CONSULTATIONS AND OPENING HOURS

Monday – Friday 9am-12pm and 2pm-5.30pm

Saturday 9.30am to 12pm

Sunday and Bank Holidays – Closed

Consultations are by appointment only, except for emergencies, and can be booked by telephone, email or PetsApp. In the event of an emergency please call ahead if possible, to ensure that our team is ready to treat your pet on your arrival.

EMERGENCIES/OUT OF HOURS SERVICE

In the case of an emergency, please call us immediately. Out of Hours Please call Cambridge Night Vets on 01223 608213. Cambridge Nights Vets are based at Granta Veterinary Specialists, Photon House, Station Road, Linton, Cambridge, CB21 4NW.

You can also contact VidiVet for free, out-of-hours access to veterinary advice.

HOME VISITS

We are happy to offer house visits where possible but may not be able to accommodate this in all circumstances. In most instances it is preferable for pets to be seen at the practice, where we have the facilities and staff to provide a higher standard of care. If you have difficulty transporting your pet, you should make plans in advance for transport to the surgery with a friend/relative/pet taxi service in case we are unable to visit.

FEES

Once an owner has requested the opinion of a member of the professional staff, a fee may be charged. All professional fees, medications and reception sales are subject to VAT at the current rate. Fee levels are determined by the time spent on the case, and in surgical cases, by the complexity of the surgery. Fees will also be applied in respect to certificates, written prescriptions, drugs, materials, consumables and diets used. You are entitled to a detailed invoice for every consultation, surgical procedure or transaction with us.

METHODS OF PAYMENT

Clients are required to settle their account after each consultation, on discharge of a pet or on collection of drugs and food. Accounts may be settled by cash, PetsApp, cheque with current bankers card or debit/credit card (Mastercard, Visa, Solo, Electron, Maestro, American Express).

If, for any reason, you are unable to settle your account as specified, we ask you to discuss the matter with a member of staff as soon as possible, preferably before treatment starts.

SETTLEMENT TERMS

Payment is expected at the time of treatment. Should an account not be settled at the time we will send an invoice. Should this invoice not then be paid within 14 days we will send a 7 day letter detailing the charges that will be incurred if the account is not settled within that period. If these terms are not met, charges will be applied and the overdue accounts will be referred to our Debt Collection Agency. Further charges will be levied in respect of costs incurred in collecting the debt, such as production of reports, correspondence, court fees, attendance at court, phone calls etc.

Any cheque returned by our bank as unpaid, any credit card payment not honoured and any cash tendered that is counterfeit will result in the original debt being restored to the original sum with further charges added in respect of bank charges and administrative costs.

ESTIMATES OF COSTS

We will be pleased to provide a written estimate as to the probable cost of treatment upon request. Please remember that any estimate is approximate and for guidance only as an animal’s illness may not follow a conventional course. Should a situation arise where additional costs are necessary, for example after initial investigation or treatment, we will endeavour to seek discussion and the approval with the client in advance. Should we be unable to contact the client for any reason, we will act in the best interests of the animal.

PET INSURANCE

Where an owner has elected to obtain insurance to assist in the payment of veterinary bills, special conditions pertain: Church Street Vets have no knowledge of the basis, terms and conditions of provision of insurance for a pet. Clients must therefore take care to know and understand these clearly through discussion as required with their chosen insurance company.

Payment should be made in full to the clinic and the insurance company will attend to re-imbursing the client.

EMAILS

Treatment, results, pictures and instructions may be emailed by the veterinary surgeon to our clients. We would also like to email you our monthly news stories. This will be sent to the email address you provide. If you do not wish to receive these mailings please send us an email stating you wished to be removed from the mailing list.

REMINDERS

Reminders are provided as a complimentary service to our clients and as such Church Street Vets cannot be held liable for any costs which may result from the failure of a client to receive any reminder.

RE-EXAMINATION AND REPEAT PRESCRIPTION POLICY

Medication may be used to treat patients for extended periods of time. In order to comply with legislation Church Street Vets must be sure that the medication is safe, efficacious and appropriate for your pet. This responsibility can only be met by checking the patient at regular intervals to ensure. Re-examination of the patient may take place monthly, quarterly, six-monthly or annually, depending on the medication, the patient and the condition. This involves staff time for which a professional fee will be charged.

On request, the practice will provide a written prescription for any medication prescribed by the veterinary surgeon. A fee will be charged for the issue of written veterinary prescriptions. Written prescriptions will normally be for an average of 3 month’s supply but this may vary depending on the nature of the condition. 24 hrs notice is required to prepare a repeat prescription.

OWNERSHIP OF RECORDS, RADIOGRAPHS

Your Pets clinical records, including radiographs, ultrasound scans and laboratory test results are the property of Church Street Vets and will be retained by us. On request, copies, with a summary of the history, will be passed directly to another veterinary surgeon giving a second opinion. Radiographs and results of all other tests we have performed remain the property of Church Street Vets, even though we have raised an invoice for undertaking and interpreting these procedures. The results will be passed directly to another veterinary surgeon if a second opinion is sought. Owners are encouraged to inform the practice of any changes in their circumstances so records are kept up to date. Church Street Vets complies with GDPR.

COMPLAINTS AND STANDARDS

We hope you never have recourse to complain about the standards of service received from Church Street Vets. However, if you feel that there is something you wish to complain about, please direct your comments, in writing, to info@churchstreetvets.co.uk or in person to either Patrick or Harriet.

This privacy policy explains what personal information we keep, what we do with it and the limited circumstances in which we may share your data with others.

This privacy policy may be updated occasionally. Please check it every so often to make sure you are aware of any changes.

Should you have any queries or concerns we would be happy to provide further information. If you would like further explanation, please contact us using the contact details below.

WHO ARE WE?

Church Street Vets is an independent small animal veterinary surgery located in Stapleford. We provide services to diagnose and treat sick and injured animals and advise owners on preventative healthcare for their pets.

We are based at Church Street Vets,
65 London Road, Stapleford, CB22 5DG. You can contact us on 01223 776773

WHAT INFORMATION IS COLLECTED FROM YOU?

We may collect and store your name, address, telephone number and email address. In very limited circumstances we may collect health information with your consent.

HOW INFORMATION ABOUT YOU WILL BE USED

We may use the information you supply to us in a number of ways:

•   To administer your account and provide you and your pets with the products and services you purchase from us.

•   To send you marketing communications as a surgery client - you can opt out at any time.

•   We may use your information to send you reminders about products and services you have already purchased from us by SMS, PetsApp, email or post. Examples include reminders about when your pet is due for a vaccination or worming treatment.

•   Newsletters featuring advice on health care. You can opt out of these emails at any time.

•   To get feedback on the services we provide.

•   For statistical analysis.

•   For debt collection purposes.

WHO DO WE SHARE YOUR INFORMATION WITH?

We will not share your details with any third parties without consent unless the law requires us to do so. Some of the occasions where we may need to share your information are listed below.

•   Companies working on our behalf: In some situations, we use a third party company to help provide some of our services (for example processing laboratory samples or sending reminder messages when your pet’s vaccinations are due). In these circumstances, we will share only the data required to provide the service.

•   We may also be required to share your information with insurance companies when processing pet insurance claims. This is necessary to allow you to claim on pet insurance policies.

•   If you would like your pet to be referred to a specialist veterinary hospital, we will provide them with your pet’s clinical history and your contact details in order for them to arrange an appointment.

We have contracts in place with these third parties that ensure your data is stored correctly, will not be used for purposes other than fulfilling our contract with them and will not be retained by them for longer than is necessary.

HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION?

We are required by law to keep your records for 7 years including contact details.

We will only process your data whilst you are an active client. An active client is defined as having sought the services of the veterinary surgery within the last 18 months. After 2 years of inactivity, we will close the clients account and archive the data.

THE USE OF COOKIES ON OUR WEBSITE

Cookies are small files which are sent to your web browser and stored on your computer’s hard drive to ‘remember’ who you are. The majority of browsers are initially set up to accept cookies. The toolbar on most browsers will have a feature to tell you how to stop accepting new cookies, how to receive notification of new cookies, and how to disable any existing cookies. Please note, however, if you do disable, reject or stop cookies, you may not be able to take full advantage of all our Website features and services we would like to offer you.

WEBSITE ANALYTICS

When you visit our website, we use a third party service, Google Analytics, to collect standard web data. We use this to provide information about the number of visitors to the website and the number of page views. It is useful for statistical purposes. The information collected is not linked to any personally identifiable information.

YOUR PERSONAL RIGHTS

You have the right to request a copy of your personal information held by us. We will respond within one month and the information will be provided free of charge. Please do this by writing using the address below: Church Street Vets, 65 London Road, Stapleford, CB22 5DG or emailing info@churchstreetvets.co.uk. Please note that before we can commence this process, you will need to provide proof of identity - a current passport or driving licence.

•   Right of rectification – you have a right to correct data that we hold about you that is inaccurate or incomplete.

•   Right to be forgotten – in certain circumstances you can ask for the data we hold about you to be erased from our records.

•   Right to restriction of processing – where certain conditions apply to have a right to restrict the processing.

•   Right of portability – you have the right to have the data we hold about you transferred to another organisation.

•   Right to object – you have the right to object to certain types of processing such as direct marketing.

•   Right to object to automated processing, including profiling – you also have the right to be subject to the legal effects of automated processing or profiling.

•   Right to judicial review: in the event that Clarendon Street Veterinary Surgery refuses your request under rights of access, we will provide you with a reason as to why. You have the right to complain as outlined below.

COMPLAINTS

If you would like to complain about the way we have handled your data please contact us in person, by telephone, 01223 776773, or in writing by post to Church Street Vets, 65 London Road, Stapleford, CB22 5DG or to info@churchstreetvets.co.uk

If, following your complaint you are not happy with the outcome or our response, you are also entitled to complain to the independent regulatory authority, the ICO.

Further information can be found at  www.ico.org.uk/concerns or by calling 0303 123 1113

Written prescriptions are available from this practice at a cost of £18 per prescription.

You may obtain Prescription Only Medicines – Veterinary (POM-Vs) from your veterinary surgeon OR ask for a prescription and obtain these medicines from another veterinary surgeon or pharmacy. 

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.

The general policy of this practice is to re-assess an animal requiring repeat prescriptions every 3 months but this may vary with individual circumstances.

The standard charge for a re-examination is £54.