Website Terms & Conditions

OUR OBLIGATIONS

WHAT WE PROVIDE: As a third party visiting your practice to provide a service. We at VET SOS Ltd are fully aware of our responsibility to make the visit as smooth as possible for you.

PRIOR TO THE DAY: Our vet will study patient radiographs, history and any lab work provided by you. They will provide for you a surgical report outlining the diagnosis and recommended treatment along with an estimate of costs. As soon as your client has decided to go ahead with the recommended treatment, our theatre manager will schedule a date for the procedure, based on our availability. In the event that our availability is limited (especially in the case of trauma) we are also available to take external referrals at one of our other hospital clinics that host us on a weekly basis. If your client would like a video consultation in advance to further explain the procedure, risks and post op care we are able to offer these, typically evening, appointments via zoom with our theatre manager.

ON THE DAY: we will arrive and set up theatre, working in conjunction with your vet and nurse team. All surgical equipment, implants and nerve blocks will be provided (and in the case of nerve blocks performed) by our vet and/or theatre manager. We only use original implants (never copies of implants as they are rarely subject to rigorous quality control testing and ISO and CE certification). In order to fulfil our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint, we aim to source our products from the UK wherever possible. We will scrub in and drape the patient, perform surgery and take the post operative radiographs where necessary. We will hand over a post operative care plan (analgesia plan) to your inpatient staff and contact your client, unless you prefer to contact them yourself. We will email the notes prior to discharge along with instructions for post operative checks and a post operative, at home, care plan. Where appropriate, we ask for post operative follow up radiographs to be emailed to us at 8 weeks and we will provide a report for you to add to your clinic client file. An invoice for the procedure will be provided at the end of the working week during which the procedure took place.

PERI AND POST OPERATIVE COMPLICATIONS: Wherever possible we will endeavour to provide a precise treatment plan and cost for every procedure but every patient and every injury is different. On the rare occasion we may find additional work is required in the interests of an optimal outcome, we will endeavour to relay this to you immediately along with the details of any additional costs. However, this may only be possible once surgery is completed and the additional work is already complete. Whilst rare, post operative complications can occur. We will liaise with you remotely, providing support and advice until such a time we can attend if necessary. Any revision surgery costs will be agreed with you in advance.

YOUR OBLIGATIONS

PRIOR TO DAY: Prior to the booking and in order for the booking to be scheduled and confirmed we require the following: pre operative radiographs with calibration marker, un-zoomed, in jpeg format (dicom preferred – zip file or wetransfer) and a referral form submitted via our website (https://vetsos.co.uk). Copies of the patient history will be passed, on request, to any veterinary surgeon or other member of staff working for us in order to best prepare for the procedure to be conducted on the day of surgery. Not earlier than one week and not later than 48 hours before the day of the scheduled procedure, where possible, we require you to perform a general health check for any elective surgery in order to identify and alert us to any conditions that would otherwise prevent the safe completion of the surgery, for example any active ear infection, UTI, periodontal disease, or most notably, a pyoderma at the operative site. A patient presenting with these conditions will require us to reschedule the procedure. No additional cost will be incurred in relation to the rescheduling if the health check has been completed in accordance with the above. Prior to our visit, the team will also require information regarding your clinic’s patient anaesthetic crash protocols and any other health and safety information pertaining to your surgical arrangements or workplace. With the latter information your practice manager should, if relevant, provide us with a copy of the relevant sections of your company or staff handbook to keep on file.

ON THE DAY: Your clinic will provide a qualified vet to induce the patient and a qualified RVN to monitor anaesthesia and recover the patient. A qualified vet must remain on site during the post op recovery period and discharge as our team may have left the site or be operating on another patient. Minimum drug requirements for patients must be on site at the time of the procedure. Typical medications include: IV paracetamol, Zinacef (cefuroxime), methadone, omeprazole, midazolam, NSAIDS and medetomidine. Occasionally we require IV chlorphenamine. Whilst this list is not exhaustive these are the most common drugs and medications we will require.

CANCELLATION POLICY: We understand that, on occasion, a client may wish to postpone the procedure or that the patient’s pre-operative check may reveal a condition necessitating the postponement of a procedure. You must provide at least 48 hours’ notice of cancellation. If you cancel a surgical procedure more than 48 hours prior to the appointment time, no cancellation fees will apply. If an appointment is cancelled by you within 48 hours of the appointment time, a cancellation fee of up to £500 may be applied. The cancellation fee aims to cover administrative costs, pre-operative preparations, and any potential loss of resources or scheduling opportunities that may occur due to the cancellation and will only be applied when such losses occur.

PAYMENT

FEES: We provide a private health care service. We keep our fees as reasonable as possible, whilst reflecting the investment we make in caring for your patients. All consultations and procedures will incur a fee, unless we otherwise agree in writing. All fees are subject to VAT. Our Fee levels are determined by taking into account the professional time incurred in planning and executing the procedure, the size of the patient, the implants and materials used, travel time and any other factors we deem appropriate. Due to the nature of the veterinary service we offer we can only provide estimates in advance of the procedure. However, for elective procedures (such as TPLO) prices are more predictable and less subject to variation such that greater certainty is afforded to you and your clients in these circumstances. An estimate is not binding and we reserve the right to increase or decrease the cost on our final invoice to your practice. To accommodate the rising costs of materials our fees may be adjusted from time to time and we will notify you of any such adjustment at least two months before it takes effect. You will be invoiced and you will be primarily liable for the payment of all invoices for the work completed in accordance with these terms and conditions. Our contract is with you as the host practice and not with your client. Accounts are due for settlement within 14 days of the date of the invoice. Accounts can be settled by Bank transfer or BACs/CHAPs.

TERMS OF BUSINESS: If for any reason you are unable to settle your account as specified above, we urge you to discuss the matter as soon as possible with us so that we are able to achieve a satisfactory conclusion. Please note that instalments or part-payments of any account may ONLY be sanctioned with the express permission of our finance director, and will be subject to our written agreement. For any account not settled within 14 days and without any prior communication, we will send a reminder to your accounting department. Should it be necessary for further reminders to be sent after 30 days, we reserve the right to charge interest on late payment in accordance with the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. Any overdue accounts may be referred to our debt collection agency and further charges shall be payable in respect of costs incurred in collecting the debt including production of reports, correspondence, court fees, attendance at court and phone calls. We do not deal with insurance companies in relation to payments or claims.

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CONSENT: The contract is between us and you as the host clinic. You are responsible for obtaining the necessary written consent for the procedures we perform from any relevant third party including the patient’s owner or other party responsible for the patient. The appropriate consent form must be signed and dated at least 48 hours prior to the day of any elective surgery or other relevant procedure. The consent form must include consent for the operation to take place as well as consent for any necessary medications to be administered whether licensed for animal use or not. Our team will require either a copy of the original consent form signed by the appropriate party (usually the patient’s owners) or sight of the original consent form held at your premises/surgery.

PUBLICITY AND MARKETING: You consent (and shall procure the consent of any relevant third parties) to our use of yours, your clients’ and the patients’ anonymised data, details, outcomes, x-rays, planning documents, case histories and any similar documents in any publicity or educational setting. Our use shall include use by or in relation to vPOP-pro.

OWNERSHIP OF CLIENT/PATIENT RECORDS: All case records, diagnostic test results, patient histories and client details are the property of, and shall be retained by you for a period of at least 6 years after the conclusion of our work.

OWNERSHIP OF X-RAYS AND SIMILAR DOCUMENTS: The care given to the patient may involve making some specific investigations, for example taking x-rays or performing ultrasound scans. X-rays an ultrasound scans or other specific investigation results completed by you remain your property. X-rays, ultrasound scans or other specific investigation results and any pre operative planning performed by us remain our property regardless of whether a specific charge for these services has been administered.

DATA PROTECTION: Both parties, as a data controller, shall compile any clients’ personal data by lawfully collecting, where appropriate, in accordance with the general data protection Laws and regulations in force in the UK from time to time. The parties shall keep any client personal data up to date by amending the personal information as and when necessary. The parties shall comply with any obligations under UK general data protection Laws and regulations, including responding to requests from clients and third parties exercising their rights under those laws and regulations.

When you request that we provide services, we will collect relevant data from you and data relevant information about the patient and patient owners. We will only collect data that we need to perform the services, take payment or contact you such as names, contact details and possibly some financial details. Please note that we may pass your details to debt collection agencies or our legal advisers for the purpose of recovering unpaid fees if you do not pay invoices when they fall due. For further information about your rights as a data subject, plus information about the categories of data we process, data transfers, the legal basis for our processing, and the purposes of processing, please refer to our privacy policy which can be found on our website – www.vetsos.co.uk

PROHIBITION ON IMAGING AND RECORDING DEVICES: To protect the privacy of our staff, the use of any imaging or recording devices (including any imaging and recording functions on mobile phones) is prohibited without our permission.

Any individual that is found taking imaging or sound recordings of our staff members without permission, may be asked to immediately stop the imaging or recording and to delete the imaging/recording material.

We reserve the right to take legal action against any individual that covertly uses any imaging or recording device, and/or uploads such material to social media (including Tik Tok, Twitter (X), Instagram and Facebook) or any internet site.

FEEDBACK/COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE: We appreciate your feedback as it helps us to deliver on our commitment to excellence. If you have any questions or feedback, please speak to a member of our team, either directly on the day or via email at [email protected]. Everyone at VETSOS Ltd is committed to providing the highest standards of service and care. Nevertheless, we realise that things can very occasionally go wrong and there may be occasions when you feel your expectations were not fully met or understood. Everyone at VETSOS Ltd is fully committed to putting things right and we hope you will give us a chance to do so. Most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise. All issues and complaints will be taken seriously and dealt with sensitively and appropriately and in a timely manner.

Alternatively, should you wish to raise a formal complaint, we ask that you contact us by telephone or by email as soon as possible but within a maximum of three months of the incident that is the subject of the complaint.

If you prefer to write to us, please send your correspondence to our Practice Manager at Column House, London Road, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY2 6NN. UK and include the following information:

Your clinic Name and the name of the vet who is bringing the complaint forward.

Your Contact details

Name of the pet and the pet owner’s name
The date of the visit your concerns relate to
A brief description of your concerns
What we can do to best resolve this for you

We will acknowledge your correspondence and aim to address your concerns within 5 working days. In some cases, we may need to carry out further investigation and will endeavour to respond to you as soon as possible. Where possible, we will respond to your concern or provide an explanation for the delay within 20 working days of receiving your complaint.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of this process, you may raise your concerns by writing to us ensuring that you include the information listed above together with the reason you are not happy with the response from us.

Dispute resolution: If any dispute arises between the parties out of or in connection with these terms and conditions, the matter shall be referred to the managing directors of each party for resolution. If the managing directors are unable to resolve the dispute within ten (10) Business Days of the dispute being referred to it, then the parties shall resolve the dispute through mediation in accordance with the London Court of International Arbitration Mediation Rules. The parties shall appoint a mediator by mutual agreement to assist them in such negotiations. Both Parties agree to co-operate fully with such mediator, provide such assistance as is necessary to enable the mediator to discharge his duties and bear the fees and expenses of the mediator in equal shares.

If the mediator is unable to resolve the dispute within twenty-eight (28) Business Days of the dispute being referred to them or the Parties are unable to agree on a mediator within ten 14 days then the parties are at liberty to issue court proceedings.

You can submit a complaint to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons at: https://www.rcvs.org.uk/home/.

SECOND OPINION: On occasion it may be necessary to discuss a case with another veterinary surgeon. We are authorised to discuss and share any data and information pertaining to the case. Second opinions can also be requested by the client in order to seek confirmation of our diagnosis or obtain a different veterinary opinion. In these cases we will provide, on request, any radiographs, pre operative planning information and other similar documents to the requesting veterinary surgeon.

VARIATION OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS: No addition or variation of these conditions will bind us unless it is specifically agreed in writing and signed by our managing director or our practice manager. No agent or person employed by, or under contract with, the company has the authority to alter or vary these conditions.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: We have insurance cover for where liability is established against us. The limits and exclusions in this clause take into account the insurance cover we have been able to arrange and you are responsible for making your own arrangements for the insurance for any other sums or liabilities.

The restrictions on liability in this section apply to every liability arising under or in connection with our service for you including liability in contract, tort (including negligence), misrepresentation, restitution or otherwise.

Nothing in these terms and conditions limits any liability which cannot legally be limited, including liability for: Death or personal injury caused by negligence; fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; breach of the terms implied by section 12 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979; or defective products under the Consumer Protection Act 1987.

Subject to the above provisions of this section, our total liability to you shall not exceed the value of the total fees payable by you to us for the services provided in the calendar year during which the relevant claim arose or a maximum of £5000 for each claim whichever is the lower.

The following types of loss are wholly excluded:

(a) loss of profits;

(b) loss of sales or business;

(d) loss of anticipated savings;

(e) loss of use or corruption of software, data or information;

(f) loss of or damage to goodwill;

(g) indirect or consequential loss.

(h) unexpected, i.e., it was not obvious that it would happen and nothing you said to us before we commenced supplying the services should have expected it (so, in the law, the loss was unforeseeable);

(i) caused by a delaying event outside our control, as long as we have taken reasonable steps to inform you of these where possible; and

(j) avoidable, i.e., something you could have avoided by taking reasonable action, including following our reasonable instructions.

This clause shall survive termination of our contract with you.

SEVERENCE: If any term or condition in these terms and conditions is illegal or unenforceable, in whole or in part, the provision of part shall to the extent necessary be deemed not to form part of these conditions and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the remainder of these conditions. If any provision of these terms and conditions (or part of any provision) is or becomes illegal, invalid or unenforceable but would be legal, valid and enforceable if some part of it was deleted or modified, the provision or part-provision in question shall apply with such deletions or modifications as may be necessary to make the provision legal, valid and enforceable. In the event of such deletion or modification, the parties shall negotiate in good faith in order to agree the terms of a mutually acceptable alternative provision.

CHANGES TO THESE TERMS: We reserve the right to change these terms and conditions from time to time and in that event we will email you with the updated terms.

CONFIDENTIALITY: Each party agrees that it may use the other party’s confidential information only in the exercise of its rights and performance of its obligations under these terms and conditions and for a period of five years following the last provision of services by us it shall not disclose the other party’s Confidential Information. Each party may disclose the other party’s confidential information to those of its employees, officers, advisers, agents or representatives who need to know the other party’s confidential information in order to exercise the disclosing party’s rights or perform its obligations under these terms and conditions provided that the disclosing party shall ensure that each of its employees, officers, advisers, agents or representatives to whom confidential information is disclosed is aware of its confidential nature and complies with this clause as if it were a party. Each party may disclose any confidential information required by any regulatory body, any other authority of competent jurisdiction or under any applicable laws.

INSURANCE: Both parties shall, for the duration of your engagement with us for the provision of services, maintain appropriate insurance cover with a reputable insurance company against all relevant liabilities and indemnities that may arise under these terms and conditions.

FORCE MAJEURE: “Force Majeure Event” means, in relation to either party, an event or circumstance beyond the reasonable control of that party (the Claiming Party) including, without limitation, strikes, lockouts and other industrial disputes, disease (including pandemics), riot, armed conflict, acts of God, accident, adverse weather conditions, government or quasi-governmental legislation, action or regulation. The Claiming Party shall not be deemed to be in breach of this Agreement or otherwise liable to the other party for any delay in performance or any non-performance of any obligations under this Agreement (and the time for performance shall be extended accordingly) if and to the extent that the delay or non-performance is due to a Force Majeure Event provided that the Claiming Party has used reasonable endeavours to mitigate the effect of the Force Majeure Event. The Claiming Party shall inform the other party of any Force Majeure Event and the date on which it started as well as the likely effects and, on its ability to perform its obligations under this Agreement. As soon as reasonably possible after the end of the Force Majeure Event, the Claiming Party shall notify the other that the Force Majeure Event has ended and resume performance of its obligations under this Agreement.

NO PARTNERSHIP OR AGENCY: Nothing in these terms and conditions constitutes, or shall be deemed to constitute, a partnership between the parties nor make any party the agent of another party.

COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW: Each of us shall comply with all laws, enactments, regulations, regulatory policies, guidelines and industry codes applicable to them and shall maintain such authorisations and all other approvals, permits and authorities as are required from time to time to perform their obligations under or in connection with these terms and conditions.

NON-CIRCUMVENTION: In consideration of each of us disclosing information to the other regarding entities and third parties involved in the services we are providing, both of us hereby agree for ourselves, our officers, directors, agents, associates and any related parties, that we will not, directly or indirectly, contact, deal with or otherwise become involved with any entity or any other entities or parties introduced, directly or indirectly, by or through the other party, its officers, directors, agents or associates, for the purpose of circumventing the other party as regards the services we provide.

THIRD PARTY RIGHTS: A person who is not a party to this Agreement has no right to enforce any term of this Agreement including, without limitation, under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.

GOVERNING LAW: These terms and conditions and any dispute or claim arising out of, or in connection with, it, its subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of England and Wales.

JURISDICTION: The courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim arising out of, or in connection with, this Agreement, its subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims).