Client Booklet 2008

Welcome to Oak Tree Veterinary Centre

We hope that you will find this short brochure helpful in obtaining the best service for your pet from us.

As we have grown from a small beginning (an acorn perhaps?) into an established practice (the oak tree?), we have evolved this booklet partly from the comments of clients, all of whose opinions we value and have actioned many of the suggestions, made over the years.

Please spend a little time reading through it so that you can benefit from the best efforts we can make for you. In addition to this booklet, we have an extensive leaflet collection written by us for you on many topics, all freely available from reception and many featured on our website.

We aim to produce a written copy of this booklet annually but in between, any updates will be available from reception and also will be posted on our website which is www.oaktreevet.co.uk

As we said in the 2004 booklet, we have redressed the balance between professional fees and medicine prices in accordance with the wishes and possible requirements of government and have reduced our fees for medicines and are charging more fairly for the time spent with each case. Overall the practice income has remained the same and the cost of care for our average owner and average pet has not been increased as a result of these changes.

Should you wish to have a written prescription to be filled elsewhere for the medicines, you require, this can be provided.

Unfortunately as with human medicine the costs of materials, equipment and further education has outstripped general inflation and there has to be a modest increase in fees each year to enable us to develop to serve your needs in this and the coming years.

Arriving At The Centre

We have a private car park for your convenience. If you are apprehensive about turning right across the Queensferry Road, please refer to the map on the back cover. You will see that you can utilise the side roads to enable you to make a left turn into the car park.

Please park in one of the marked bays against the picket fence on the right hand side as you look towards the surgery.

If you, a member of your party, or your pet has difficulty walking, please drive right up the ramp so that you have an easy walk in to the front door. We are happy to assist owners to and from their cars with pets, prams and purchases. Please ask.

Even if you are the only caller at the time of your arrival, please do not obstruct the turning area. Almost all of our parking frustrations are caused by this!

Important Please help us to help you!

Dog owners.

We would ask that you bring your dog on a lead and we can lend you one if required. Not only could your dog escape from you whilst in the car park or waiting room, it helps prevent a clash with another dog already in the waiting room and saves distress to cats and other smaller pets who may be easily startled and considerably upset by the unwanted intrusion.

We would ask that your dog is clean and dry, on arrival. It is not a pleasant task to examine a dirty dog and lesions on the skin can easily be missed, due to a matted coat. Also, clean dogs help keep the surgery fresh and clean for the enjoyment of the following patients and saves us using some of your consultation time cleaning the rooms for the next patient.

Please save the run through the park or a swim in the sea as an "after vet treat".

Please do not be embarrassed if your pet passes faeces in the car park but do let us know so that we might clear the mess away for you. We would however be grateful for your close attention to prevent urine marking inside the waiting room and consulting room which has proven an expensive experience for us in terms of damaged foods and shop products.

Cat owners

We would ask that you bring your cat in a basket, box or on a harness, so that he or she cannot escape if startled. We assure you that a frightened cat can run and climb better than any human!. We are happy to lend you a basket for your visit if you ask at reception.

Owners of rabbits and small mammals.

Please bring your pet on a lead and harness (if appropriate) or in a small secure box or carton without sawdust or shavings. Powdery bedding material almost invariably becomes scattered removing and replacing small mammals in their baskets and we do not wish to use some of your consultation time sweeping up, when it is better spent attending your pet.

A small amount of hay in the basket may be used to provide a warm and secure environment for transport

All accessories (such as leads, blankets, toys, baskets, cages etc.) left with us and not claimed within 14 days will be donated to one of the local animal charities

Food and Pet Supplies.

We have a well stocked shop selling foods and pet supplies and benefit from daily delivery from two national veterinary wholesalers who each carry in excess of ten thousand lines. Knowing you and your pet as individuals and our experience, training and qualifications means we can offer a friendly, expert, convenient and cost effective service compared to the impersonal "petfood sheds" and supermarkets. Furthermore any profit from the sales of food goes straight back into improving the practice for the benefit of your pet, not disappearing to a distant head office and shareholders.

In addition we pay a 3% dividend on all shop sales redeemable against your pet's annual vaccination healthcheck.

We stock Hills and Eukanuba for cats and dogs as well as a variety of foods for smaller mammals. In addition we can offer next day availability on almost any food and pet care product. Why not give us a try the next time you need supplies. We would be surprised if you were disappointed and buying from us helps us further our knowledge and facilities meaning a better veterinary service to you in the future. No other outlet can make such a claim.

However we do encourage you to pre-order food and other supplies well before you run out. That way we can ensure that your order is in stock, labelled, priced and ready for collection, saving you time and avoiding any disappointment.

Why not phone us on 539 7539 or email us on reception@oaktreevet.co.uk for a quote for your petfood and supplies.

We have many satisfied clients benefiting from our food service. Why not join them and share in the benefit at booster time.

Arranging Appointments and Ordering Prescriptions and Supplies 

Monday to Friday

Reception is open 8am. to 7pm.

Please phone at any time of the working day to arrange an appointment, although it is always better to phone as early as you can, especially if you wish to attend the same day. This will give you the best chance of an appointment with your preferred vet at a time best suited to your schedule. We book appointments from 9am in the morning and the morning time is shared between appointments and the day's surgery cases. After lunch we generally book from 3pm. onwards. If you are able to take an appointment between 3pm. and 4pm. you can take advantage of our "off peak" discount of £3.50 on vaccination and £2.50 on routine consultations. In 2004 we added a small supplement of £1 to the consultation and other service fees from 6pm weekdays and on Saturday mornings and most Bank Holidays to allow us to supplement the nurses wages for working these less desirable hours.

Saturdays

Reception is open from 8.30am to 1pm, with appointments booked from 9am until 11am with urgent and emergency appointments until 11.40am. Please phone early on Saturday if you wish to come on the day so that we can accommodate you.

On most Bank Holidays

Reception is open from 8.30am to 5.30pm with consultations booked from 9am.

We have a limited availability over the Christmas and New Year's Holidays and information may be obtained by viewing our website on www.oaktreevet.co.uk, listening to the phone messages, viewing the seasonal notice on the front door or by speaking with us during working hours.

Urgent Case Surgery on Sunday

On Sundays, we have what we call an urgent case surgery. Both a veterinary surgeon and a veterinary nurse return to the surgery at 10.30am to open the surgery for 15 minutes to see any pets who have problems best attended to before the next routine surgery. If you're a registered client you may arrive promptly at 10.30am and we shall examine and treat your pet. If you are not registered with us please telephone at 10.30am prompt for advice and please be ready to come immediately, if instructed. Our agreement with the emergency service means we are unable to provide weekend attention for clients registered with other practices in Edinburgh. Please see the Emergency Attention Section for further details.

The consultation fee for this service in 2008 for a new condition is £47.25 including VAT plus treatment, to contribute towards the additional time and travel involved in us returning to the centre. There is a minimum charge of £28.30 including VAT, for a condition already under treatment and applicable to all species but the cost involved is less than half the cost of an emergency attention. We make no restriction on the type of cases seen and we are happy to offer our clients general advice at these times and the waiting room shop is open for all sales. Many clients take advantage of this session for the collection of pre-ordered food or other supplies. Please look in the Food section for more details.

Please Note that we answer the telephone only between 10.30 and 10.45am, even if we are still attending cases at the surgery after that time.

If you phone and arrange to be seen, but are unable to be here promptly during the 15 minute session, we do reserve the right to make a full out of hours consultation charge, currently £95.55, including VAT, plus treatment to cover the additional staff time of waiting for you to arrive.

We very much encourage you to phone in advance of your requirement for repeat prescriptions as, in order to comply with the Medicines Act, the veterinary surgeon must review your notes to authorise the dispensing. The veterinary nurses can then prepare the items ready for your collection, saving you time, when you visit. We are obliged, by law, to re-examine an animal under our care, at appropriate intervals, to ensure that the repeat prescriptions are necessary and correct. The interval varies from one to a maximum of three months, depending upon the condition.

Emergency Attention

If you have a need for veterinary advice or treatment, in emergency, please telephone the normal surgery number 539 7539.

During normal hours the nurse will alert the veterinary surgeon and prepare our facility for your arrival.

Please do not arrive at the surgery without telephoning first as this may lead to considerable delay in treating your pet as the veterinary surgeon may not be there to see you .

Should your telephone call be after our closing time, you will hear a comprehensive spoken message detailing our next surgery and the details of the emergency service, Vets Now Ltd. whose number is 444 0990. If phoning the emergency service, your call will be answered directly by a veterinary surgeon or veterinary nurse who will arrange veterinary treatment for you at the clinic's premises or be able to give you advice. The clinic is a separate business in its own right and payment for out of hours care will be payable to them at the time of treatment, although much of it may be reclaimable if your pet is insured. They will return the case to ourselves at the earliest opportunity, allowing us to continue to look after you in the familiar surroundings at Oak Tree. Oak Tree Veterinary Centre, like each of the other participating practices, contributes financially so that your pets may be treated by qualified staff in good clinical surroundings. It is important to us that this investment by us brings you good service and we are always ready to pass on suggestions for improvement, comments and compliments. Please involve us with any feedback, you care to make.

Terms and Conditions of Service

- the small print!

In order to avoid misunderstanding and place our transactions on a proper footing, we have summarised the terms and conditions of service under which treatments and sales are made by Oak Tree Veterinary Centre. Only the proprietors of Oak Tree Veterinary Centre have the authority to alter these conditions and by registering and attending the practice you agree to be bound by them

To allow us to fully comply with the various regulatory authorities that blight our lives, we have decided to ask all existing and new clients to sign a registration form . In no way does this commit you to our services, indeed we are strong supporters of the fact that you can attend who you choose, as it motivates us constantly to do our best for you. The form will detail that you have received this brochure and that annual updates are available each January. It also includes a consent for the occasions in our canine and feline patients where we have to prescribe commonly used (usually human) medicines that have not been specifically licensed for cats and dogs. We might ask for further informed consent if we consider the use of these medicines might be potentially dangerous to your pet e.g. cancer treatment drugs. In the case of small mammals, almost none of the medicines we use are licensed in these species as there is little financial gain for the drug companies for doing so and you must accept this is the case for us to provide meaningful treatment

2) Payment for veterinary services.

Unfortunately, there is no National Health Service for pets and as a result you are responsible for the payment of your pet's veterinary bills.

Oak Tree Veterinary Centre provides caring, conscientious modern treatment for your pets but there is no escaping, that in order to be here next year and beyond, we rely on you to pay us for the service we provide. Drugs and supplies together with staff salaries account for the majority of your account, as good medicine is very labour intensive and we need your prompt payment to meet our obligations to our staff and suppliers.

We have set our fees on the basis that the work is paid for at the time of consultation or collection after operation. We do not have, nor would we wish to employ a secretary to run an accounts system, as the extra costs would have to be passed on to you without any benefit to your pet. In addition, dealing with account matters takes my nurses away from the duties they are trained for and enjoy, that is helping you and caring for your pet.

When you register with this practice you agree to settle fees at the time of consultation or on collection for your pet after an operation or hospitalisation. We accept cash and cheques within the limit of an accompanying bank card. For your convenience, we accept Mastercard, Visa, Visa Delta and Switch.

Without prejudice to the above, we do have arrangements for direct billing of selected insurance companies, leaving you only the policy excess to pay, should your pet be insured. However, you do remain liable for the full amount of the account at all times. Where there is an unacceptable delay for any reason or where an insurance company refuses to pay, we shall ask you to make immediate settlement of the account. Should you be unable to produce a valid signed claim form within 14 days of our request, you will settle you account with us in full although we will of course assist you in recovering your entitlement once a valid claim form is received. New conditions regarding direct claims will come into force on 1st April 2007 and are detailed in section 6.

Unpaid fees. Where for any reason, fees remain unpaid after seven days of the due time, we reserve the right to add a booking fee of £12.50, refundable if payment is received within 10 days of invoice date, to cover the costs of preparing and sending your account. Any special , quantity or off peak discount will be lost and a revised invoice issued which will supersede any original. Any subsequent costs required to secure your payment will be charged in full, together with interest on the outstanding amount.

3) Consultations & Check ups.

When we take on a case, it becomes our responsibility to attend the patient as dictated by the clinical opinion of the veterinary surgeon in charge of the case and an appropriate consultation fee, is charged on each occasion to cover the veterinary surgeon's and nurse's time and the use of our facility.

The first examination for a particular problem attracts a routine consultation fee, to cover a period of up to twenty minutes set aside for your visit. Where a more complex problem is present an extended consultation fee might be charged to cover up to a thirty minute appointment. A consultation fee, usually at a reduced level, is charged for each subsequent examination concerning the particular problem dependant on the amount of time required to review your pet's condition, perform any treatments, produce reports or letters and outline treatment options. On occasions, the final examination may be very brief with no medicines being required and at the discretion of the consulting veterinary surgeon the appropriate consultation fee might be waived.

We offer a free puppy or free kitten check up for newly acquired healthy animals who are under vaccination age and where the pet is to attend the practice for the vaccinations. Where an animal is reported ill, or is obviously ill on presentation, or the client does not attend for the recommended vaccines for their pet, we reserve the right to charge the normal practice fees.

Generally, planned, brief post operative examinations up to and including stitch removal are included in the operation fee but extra worked caused by neglect or failure to follow instruction are chargeable. All bandage changes are chargeable.

All medicines and materials used are chargeable, in addition to the appropriate consultation fee

4) Late and Missed Appointments

When you make an appointment with us, we set aside time for the exclusive use of yourself and your pet and if you miss your appointment, this time is wasted. If you are late, we may not be able to give you the full time

originally set aside for you in consideration of the schedule of following clients. If you arrive after the end of your scheduled time, we may not be able to see you at all, at that time and you shall in addition be liable for missing your appointment. In 2004 we commenced a token charge for each appointment missed or cancelled within an hour of it's start unless that time can be allocated to another pet. The charge in 2008 is £6.85.

We are able to organise prepayment facilities for planned work such as bitch spays so that by the day of the operation the fee is already paid.

We can also provide treatment vouchers to be given as presents to friends or relatives. These personalised vouchers can be in the form of a money sum voucher or one for a particular service such as vaccination for a new puppy. Please ask for details.

6) Pet Insurance

We recommend, strongly, that you consider insuring your pet for veterinary fees. This means that you can choose the very best and most complete course of treatment, including expert referral if necessary, without having to worry about the cost.

We are not agents for any company but provide information in the waiting room, for your convenience. The new Financial Services Act forbids us to recommend or advise against taking out a particular policy. We consider this to be a slight on our reputation and have always given our advice freely without regard to our own benefit but there is nothing we can do about it. However we have a leaflet available which, without prejudice, gives general information as to how to select a good policy for your pet.

As with all insurance, please survey a variety of companies to select the right cover for your circumstances at reasonable cost. We shall compete the veterinary section of the form for you for whichever insurer you choose.

All dog owners should ensure that they have third party cover as you are, in law, responsible for the actions of your dog. This could, at worst, compensating a family for the death of a person, if your dog causes them to crash their car.

Pet insurance usually covers for this risk, as can some household insurance. It is definitely worthwhile checking that you are covered.

2006 has been a very difficult year for us with pet insurance companies and in particular making direct claims.

We have found it very hard and time consuming to obtain claims forms from some clients. Afterwards, we have submitted claims for policies that have lapsed or even been cancelled. Making the situation worse has been changes in the Financial Services Authority's rules which means that without prior consent, the insurance companies will not discuss progress of the claims with us. Furthermore, some clients have been less than speedy settling items not covered by their policy.

All in all, Elspeth has spent an extraordinary and an unsustainable amount of time chasing up claims forms, insurance companies and balance payments and the practice's cash flow has suffered considerably.

We do hope to continue making direct claims on behalf our clients but in order to do so we shall on 1st April 2007 require the following at the time of treatment.

1) We need to have sight and take a copy of the original policy document. Please put it in your pets folder that you bring with you.

2) We need a signed claims form. Please obtain at least one at your earliest convenience and keep it with your insurance policy

3) We need a signed declaration authorising us to discuss the claim with the insurance company. We shall provide you with this document to complete and sign.

4) We need a signed authority from you authorising us to make this claim on your behalf and where there may be a balance to pay, after settlement of the claim a declaration that you consent to us phoning you for immediate settlement over the phone by card payment. We shall provide you with this document to complete and sign.

Without these four elements in place, we regret that we shall no longer be

able to provide a direct claims service after 1st April 2007. We do not provide direct claims service to Equine and Livestock or any policy underwritten by them and other insurers may be added to the list.

We do hope that you will understand that we need to make these changes to enable us to continue to provide this service to you.

7) Returned Medicines

Under the terms of the Medicines Act we are no longer able to give any credit for unused and returned medicines. However we shall, at our cost, accept them and pay for their safe disposal, if we have provided them for you. Please bear this in mind when requesting a long term supply of medicines. We reserve the right to make a charge for the safe disposal of medicines not provided by us.

We shall be entitled to charge reasonable postage to you to handle our time, material and postage costs, all of which are subject to VAT. The minimum charge will be 50p inc VAT and this will be charged for example when returning a vaccination card not presented at the time of the treatment. The fee is waived if a stamped self addressed envelope is enclosed with the certificate.

9) Returned ("bounced") Cheques

A charge of £12.50 will be made on each and every occasion where is a cheque given to us is returned unpaid by our bank.

We set our fees on the basis of covering the costs of having a surgery of the quality we have, together with providing a reasonable living for all of us who work here. In addition, we use our income to improve our service, through the attendance of further education courses and development of the surgery in terms of the building and facilities.

Any of you who have enjoyed a practice tour will be left in no doubt as to our commitment to veterinary medicine. You will appreciate that with our facilities and the long consultation appointments that we offer, our fees may not be the cheapest, in pure money terms but represent good value.

Our aim is to give your pet the best care we can and give you good value for money.

"it's unwise to pay too much but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot. It can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run. And if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better"

this applies to veterinary practice too!