Herbal Vet Scotland
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS
Thank you for entrusting the care of your animal to Herbal Vet Scotland. This document details our practice terms and conditions. Some aspects may not be relevant to you and we request that you ask for further clarification or explanation if required.
Registration with a primary vet practice: We are not a primary vet practice. By registering with us you acknowledge this and agree to be registered with a primary vet practice for all conventional care. We will request a history from your primary practice at time of registration and maintain a contact with this practice regarding any treatment your animal receives from ourselves.
Registration: It is essential for us to maintain accurate records of our clients and patients. In order to do this we will periodically ask you to confirm the details we hold. If your details change, please inform us so we may ensure our database is as up to date as possible. We will request your animals medical history from your primary vet at time of registration. We may also periodically ask for an updated record from your primary vet.
Contact with Primary Practice: We will contact your primary practice by email after every first consultation, to inform them of any treatment provided to your animal. We will also contact your primary practice after follow up consultations, should any treatment be altered. By registering with us, you agree for us to contact your primary practice to discuss your animals care, at our discretion.
Fees: All fees, diets and medications/herbal preparation charges are subject to VAT at the current rate. Our written fee list is available on request.
Methods of Payment: Itemised bills can be provided with transactions on request. Accounts are due for settlement at the end of the consultation & prior to dispensing of any herbal medication. You may settle your account using: Cash; Credit/Debit card; BACS.
Cancellation policy: Any appointment cancelled up to 72 hours before the appointment start time will not be charged. Any appointments cancelled after 72 hours before the appointment start time will be charged at the full consult rate. Discretion to wave this fee is at the sole discretion of the partners only.
Request of repeat prescriptions: Please allow a minimum of 7 working days for repeat prescriptions. Due to the nature of herbal medications, some herbs may be seasonally unavailable these may be substituted by the vet in charge of your animals care, if deemed appropriate. Please be aware that some herbal preparations may need to be specially ordered in and may take longer than 7 working days- you will be informed in this instance.
Postage of Medications/Herbal Preparations: We are able to post most repeat prescriptions on request, if deemed appropriate by the vet in charge of your animals care. All postage will be sent by Royal Mail, recorded delivery. Please allow sufficient added time, above the minimum of 7 working days, for repeat prescriptions to be sent by post. Any repeat prescription not received within 10 working days of request may be reported to our main reception desk, who will follow up with Royal Mail Tracking. Tracking numbers can be given on request.
Estimates of treatment costs: We will happily provide a written estimate as to the probable costs of a course of treatment. Please bear in mind that any estimate given can only be approximate – often a pet’s illness will not follow a conventional course. We will provide the details of the price of any medicine stocked or sold on request.
Settlement terms: All accounts should be settled at the time of consultation. Should an account not be settled within 7 days, a reminder will be sent. After due notice to you, the client, overdue accounts will be subject to our debt collection procedure and further charges may be levied in respect of costs incurred in collecting the debt: such as court fees, correspondence, court attendance, phone calls, etc. Any card payment not honoured, and cash tendered found to be counterfeit will result in the original account being returned to the original sum with further charges added in respect of bank charges and administrative costs.
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 instalments or part payments of any account may only be sanctioned with the express permission of a partner.
Pet health insurance: Herbal Vet Scotland strongly supports the principle of insuring your pet against unexpected illness or accidents. Please ask for details about insurance from any member of staff. Due to financial advice laws we cannot advise on specific providers of insurance but can give more general advice on the types of policy likely to be appropriate for you and your pet. Please be aware that it is your responsibility to settle our account and then reclaim fees from your insurance company.
Consent: Written signed consent for procedures is required in all cases. Most herbal products are not licensed for use in animals. Consent must be given in writing prior to commencing any treatments at Herbal Vet Scotland.
Prescriptions: Herbal preparations are taylor made specifically for each individual patient. It is therefore not appropriate to provide a prescription in most cases.
Appropriate treatment: Services offered by Herbal Vet Scotland are complimentary in nature. This means they must not delay or replace conventional vet care. It is within our vets discretion to refuse treatment to any animal not receiving adequate conventional vet care and to refer back to the primary vet practice for further investigation and/or appropriate treatment.
Out of Hours Care: All out of hours care must be sought from your primary vet practice, or their dedicated out of hours provider. If ever in doubt please stop all herbal preparations until you can speak with one of our vets within our dedicated office hours.
Complaints and Standards: We hope you never have recourse to complain about the standards of service received from Herbal Vet Scotland. However if you feel that there is something to complain about please direct your comments in the first instance to the Practice Manager, who will guide you through our complaints procedure.
Clinical records: Your pet’s clinical records, including laboratory test reports remain the property of Herbal Vet Scotland and will be kept under the terms of the Data Protection Act (1998). You are entitled to see the records on request. Your pet’s records will be sent to another veterinary surgeon on request from them.
Return of unused medications/herbal formulations: We are happy to accept unused medications/ herbal formulations back into the practice for disposal only. However as medications/herbal preparations that have left the premises are no longer fit for resale, no refund can be given. Medications/herbal preparations purchased from any other supplier will not be accepted for disposal.
Repeat examinations: It is necessary both for the welfare of your pet and to meet legal obligations, for this practice to re-examine animals receiving long-term medications/herbal preparations. The interval will vary with the condition and the medication but will be no longer than every 6 months. The prevailing examination fee will be charged for that consultation.
Abusive Behaviour: Verbal or physical abuse of staff will not be tolerated in any form. Any instance of this type of behaviour will result in clients and their pets being removed from our list.
No addition or variation of these conditions will bind the practice unless it is specifically agreed in writing and signed by one of the partners. No agent or person employed by, or under contract with, the practice has the authority to alter or vary these conditions in any way.
Herbal Vet Scotland is the trading name for J. Carnwath Vet Services, Holistic Veterinary Nutrition & Herbal Hound Apothecary sole traders.
Partners:
Dr’s J & R Carnwath BVMS, CA (IVAS), GradDip VWHM (CIVT), MRCVS