets believes in the principle of responsible pet ownership and the
benefits of preventative healthcare. This includes regular appropriate vaccinations
and regular flea and worm control for dogs, cats and rabbits. Ace Vets recommends
microchipping as the best permanent means of identification for your pet.
In order to help you budget for your pet’s routine healthcare needs, and to also make
the unexpected bills more manageable, we’re pleased to offer the Ace Vets
Healthcare Plan. Please ask your local Ace Vets practice for more details.

Pet Health Insurance
Animals can become ill or get injured without warning. Ace Vets strongly supports
the principle of insuring your pet against unexpected problems and the bills that can
go with these. Please ask for details about insurance from any member of staff at
your local Ace Vets practice. Please be aware that, unless we specifically arrange
otherwise in writing, it is your responsibility to settle your account with us and then
reclaim the fees from your insurance company. Please note that the Ace Vets
Healthcare Plan is not an insurance policy.

Fees
Sadly, there is no National Health Service (NHS) for pets and Ace Vets relies on fee
income to invest in constantly improving the standards of our facilities, equipment
and staff to benefit our patients and clients.
Please ensure all fees are paid at the time of treatment as this helps to keep the level
of fees as low as possible for all clients.
All professional fees, pet shop and medicine charges are subject to VAT at the
prevailing rate. Fee levels are determined by the time and skill level required for a
case as well as medicines, materials, laboratory tests, consumables and diets used.
Fee levels will also have a contribution towards general overhead costs. Itemised
fees are always available for every treatment. You are liable for any fees incurred in
the diagnosis and treatment of your pet even if your pet is brought to us on your
behalf by an agent, for example a relative or friend.
No medicines or pet shop items can be dispensed without payment being received
at the time the items are collected. This does not include items dispensed as part of
the Ace Vets Healthcare Plan, which are subject to the terms and conditions of the
plan.
The veterinary surgeons and staff will be pleased to discuss likely costs at any time
– please don't hesitate to ask.

Methods of payment
Accounts are due for settlement at our discretion at the end of the consultation or
treatment, the discharge of your pet, or upon collection of medicines and other pet
requisites. You may settle the account using cash or a credit/debit card – we accept
Mastercard and Visa

Estimates of treatment costs
We will provide written estimates as to the probable costs of a course of treatment.
Please bear in mind that any estimate given can only be approximate as it is not
always possible to predict how a pet’s illness will progress, and often a pet’s illness
will not follow a conventional course. We will try to contact you on the telephone
numbers you have given us if we believe the treatment costs are going to exceed the
estimated costs. If, however, you are not contactable, we will treat your pet as is
necessary for the prevention of pain and/or suffering.

Settlement terms
Should an account not be settled within seven days, then a reminder will be sent.
This will include an additional accounting fee in respect of the administrative costs
incurred up to 10%. Should it be necessary for further reminders to be sent, further
charges will be incurred. These however, may be deducted at Ace Vets’s sole
discretion if payment is made promptly. After due notice to you, the client, overdue
accounts will be referred to our debt collection agency and further charges will be
levied in respect of costs incurred in collecting the debt (these include, but are not
limited to, the production of reports, correspondence, court fees, attendance at court,
phone calls, home visits, etc.).
Any cheque returned by our bank as unpaid, any credit card payment not honoured,
and any cash tendered that is found to be counterfeit will result in the original
account being restored to the original sum.
All missed appointments will be charged for unless reasonable notice of cancellation
is given. It is at Ace Vets’ sole discretion not to charge for a missed appointment.

Inability to pay
If, for any reason, you are unable to settle your account as specified, we ask you to
discuss the matter as soon as possible with a member of staff. Please note that
instalment payments or part-payments of any account may only be sanctioned with
the express permission of an authorised partner after appropriate checks have been
made and you will need to sign an acknowledgement of debt. The granting of
permission for instalment payments rather than full payment at the time of
treatment is at Ace Vets’ absolute discretion.

Ownership of records
Case records including radiographs, clinical notes, laboratory records and similar
documents are the property of, and will be retained by, Ace Vets. Part of the fees
charged will be for interpretation of such radiographs or laboratory reports. A
summary of the history will be passed on to another veterinary surgeon taking over
the case. Should you wish to obtain a copy of the case records or radiographs, Ace
Vets will provide these, if there is a cost to the business in order to provide these,
that debt will be passed to the owner.

Out-of-hours Policy
Ace Vets uses Essex Vets Rainham, 2 South End Road, Rainham RM13 7XH, 01708
592290 as their out of hours provider who covers animals hospitalised overnight.

Prescription Policy
Prescriptions are available from this practice. 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
pharmacy. Your veterinary surgeon may prescribe POM-Vs only 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
practice is to re-assess every three months any animal that requires repeat
prescriptions, but this frequency may increase or decrease depending on individual
circumstances and the opinion of the veterinary surgeon. The standard charge for a
re-examination for such purposes is the prevailing price of a consultation fee. There
is a charge for providing prescriptions. Please ask a member of staff for the current
prescription fee.

In-patient care
Level of inpatient care provided during normal practice opening hours
Our staff will provide appropriate and adequate in-patient care for your pet, as
decided and instructed by the Veterinary surgeon on duty. This care includes being
housed in a comfortable environment, monitored and treated commensurate with
your pet’s condition, by persons with the requisite level of knowledge and expertise.
During normal practice opening hours a member of staff will be present on the
practice site at all times and will be available to provide in-patient care to your pet.

Level of inpatient care provided outside of normal practice opening hours
Patients that require overnight care and hospitalisation will be transferred, by either
the practice or by the owner, to a dedicated out of hours provider. If such a centre is
not available the veterinary surgeon will inform the client of the procedure for the
continuous care of your pet, this may include your pet being hospitalised without
continuous supervision. The veterinary surgeon will discuss the available options
with the client, this discussion will include the frequency of in-patient checks.

Referrals and second opinions
The veterinary surgeon will facilitate a client’s request for a referral or second
opinion. A referral may be for a diagnosis, procedure and/or possible treatment, after
which the case is returned to the referring veterinary surgeon, whereas a second
opinion is only for the purpose of seeking the views of another veterinary surgeon.
When will we refer?
Veterinary surgeons will recognise when a case or a treatment option is outside their
area of competence and will be prepared to refer it to an external organisation or
institution, whom they are satisfied is competent to carry out the investigations or
treatment involved.
The veterinary surgeon will make a referral appropriate to the case. When
considering what is appropriate the veterinary surgeon will consider all relevant
factors. These might include the ability and experience of the referral veterinary
surgeon, the location of the service, the urgency of treatment and the circumstances
of the owner, including the availability and any limitations of insurance.
In cases where the client does not accept the veterinary surgeon’s advice regarding
referral and would instead prefer referral to a colleague, organisation or institution of
which the referring veterinary surgeon has insufficient knowledge to determine
appropriateness, they may need to advise their client accordingly. In some such
cases, the veterinary surgeon may consider that they cannot be party to such a
referral relationship.
Both the referring veterinary surgeon and the referral veterinary surgeon will ensure
that the client has an understanding of the likely cost arising from the referral.

General
Ace Vets may contact you either by letter, phone, text or electronic means in order to
advise you of outstanding accounts, reminders of your pet’s preventative healthcare
treatments, and any marketing initiatives that might be of benefit to you or your pet.
Please inform us if you wish to modify how we may contact you. Please be aware
that choosing to have no contact from us at all will remove the ability of the practice
to send vaccination reminders.
Reminders are provided as a complimentary service to our clients. Ace Vets accepts
no liability for any loss, damages or costs which may result from the failure of a
client to receive any reminder.
No addition or variation of these conditions will bind the practice unless it is
specifically agreed in writing and signed by one of the group’s partners. No agent or
person employed by, or under contract with Ace Vets, has the authority to alter or
vary these conditions in any way.
All data collection, storage and usage is anonymised and fully compliant with
relevant data protection regulations.

Social media
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Ace Vets is committed to providing an exceptional standard of service and care to
our patients and clients. We realise, however, that things can sometimes go wrong
and there may be occasions when you feel your expectations were not met. If this
happens, we want to hear about it so that we can try to put things right.

Our complaints procedure is simple and is as follows:
If you have a complaint, you should make this in the first instance to the head nurse
at the practice you have attended, preferably by speaking to the head nurse over the
phone or in person, as appropriate. Most problems can be sorted out easily and
quickly, often at the time they arise and directly with the person concerned.
If your complaint cannot be resolved by the vet at the practice, you should then
follow the guidance below.

A guide to making a complaint
We hope that before you complain formally you will give the practice concerned a
chance to put things right. Most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often
at the time they arise and with the person concerned. If your problem cannot be
sorted out in this way, and you wish to make a formal complaint, we would like you
to let us know in writing as soon as possible - ideally within a matter of days or at
most a few weeks - because this will enable us to establish what happened more
easily.
Please include the following information to assist us in investigating the problem:
 Why – the nature of the complaint/problem
 When the problem occurred
 Who – which staff were involved
 What you are hoping for as an outcome
Please contact us with your complaint in writing or at info@aceVetscranham.com

What we shall do
We shall acknowledge your complaint within five working days, telling you who is
dealing with your complaint and when you can expect to receive a reply.
Complaints are usually addressed by the head nurse responsible for the practice in
the first instance. If you have already tried to resolve the matter with a lead vet or
branch partner, the matter will be escalated.
In most cases, we hope to give you a full reply within fifteen working days but if it is
going to take longer, we will get in touch with you to let you know what is happening.
We shall then be in a position to offer you an explanation, and/or the results of our
investigation.
When we look into your complaint, we shall aim to:
 We will carry out a full investigation.
 make sure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate.
 identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not happen again.

What to do if you are still unhappy
We hope that, if you have a problem, you will use our practice complaints procedure.
We believe this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone
wrong. We view this as an opportunity to hear your feedback and make
improvements if appropriate.
If you are not happy with the reply, we can escalate this complaint to the practice
owners. This does not affect your right to approach the Veterinary Client Mediation
Service (VCMS) or the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons if you are dissatisfied
with the result of our investigation.
Please sign to confirm you have read and understand the terms and conditions.
Print Name _______________________________________________________________________
Sign Name _______________________________________________________________________