Vets practice for farm animal care in Kidderminster, Worcestershire

Shepherds’ Veterinary Centre’s Standard Terms of Business 

Farm Animal Veterinary Care 

Thank you for using the services of Shepherds’ Veterinary Centre. We aim to provide you with the highest possible standards of service. This document aims to explain our terms of business in plain English.

Fees

All fees are subject to VAT. Fee levels are determined by the level of skill required, the time spent on a case and according to the drugs, materials and consumables used. You will be charged for each visit your farm animal/herd/flock receives from the practice. A detailed written invoice is routinely provided (by post) for all charges incurred, and the separate cost of medicines.

Methods of Payment

We accept payment in cash or by the following credit or debit cards:- Visa, Visa Electron, Switch, Maestro, Solo, and Mastercard. Card payments are usually taken by phone on the day of the consultation/visit. We are also able to accept payment by online banking. 

Settlement Terms

Established clients are permitted to pay on account on a monthly basis. 

New clients are required to pay on the day of each visit, or when medicine or supplies are collected.

If all fees are not to hand when payment would normally be made we will send you an invoice. Invoices are due for payment on receipt. Where further reminders have to be sent we may add charges to cover the costs of administration.

If accounts remain unpaid they will be referred to an appropriate outside agency for collection and further charges will be levied in respect of costs incurred in collecting the debt such as production of reports, as well as the charges of the agency used.

Any card payments not honoured and any cash paid which turns out to be counterfeit will result in the original balance of the account being restored and any Bank or administration charges added.

Interest

An administration fee of £25 +Vat will be charged for all accounts that are settled by instalment. An interest charge of 5% per month will be added after 30 days from the date the first invoice is generated. 

Out of hours (OOH)

We provide our own out-of-hours cover to Shepherds’ Veterinary Centre clients. OOH consultation fees (including visit fees within the normal radius of the practice coverage) range between £102-218.40 (inc VAT) plus any additional procedural fees and medicines.

Prescriptions

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 surgery or pharmacy. The cost for a written prescription supply is £60 (inc VAT)*, per drug, each time a prescription is supplied. 

Your vet may prescribe POM-Vs only for animals under their 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 dispensed for any animal. The general policy for this practice is to reassess animals requiring repeat prescriptions every 4 months, but this may vary for individual circumstances and will be extended to 6months for very well managed, stable patients. The standard charge for this reassessment is a relevant visit fee plus a consultation fee of £60 (inc VAT)*   

                                                          * Prices accurate at 5th December 2024

Inability to Pay

If for any reason you are unable to settle your account in full at the normal time, we ask you to discuss the matter as soon as possible with one of our staff. Please note that part payment or payment in instalments may only be sanctioned by specified staff members (Graeme Shepherd, Ali Shepherd or Louise Childs) and must be agreed in writing. A reliable credit history is required for a monthly instalment plan, which will have an administration fee attached of £25+VAT and will incur interest charges.

Complaints and Standards

We hope you will never have cause to complain about the standard of service you receive from Shepherds’ Veterinary Centre. However, should you have a complaint it should be directed to our office manager in the first instance. All complaints are carefully investigated and we aim to respond within 14 working days.

Ownership of Records, Radiographs and similar images/recordings

Case records including notes, radiographs, photographs, laboratory results, and ultrasound scans are the property of and will be retained by Shepherds’ Veterinary Centre. We never discuss or sell confidential records to any third party, except when another veterinary surgeon requests them on your behalf. You, as a client, are entitled to a copy of clinical notes upon request.

Telephone calls 

All telephone calls are recorded for monitoring and training purposes

Variation of Terms

No addition or variation of these terms and conditions will bind the practice unless agreed by one of the partners in writing and signed. No agent or person employed by, or under contract with the practice has the authority to alter or vary these terms and conditions in any way.