Terms & Conditions

These terms set out the contract established between Heritage Vets and yourself as our client. We recommend that you print and retain a copy for future reference. By registering with us, buying services through our website, or requesting us to provide any veterinary service to you, you agree to accept and abide by these terms. If you do not agree to these terms, you must not buy veterinary products or services from us. If you have any queries regarding these terms of business, please contact us.

The Terms

  • Heritage Vets is registered in England with registration number SC15290055. The registered office is Staverton Court, Staverton, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL51 0UX. VAT number – 458 4301 87
  • You may contact us via post, email or phone – all details can be found on our website
  • We may contact you via post, email or phone using details provided when you register with us
  • We will require information from you to enable us to carry out treatments for your pet. If you do not provide this information within a reasonable time we will not be liable for any delay in carrying out services or injury or death of an animal as a result
  • These terms will be emailed to you upon registration, and are available at any time on our website

Our Veterinary Services

  • Heritage Vets conforms to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Practice Standards, all our Veterinary Surgeons and Nurses are suitably qualified and subject to the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct in accordance with the Veterinary Surgeons Acs 1966
  • Consultations are available by appointment
  • We may ask for a deposit if you repeatedly miss appointments. If you know you cannot make you appointment, please make us aware as soon as possible via phone or email.
  • Opening times are visible on our website
  • Services will be provided by a suitably trained or qualified member of staff, sometimes this may include trainees working under direct supervision of a suitably trained or qualified member of staff.
  • We will provide veterinary services to you during our normal business hours. Emergency services will be provided to you by ourselves, or by referring you to The Hospital for Small Animals at The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. By registering with us and requesting our veterinary services, you are accepting that your pets may need to be seen by the vets at this establishment outside of our business hours.
  • We provide access to VidiVet for our clients, any details shared with them are within their data control. Please follow any instructions given by the vets through this service, including seeking prompt medical attention from our out of hours provider if advised.
  • Veterinary services will usually be provided to you at our premises 4 Thornybank, Dalkeith. We may also provide services at other premises such as your home, or at other specialist facilities. You must comply with health and safety instructions given by any other premises we use, and you are responsible for any belongings left at those premises. Where services are provided at home, you are responsible for making sure that the premises is safe and accessible by our staff. Additional costs will be incurred, and you will be provided with an estimate of fees when booking home visits. We cannot guarantee to be able to provide home visits, but will always endeavour to where appropriate.
  • You are responsible for making and attending appointments, via phone/email/our online booking system. We cannot guarantee that appointments will be available at your desired time. We reserve the right to refuse veterinary treatment if you arrive without an appointment, or arrive late for your booked appointment.
  • Estimates may be provided verbally during a consultation, and can be requested in writing. All estimates are approximate, and the final fee could be higher or lower allowing for complications and response to treatments. We will strive to keep you updated if expected costs change during a course of treatment.
  • You may obtain prescription only medicines, category V (POM-Vs) from Heritage Vets, or ask for a written prescription and obtain these from another veterinary surgeon or pharmacy. We are only able to prescribe POM-Vs for animals under our care – this is defined as having been recently physically examined by our governing body. A written prescription may not be appropriate where immediate treatment is necessary. Prescription charges will apply if you request a written prescription and purchase the medication elsewhere. Animals requiring repeat prescriptions will need to be examined periodically, and the period varies depending on the case. Usually the maximum time between examinations is 6 months. There is a charge for re-examinations.
  • We are unable to refund or exchange any unused medication once it has left the premises.
  • In certain circumstances, where no alternative is available, we may use or prescribe medications which are not licensed for veterinary use. We may ask you to sign a consent form when prescribing such medications.

Consent

  • We will normally agree a treatment plan during an initial consultation, and wherever possible we will obtain your consent before carrying out any procedure or treatment. You will be required to sign a ‘consent form’ for this purpose. In exceptional circumstances, where deemed necessary by veterinary staff, we will take all reasonable steps to obtain your prior consent. However, you acknowledge and consent that we are authorised to take all steps deemed reasonably necessary by veterinary staff to ensure the welfare of your animal, and that you are responsible for any costs incurred in taking such steps, whether or not your prior consent has been obtained. We will provide you with full details of treatment provided as soon as is reasonably possible.
  • We can accept and rely on instructions and information given by your representatives, for example a family member, pet sitter or kennels presenting your pet to us. We reserve the right to refuse to accept instruction from them, such as if they are under 18 years old or we reasonably believe they are not authorised to represent you. We may require proof that they are authorised to represent you. You can email us to let us know who is authorised (or not authorised) to represent you should you wish.

Second Opinions, Records and Insurance

  • You are free at all times, at your own cost, to seek or request a second opinion concerning any veterinary services that we have provided
  • We will not be responsible for any delays outside our control, but will always contact you as soon as possible to let you know and take steps to minimise any further delay
  • Your animal’s medical records, including x-rays, test results, ultrasound images are our property. You may request a copy of your animal’s medical records to be sent to another veterinary service provider, by emailing or phoning us. We will process your request in a reasonable period of time. We may request that you pay any fees outstanding to us before doing so.
  • We do not provide animal insurance, you are responsible for arranging this and we recommend that our clients take out appropriate insurance for their animal with a reputable insurer.

Our staff, clients and animals

  • We have a zero tolerance policy against offensive, violent or aggressive behaviour
  • We reserve the right to decline to supply veterinary services, to ask you to leave the premises, and to terminate our contract with you if you or any person connected with you engage in such behaviour (whether in our practice, on the phone, via email or via our website or social media sites)
  • You can end your contract with us at any time. When your contract ends, you are responsible for collecting your animal from us and paying any outstanding bills. We recommend that you register your animal with another veterinary practice from the date your contract ends, we are not responsible for arranging this for you. If you wish to end your contract with us, please let us know via email (one registered with us) or post.
  • We may end the contract with you if you break any terms of the contract, do not make payment to us within 7 days of us reminding you that payment is due, or fail to provide information necessary for us to provide veterinary services within a reasonable timescale of us requesting such information. We may end the contract for other reasons, and will under these circumstances provide 30 days notice.

Payment

  • Veterinary practices provide private healthcare, and professional fees vary according to the case and level of treatment required. All charges are subject to VAT at the current rate (20%). A full itemised invoice will be provided for any transaction made with us.
  • If your pet is hospitalised with us for a period of time, you will be updated on costs incurred at least every 24 hours
  • Payment is expected at the time of treatment or discharge of your animal
  • We may at our discretion require you to pay for part or whole of the estimated services in advance
  • Where you have a valid insurance policy, we may at our discretion agree to make a claim for payment directly to your insurance policy. We may charge a fee for completing, submitting and/or managing an insurance claim on your behalf. You agree to pay us on request for that fee and any amounts that the insurance company do not pay within 30 days of the invoice being issued to you.
  • You may pay via cash, debit or credit card. We are unable to accept cheques.
  • We may take further action to recover overdue payments. We may refer overdue accounts to our debt collection agency for recovery. Additional charges in connection to collecting outstanding balances will be added to your bill, including but not limited to administration costs and debt collection agency fees
  • We may refuse to supply further veterinary services to you until all outstanding bills are paid
  • If you are unable to pay for the veterinary services provided by us, we are only obliged to fulfil our minimum legal responsibilities and professional regulatory obligations in respect of the animals under our care

Liability

  • If we fail to comply with these terms, we are responsible for any foreseeable loss or damage you suffer as a result of our breach or failing to use reasonable care and skill. We are not responsible for any loss or damage that is not foreseeable.
  • We supply products to you for domestic and private use only, and are not liable for business losses. Our website and promotional / social media material is for general information purposes only and does not constitute advice. We endeavour to provide accurate and true information at the time of writing, however we can give no guarantee or assurance regarding the accuracy of any content. If you are unsure, please contact our vets.

Client confidentiality

  • In normal circumstances we will not disclose any information about a client or their animal(s) without prior consent. Full details on the data we collect and how it is used can be found in our Privacy Policy
  • We may occasionally share anonymised data with research groups and institutions as part of our ongoing commitment to progression in the veterinary profession.
  • Phone calls may be recorded for training and monitoring purposes
  • CCTV recording is used at Heritage Vets for the safety of our staff, clients and patients. Recordings will be kept for 3 months.

Complaints

  • Please see our complaints procedure should you need to contact us with any concerns

We may make changes to these terms. We recommend that you check them each time you use our website to ensure that you understand the terms that apply at that time. These terms were most recently updated on 18th February 2024.