All fees, diets and drug charges are subject to VAT at the current rate. Fee levels are determined by the time spent on a patient’s case and according to the number of staff members, drugs, materials and consumables used. You will receive a detailed statement for every consultation, investigation, surgical procedure or other transaction with us. Drugs cannot be dispensed without payment.
Estimates of Treatment Costs
Click here to find a list of our current routine and out-of hours consultation charges on our website. We routinely provide written estimates before performing additional investigations or and before admission of your pet to the clinic for medical treatment or surgical procedures. We will always endeavour to remain within the limits of the estimate but please keep in mind that any estimate given can only be approximate, because of the unpredictable nature of clinical work. Depending upon clinical circumstances, the final invoice may be above or below the original estimate. Where possible we will keep clients updated if costs are likely to exceed the estimate, although this may not always be possible in an emergency.
Methods of Payment
All Accounts are due for settlement at the end of the consultation, the discharge of your pet or upon collection of drugs. You may settle the account using: Cash, Cheque, BACS and Credit/Debit Card. Please note that we DO NOT accept American Express cards.
Inability to Pay If you cannot settle your account, please discuss this matter prior to the consultation or as soon as possible with the practice manager. Please note that we cannot offer payment in instalments, and any payment terms other than full payment at the time of the service being supplied may only be sanctioned with the express permission of a director.
Terms of Business
All payment is required on receipt of our invoice, normally at the time of treatment. Any account not settled within 28 days of the due date may be referred to the High Court Enforcement Group. Further charges will be levied in respect of costs incurred in collecting the debt: production of reports, correspondence, court fees, attendance in court, phone calls etc. Any credit card or cheque 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, with further charges added in respect of bank charges and administrative costs together with interest on the original invoice amount.
Pet Insurance and Direct Claims
EVC welcomes patients with pet health insurance. We generally expect you to settle your account with us at the time of treatment and we will help you to re-claim your fees from your insurance company by processing your insurance forms promptly. Separate arrangements are in place for clients with an RSA insurance – please click here. We will not charge you for completing insurance forms other than for arranging a direct claim.
On occasions (for some elective procedures), you may wish for us to carry out a direct claim from your insurance company. We usually will require a pre-authorisation from your company in this case – which might take up to 72 hours depending on your company. It is usually not possible to arrange a pre-authorisation out of normal working hours and direct claims are therefore not routinely agreed at this time.
Please contact a member of staff if you wish to discuss the option of a direct claim.
For more information on how we deal with pet insurance please click here
Written Prescriptions
Prescriptions are available from this Practice.
You may obtain Prescription Only Medicines Category V, (POM Vs) directly from us as prescribed by the veterinary surgeon in charge of your pet’s care, or you may ask for a written prescription and obtain these medicines from another veterinary surgeon or pharmacy. A prescription may not be appropriate, however, if your animal is an in-patient or if immediate treatment is necessary. Please also note we cannot take responsibility for medications purchased elsewhere. A reasonable charge is made for formulating and supplying a written prescription (please click here for more detail).
Repeat prescriptions
We are happy to provide repeat prescriptions for animals under our care according to the patient’s individual treatment plan. The policy of this practice is to re-assess every patient requiring repeat prescriptions at least on a six-monthly basis but this may vary with individual circumstances. A standard re-examination fee will be charged for the re-assessment.
We kindly request that, wherever possible, you give us 48 hours’ notice for repeat orders of medication. Certain medications may have to be ordered in for the sole treatment of your pet and in these instances, we will require payment in full, even if they are not collected or used. We will always inform you, on request, of the price of any medicine that may be prescribed for your pet.
Ownership of records and diagnostic imaging documents
In accordance with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ guidelines and in the interest of animal welfare and our own protection, case records and diagnostic imaging documents are the property of, and shall be retained by, Eye Veterinary Clinic. In the event of supersession or further referral, copies together with a relevant clinical history will be passed upon request to the veterinary surgeon participating in the care of the patient or taking over the case. A charge may be made for providing copies of diagnostic imaging documents. Photographs obtained during consultation and treatment may be used for scientific publications teaching of veterinary ophthalmology.
Client confidentiality and data protection
The veterinary surgeon/client relationship is founded on trust, and in normal circumstances we will not disclose to any third party any information about a client or their animal either given by the client, or revealed by clinical examination or by post-mortem examination. Permission to pass on confidential information may be express or implied. Express permission may be either verbal or in writing, usually in response to a request. Permission may also be implied from circumstances, for example in the making of a claim under a pet insurance policy, when the insurance company becomes entitled to receive all information relevant to the claim and to seek clarification if required.
Please see our privacy policy on this website for more details about how your data is stored and processed.
Out of Hours Services
Our routine office hours are Monday to Thursday 9.00-17.30 and Friday 9.00-17.00. Outside these hours, we provide an emergency service for patients already under our care and for veterinary surgeons wishing to refer urgent cases that have not yet been seen by us. Any phone calls coming to the practice out-of-hours are directed via a telephone answering service to a Veterinary Ophthalmologist, who will respond as quickly as possible to give telephone advice and arrange, if necessary, an emergency appointment. Consultations and treatments given outside of our normal operating hours will incur additional charges (for more information please click here).
Inpatient Care
As a specialist eye clinic, most of our patients are managed on an outpatient basis. If a patient does require overnight hospitalisation we can facilitate that. For more detailed information please click here.
Complaints
Our team at Eye Veterinary Clinic is committed to providing the best possible veterinary ophthalmology referral service to our referring veterinary surgeons, clients and patients. In this, we hope to be guided by empathy, knowledge, efficacy and passion.
We always welcome positive feedback. In person, via post or e-mail we greatly appreciate knowing what we did well so that we can assess the way we manage cases and continue to improve our service.
However, even with the best intentions we may on occasion fail to fulfill expectations. We hope that we will be given a chance to address any concerns – which can hopefully be resolved quickly and amicably. Often, it is easiest if you raise any issues at the time directly with the member of staff you are dealing with, so we can sort any problems then and there. However, if you feel uncomfortable doing this, please ask to speak to the practice manager (Jenny Corrall) or the directors (Christine Heinrich, Rachael Grundon and Karen Walsh). You can also phone us or e-mail jenny@eyevetclinic.co.uk who will be in touch to address your concerns as soon as possible.
If you are still not satisfied that the problem has been resolved, please put your concerns in writing addressed to ‘The Practice Manager’, Eye Veterinary Clinic, Marlbrook, Leominster, HR6 0PH. Please be aware that if you leave things too long after the event, it may be impossible to investigate the complaint properly; therefore, it is always best to alert us to any worries you may have at the time. To help us to help you, please provide as much detail as possible with regards to dates, times, personnel involved and the nature of the complaint and the outcome you are hoping for. All written complaints will be acknowledged within five working days, detailing the proposed actions, how we will keep you updated, and the timescales involved. The time from complaint to resolution can vary depending on the individual circumstances, availability of personnel and complexity of the problem. If we do not succeed in resolving the problem to your satisfaction, you should contact the professional conduct department of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons at Belgrave House, 62-64 Horseferry Road, London SW1P 2AF or you can contact the RCVS via their website www.rcvs.org.uk.