Riverport Vets Ltd (company no 12048483) is a small animal veterinary practice trading from registered address 39 Edison Road, St Ives, Cambs, PE27 3LF.  This document sets out the terms of the contract between us (Riverport Vets Ltd) and you (the registered owner or keeper of the animal requiring veterinary services).  This contract applies when you register an animal with us or when you ask us to provide veterinary services.  These Conditions constitute the entire agreement between the parties, supersede any previous agreement or understanding and may not be varied except in writing between us. All other terms, express or implied by statute or otherwise, are excluded.

1. Definitions in these terms

1. ‘Contract’ means the contract for the provision of veterinary services
2. ‘Us/Our/We’ means Riverport Vets Ltd
3. ‘You/Your’ means the client who has registered with us for the provision of veterinary services to their pet
4. ‘Client’ means a person registered with us
5. ‘Veterinary Services’ means the services provided by us from time to time for the health and wellbeing of animals registered with us

2. Veterinary Services

1. General
   1. You are required to register your pet in order for us to provide veterinary services to said pet
      1. Please note that if a pet is registered with our practice we will assume that any person other than the registered pet owner who may bring the pet in for treatment is duly authorised by the registered pet owner to seek treatment for the pet and to incur costs for which the registered pet owner will be liable.  Where a pet is not registered with our practice we will assume that the individual requesting treatment accepts liability for all costs incurred.
   2. We will provide veterinary services to you subject to these terms.  Any changes to these terms will be communicated to you in writing
   3. All provision of veterinary services is by appointment only
   4. Appointments will be prioritised on the basis of urgency and the availability of the veterinary surgeon
   5. While every effort will be made to keep to appointment times, it is the nature of the profession that sometimes we will run behind schedule (eg. in the event of an emergency case).  In these circumstances you will be asked to wait, or to rebook at a later time/date
   6. Veterinary services will only be provided to persons over the age of 18.  We may ask you for proof of age if you do not appear to be over 18 years old
2. Home Visits
   1. Home visits are not routinely provided as part of our veterinary services and they are at the discretion of the veterinary surgeon on duty that day
   2. Where they are provided, this does not guarantee that we will be able to provide this service in the future
   3. While every attempt will be made to accommodate those who wish for a home visit, it cannot be guaranteed and the timing of said visits will be dictated by the schedule and availability of staff on the day in question.  We are not able to provide arrival times in advance of the day in question
   4. There are additional charges for home visits
3. Prescriptions
   1. We will prescribe the drugs and treatments that we deem to be the most effective treatment for the pet.  There may be times where a product does not have a license for the species or condition in question.  In such an event, we will request your written consent for the use of said product under the Medicines Cascade
   2. Animals on long term medications may have prescriptions for up to a maximum of 6 months at a time before needing a re-examination by a veterinary surgeon. 
      1. This interval may be shortened at the discretion of the treating veterinarian based on the individual animal’s circumstances
      2. Controlled (schedule 3) drugs may only be prescribed up to 28 day’s worth at a time
   3. Written prescriptions are available on request.  These may be made out for up to a maximum of 6 months worth of medication before the animal in question will be required to have a re-examination by a veterinarian.
      1. There is a charge for written prescriptions which can be found out on request
      2. Controlled drugs (schedule 3) will only be prescribed for up to 28 days at a time
      3. If you choose to purchase drugs from elsewhere then it is your responsibility to ensure that they are obtained from a licensed pharmacy
   4. We require 48 hours notice for repeat prescriptions
   5. Prescribed drugs cannot be returned unless they are in a sealed blister pack and within 28 days of being dispensed and still within their sell by date
4. Out of Hours Care
   1. Our opening hours are available on request and are as advertised on our website and promotional material
   2. Outside of these opening times we are not available for emergency service provision
      1. Our local out of hours provider is advertised on our website and promotional material and the contact details for them are available there
      2. All fees incurred during out of hours visits with the out of hours provider will be payable to them directly
5. Transportation
   1. If your animal requires transportation it shall be your responsibility to arrange this.  You shall be liable for all costs and risks of transporting your animal
   2. In the exceptional circumstance that we undertake to transport your pet (eg. in the case of an unstable animal that requires veterinary attention during the journey), we accept no responsibility or liability for any damage, loss, deterioration or otherwise deleterious effect on said animal during transportation
      1. There will be additional fees for any such transportation undertaken by us

3. Charges
   1. There will be a charge for every veterinary consultation (excepting in the case of special offers or by prior agreement with one of the directors) and you agree to pay this charge on the conclusion of the consultation
      1. Further costs and fees that may be incurred will be discussed during the consultation
   2. The costs of our services are available on request to a member of our staff
      1. Charges for services include our professional charges in respect of the veterinary services provided along with the cost of any drugs, materials or consumables used in the provision of the services.  Professional charges vary according to the time spent on a case, and the level of expertise required of the staff looking after your animal.
      2. Many veterinary services have an unpredictable nature and therefore any charges quoted to you in advance for veterinary services should be considered an estimate unless expressly guaranteed as a fixed cost
      3. Estimates are provided verbally or in writing either at the time of booking the appointment or during the consultation itself.  Written estimates are available on request.  All estimates given are only approximate, and the final fee could be higher or lower than this estimate depending on complications during treatment and patient response to treatment.  We will endeavour to contact you as soon as we have reason to believe that the costs could be significantly higher than the estimate.
      4. A full charge breakdown will appear on your invoice/receipt
   3. Our prices for products and services will be reviewed regularly and updated to reflect the cost of the products and services provided
   4. All charges/prices quoted to you will be inclusive of VAT
4. Payment
   1. All charges are to be settled by you at the time the pet leaves the clinic (either after a consultation or after a stay in the clinic) other than by special arrangement in advance with one of the directors
   2. We reserve the right to request part payment of services in advance of the service being provided
      1. Unregistered clients will be required to pay a deposit of 50% of the estimated cost of any procedures at the time of admission and the rest on collection of their pet.  This applies to hospital procedures and not consultations.
   3. Any late payments will incur an administration charge and may be subject to interest at 2% above the Bank of England base rate front he date the payment was due until the date it is received
   4. We do not offer payment plans
   5. Where our charges are not paid by the due date, we reserve the right to withhold future veterinary services from you and animals belonging to you, excepting to provide alleviation of suffering as a minimum
   6. If, after due warning, you still do not pay our outstanding charges, we will transfer your account to a debt collection agency who will seek to recover the monies owed.  Any administration charges for this will be added to your outstanding debt
      1. In such an event, we will withdraw all future provision of veterinary services from you, excepting for the emergency alleviation of suffering
      2. Reinstatement of veterinary services following this is at the sole discretion of the Directors
5. Client Records
   1. Client and animal records will be kept in accordance with best practice in order that appropriate care and accountability can be provided
   2. These records will be kept secure and confidential and not shared with 3rd parties without your consent
      1. Excepting when requested by the police or by a court of law
   3. You have the right to view your and your pets’ records
   4. The clinical records remain the property of Riverport Vets Ltd
      1. An anonymised version will be retained even in the event that you exercise your rights under GDPR ‘to be forgotten’
6. Data Protection
   1. When you register your animal with our practice or request that we provide veterinary services we will collect personal data about you and, where relevant, your employees and/or agents.  We will only collect data that we need to perform the services, take payment or contact you
   2. By agreeing to this contract you grant us authorisation to process your personal data for the purpose of providing veterinary care for your animals, which may include your pet insurance company, referral centres and other veterinary practices with your prior consent. It may also be necessary, from time to time, to provide access to this data to our software provider, where support issues may arise. Your data will only be used for the specific purpose of sending authorised communication without specific consent for that purpose
   3. We comply with the Data Protection Act 2018 (and GDPR) and will take reasonable precautions to ensure that your data is kept securely, used appropriately and is not shared with third parties except as required for the purposes outlined above.  You are entitled to be provided with details of the data that we hold about you upon request
7. Liability
   1. The veterinary services shall be provided to you with the reasonable care and skill attributable to a competent veterinary surgeon
   2. Our liability in respect of all and any claims, damages or losses arising in respect of the goods and/or services provided by us or arising in connection with any attendance at our practice or attendance at any property by one of our vets shall be limited in accordance with our insurance cover.  In the event of any uninsured claims, damages or losses our liability shall be limited to the value of the goods and/or services to which the claim, damages or loss relates
   3. We shall have no liability to you for any loss, damage, costs, expenses or other claims for compensation arising from any instructions supplied by you which are incomplete, incorrect, inaccurate, illegible, or arising from their late arrival or non-arrival, or any other fault attributable to you
   4. We shall not be liable to you or be deemed to be in breach of the contract by reason of any delay in performing, or any failure to perform, any of our obligations in relation to the veterinary services, if the delay or failure was due to any cause beyond our reasonable control.
8. Complaints
   1. We pride ourselves on offering a quality service, and take customer complaints seriously.  Should we not meet your expectations on any aspect of our service please discuss this in the first instance with the Practice Manager or the consulting Vet as soon as possible.  If a satisfactory resolution cannot be reached please prefer to our complaints procedure
9. Insurance
   1. We recommend getting your pet insured and will work with most insurance companies
   2. We may request to see proof of insurance cover prior to providing ctc veterinary services.  You remain responsible for payment of our charges at all times
   3. Payment for veterinary services is required at the time your pet leaves the premises.  Owners of insured pets can have this money claimed back afterwards
      1. Submit to us a signed claim form and we can fill out the relevant veterinary section of the form and submit it to the insurance company for you
   4. For services estimated to cost in excess of £600 (six hundred pounds), we will accept direct claims to your insurance company when they are:
      1. Requested in advance
      2. Pre-authorised in writing by the insurance company
      3. The excess and any extra payable under the terms of your policy is paid up front
10. Termination
    1. We reserve the right to withhold or withdraw veterinary services from you for any reason and at any time
       1. In the event that we terminate the provision of veterinary services, we will still provide the alleviation of suffering to an animal or pet
       2. Reasons for terminating the provision of veterinary services by us include, but are not limited to: failure by you to pay charges incurred and abusive or aggressive behaviour towards our staff
    2. We shall retain records relating to the pet until all our charges have been paid in full
    3. You are entitled to terminate this contract at any time