TERMS & CONDITIONS

In certain situations we understand that requests will be made by persons acting as your agent, such as stable manager or stable owner. We will assume, unless advised in writing by yourself, that they have your authority and are acting in your interest and on your behalf.

We cannot accept instructions from anybody under the age of 18 years.

It is the client’s responsibility to keep their account update with current contact details.

You can ask us to stop treatment of your horse at any time, likewise we can stop treatment if you do not accept our advice, fail to pay your account within the 30 day period or if we are prohibited by law from doing any further work.  Also we will stop treatment, if sadly; the relationship between you and us breaks down.  On termination of work we will invoice you for any work already done and we reserve the right to hold your horses records, xrays,etc.

Information pertaining to pre-purchase examinations remains the property of the individual instructing the Practice. If the horse being vetted is known to the Practice, should the prospective purchaser ask, we have to disclose the clinical history to them. Should this request be refused by you, the Vendor, then we will decline to carry out the vetting for the prospective purchaser.

We can only prescribe medications for animals that are registered with our Practice and have already been treated and/or inspected by one of the Practices Veterinary Surgeons.  To comply with current RCVS regulations we cannot supply medication or prescription without first seeing the animal.

The policy of this Practice is to re-assess any animal requiring repeat prescriptions every six months and you will be charged the normal call-out charge together with a re-examination fee. This is to comply with new Government legislation and thus cannot be avoided.

We ask that you give us 24hrs notice when ordering repeat prescription drugs either for collection from the office or to be posted.  All drugs must be approved by one of the Veterinary Surgeons before our Reception staff are authorized to issue them to you and in some cases, we may have to order the drugs into stock so please do allow enough time.  All drugs have to be paid for at time of collection or before being posted.  Drugs posted out are sent by recorded delivery and there is £5.00 charge to cover postage & packing.

It is your responsibility to submit claims to your insurer and to be reimbursed by them.

To defer this requirement, this will only be considered on the basis that the insurance form is signed so payment is made direct to this Practice and that your insurance company has agreed to the claim in principle.  You will be required to pay the excess and any costs not covered by insurance i.e. livery fees and any part of the claim that has been rejected by your insurance company for whatever reason. 

We are unable to liaise or negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf but we are happy to answer any veterinary queries where necessary free of charge. Please be aware that your insurance company will request the clinical history from us so do make sure you have answered all questions on the claim or renewal forms correctly with regard to any previous claims, treatments etc concerning the horse you are making the claim for.  Any discrepancies may cause a delay or rejection of your claim.  Stephen Brooks Equine Veterinary Practice accepts no liability if your claim should be rejected, either in part or full and will ask that any outstanding invoices be settled in full for any veterinary treatment we have given to your horse.

It is the responsibility of you, the policy holder, to ensure that your insurance company settle your account promptly and please be aware that you will be liable for any late payment surcharges on your account.  Should the account remain unpaid for more than 90 days, we will ask you for full settlement to prevent any debt recovery action being taken.

Subject to our professional duties as Veterinary surgeons, we reserve the right to make final decisions on treatment.

We retain the responsibility for radiographs and ultrasound scans, but at your request these can be forwarded to another Veterinary surgeon. 

‘Out of hours’ visits are charged when a Veterinary surgeon visits out of normal office hours, which are: 8.30 am – 5.30 pm Monday to Friday.

Once horses have had their 3rd injection, we will send out reminder cards and text alerts for annual vaccinations as a courtesy but it is the Owner’s responsibility to ensure that their horses are kept up to date with vaccinations before the expiry date, as marked in the horse’s passport. Please have the passport with you when the Vet attends to do the annual booster.

We accept new clients who have completed our registration form and given credit/debit card details for settlement of all invoices in the first 3 months and/or until an acceptable credit rating have been established.

Details, including relevant medical history, may be obtained from the previous attending Veterinary surgeon, unless we are advised otherwise by you in writing.