Terms and conditions

Payment

ChesterGates Referral Hospital is a self-financing institution. Owners are charged an economic rate for the treatment and services provided. Estimated costs are fully discussed with owners during the initial consultation and before any treatment is commenced.

All fees, diet foods and drug charges are subject to VAT at the current rate. Fee levels are determined by the time spent on a case and according to the drugs, materials, consumables and diet foods used.

Full payment is required at the time of your pet’s discharge from the hospital. We accept payment by cash, credit card or debit cards. You may be asked for a deposit prior to your pet being hospitalised.

Please note that direct insurance claims are only possible in exceptional circumstances and only by prior arrangement with our accounts team. Unless this is the case, full payment will be required at the time of your pet’s discharge from the hospital.

We reserve the right to add a service charge and interest to outstanding accounts. Late accounts may be passed on to our debt collection agency who will add further charges of their own.

Our commitment to you

We aim to provide you with a first class caring and professional service.
We aim to provide your pet with the highest standard of treatment and care.
We aim to proved your usual veterinary surgery with prompt reports of any treatments or investigations which pet has received at ChesterGates Referral Hospital
We understand that when your animal is hospitalised, this may be a stressful time for you and we provide a means for you to have effective communication with the hospital during their stay.
If your animal has been admitted to the hospital we will provide you with an estimate of costs at the start of treatment and will keep you informed of any changes to this, and will seek your agreement to continue with treatment if the costs are likely to increase.
We will endeavour to arrange re-examination appointments at convenient times and dates for you.

Your commitment to us

You are responsible for full settlement of your account, including the initial consultation fee. Payment is expected at conclusion of treatment at the time your animal is discharged from the hospital, whether your animal is insured or not. (Please see below if your animal is insured).
We reserve the right to ask you to pay deposit of 50% of the estimate at the time that your animal is admitted to the hospital.
We reserve the right to make a charge for missed appointments or appointments which are cancelled with less than 24 hours notice.

Prescriptions

Veterinary prescriptions are available from the hospital.
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.
Your veterinary surgeon may prescribe POM Vs only for animals under his or her 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 prescribed for your animal.
The general policy of the hospital is to re-assess an animal requiring repeat prescriptions every 3 months, but this may vary with individual circumstances.

If your animal is insured and a direct claim has not been arranged in advance with our accounts team:

Payment will be expected in full from you at the time of collection of your animal.
Even if you are settling your account with us directly, t is important that you contact your insurance company prior to your appointment to establish the level of cover remaining on your policy for the condition your animal has.
Please bring a valid claim form with you to your first appointment. We aim to process claim forms promptly so that insurance companies are able to reimburse you swiftly.
Our report to your referring veterinary surgeon may be forwarded to your insurance company at their request.

If your animal is insured and a direct claim has been agreed by our accounts team:

An administration fee of £20.00 (inc. VAT) will be payable on all direct claims.
You will need to contact your insurance company and obtain a valid claim form. Please bring this to your appointment along with your insurance policy documents.
You will need to pay the excess at the time of the first consultation.
Please ensure that you have an initial claim made with your referring vet if applicable.
You are responsible for liaising with the insurance company about payment.
If the insurance company for any reason does not pay part or all of the amount owing to ChesterGates Referral Hospital, you will be responsible for paying the account in full.
If a direct claim is not settled within 45 days we will require an alternative method of payment immediately.
If you have any queries concerning payment, please contact the business office Monday to Friday 9:00 am to 5:00pm on 01244-853-823.

Complaints and Standards

We trust that you never will have need to complain about the standards of service or care which either you or your pet has received from ChesterGates Referral Hospital. However, if you feel that there is something about which you wish to complain or discuss, please direct your comment to the Hospital Manager in the first instance by email to jackie@chestergates.org.uk

Ownership of Records, Radiographs, MRI Scans and other such Records

Case records are the property of, and will be retained by, ChesterGates Referral Hospital. Copies with a summary of the history will be passed on request to another veterinary surgeon taking over the case and only at your request. Case reports are sent to your usual veterinary surgery as part of our commitment to you.
As per Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Guidelines, we reserve the right to charge you an administration for providing such copies.
Some of the treatments or investigations which your pet may receive at ChesterGates Referral Hospital could involve making some specific investigations, for example taking radiographs or performing ultrasound scans or MRI scans. Even though we charge for carrying out these investigations and interpreting their results, the ownership of the resulting records remain with ChesterGates.

Data protection

We are required to keep your personal information for accounting and record purposes. We will not divulge your details to other agencies except for debt collection purposes. We may contact you from time to time with information beneficial to your animal’s health, for example appointment reminders, drug recall information, or newsletters. If you do not want us to send you any such information, please advise the Hospital Manager in writing and we will amend your records accordingly.

Company details

ChesterGates Referral Hospital is a trading name of CVS(UK) Ltd; a company registered in England and Wale. Registered number is 03777473. Registered office: CVS House, Vinces Road, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 4AY