Terms and Conditions

Our Commitment to You

We aim to provide you with a first class service.
We aim to provide your horse with the highest standard of treatment and care.
We will endeavour to arrange re-examination appointments at convenient times and dates for you.
In the sad event of your horse passing away, we can put you in contact with a bereavement counselling service.
Please note that all telephone calls to and from RVC Equine may be recorded for training and monitoring purposes in order to improve our services

Your Commitment to Us

You are responsible for full settlement of your account. An account should be settled within 30 days of the invoice date. Should an account not be settled within this time, reminders will be sent. After due notice to you the client, overdue accounts will be sent to our debt collection agency and further charges may be levied in respect of costs incurred in collecting the debt, such as 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 with further charges added in respect of bank charges and administrative costs together with interest on the principal sum.
Payment can be made by:

Cash
Debit card
Credit card (except American Express)
Cheque - Cheques should be made payable to “The Royal Veterinary College”
Bank transfer
Online payments can be made here

If you have an account query or would like to make a payment, please either call 01707 666297 and select Option 2 between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, or email equineaccounts@rvc.ac.uk

If your horse is insured for veterinary fees

Please advise your insurance company of your claim as soon as possible
Do not wait until treatment is complete
Please check your insurance policy carefully regarding exclusions such as administration or livery fees
You can arrange for the insurance company to make payment directly to the RVC by indicating this on your claim form. On receipt of this authorisation, we will send a report and relevant invoices to your insurance company so they can then pay us directly
If there is an outstanding balance after settlement from your insurance company, you will be contacted and invoiced for the outstanding balance
If you settle your account in full, please either hand or forward your completed claim form to our reception team. We will complete any relevant details and send the form, on your behalf, to your insurance company
An administration fee of £15.00 is applicable for processing insurance claims
If the insurance company for any reason does not pay part or all of the amount owing, you will be responsible for the outstanding account balance
If an insurance claim is not settled within 60 days, we will require you to settle your account in full

For any insurance queries, please call 01707 666297 and select Option 2 between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, or email equineaccounts@rvc.ac.uk

Prescriptions

Prescriptions are available from this practice at a cost of £15.00
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 a pharmacy
The general policy of this practice is to re-assess an animal requiring repeat prescriptions every six months, but this may vary with individual circumstances. The standard charge for a re-examination is £35.00
Your veterinary surgeon 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 your animal

Returned Medicines Policy

The British Veterinary Association Code of Practice on Medicines (2000) states: "Once stock has been dispensed, it should not be accepted back into the dispensary. No returned goods should be offered for resale because there may have been problems with storage conditions beyond the veterinarian’s control."

This means that we cannot give refunds for returned medications as we are obliged to dispose of them. We are happy to safely dispose of your unused medication if it was purchased from the RVC.

Ownership of Clinical Records

All case papers, radiographs and other clinical data derived during normal clinical investigations, remain the property of the Royal Veterinary College and such material might in the future be used for research and teaching purposes; if so, it will not be possible to identify the owner or animal in any written or oral presentation, unless prior written permission has been given.

Customer Care

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) is committed to providing clinical services of the highest standard and so we welcome customer communication and feedback. If you have a concern or are dissatisfied with our service, please contact us as soon as possible. We will proactively work with you to resolve your concerns.

You can contact us in a number of ways:

Face-to-face:

If you have a concern with the clinical service you received from the RVC, please in the first instance please talk to the RVC veterinary surgeon caring for your animal. They are often in the best position to answer any questions you may have
If your concern relates to a non-clinical aspect of our service, or you would rather speak to someone who has not been directly involved with the care of your animal, please speak to a member of our reception team who will direct you to an appropriate person
If you would like to discuss your concerns in more detail, we are happy to arrange meetings with relevant members of our team

Telephone:

Please contact our customer care team on: 01707 666297
If we are unable to put you through to your veterinary surgeon or the relevant manager directly, please leave a message. Please tell us your name and your animal’s name together with daytime contact details and a brief description of your concern. We will return your call within 2 working days

In writing:

equinereception@rvc.ac.uk

Operations Manager, RVC Equine, Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hertfordshire AL9 7TA

To help us investigate your concern, please provide us with the following information:

Your name and full contact details
Your animal’s name, species, breed and age
A clear description of your concern
Copies of any relevant supporting documentation (if applicable)
Details of the outcome you would like to see

We will acknowledge your email or letter within five working days.

We will instigate a thorough investigation immediately. We will ask all those involved to provide a statement detailing their version of events. This allows us to produce a detailed chronology to gain a full picture of what happened.

We will write to you within four weeks. If our investigation is complete the letter will detail our final response. If we have determined that more in-depth research is required we will advise you of this and we will have a maximum response time of eight weeks to answer your concerns in full.

If, in exceptional circumstances, our investigation is still not complete, we will explain our position and let you know when we expect to be able to provide a final response.

We may not always provide the answer you are looking for, but we will make sure we offer a clear explanation for our decision.

If you remain unhappy:

If you are dissatisfied with our response, you can ask The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) for an independent review. The RCVS register veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses to practise in the UK, and regulate their educational, ethical and clinical standards.

The RCVS has a responsibility to investigate all concerns raised with them about veterinary surgeons and registered veterinary nurses (RVNs).