Terms of Business
This details our Practice Terms and Conditions. Some aspects of these Terms may not be relevant to you and we request that you ask for further explanation/clarification, if required.
Fees
All fees, diets and medication charges are subject to VAT at the current rate. Fee levels are determined by the time spent on a case and according to the medication, materials and consumables used. You will receive a detailed invoice for every consultation, surgical procedure or transaction upon request.
Payment
Accounts are due for settlement at the end of the consultation, the discharge of your pet or upon collection of medication/diet. We reserve the right to request part payments during extended stays or deposits of the estimated costs of treatment on admission.
You may settle the account using the following:
- Cash
- BACs
- Credit/Debit Card
We do not accept personal cheques or Diners Cards.
Estimates of treatment costs
We will happily provide a written estimate as to the probable cost of a course of treatment upon request. Please bear in mind that any estimate given can only be approximate, as an illness may not follow a conventional course.
Inability to pay
If, for any reason, you are unable to settle your account as specified, please discuss the matter as soon as possible with our client accounts team. Failure to make payment within 7 days of the invoice date may result in the matter being referred to a third party and additional costs may be added to the outstanding balance.
Visiting hours
We understand you may wish to visit your pet whilst they are staying with us. Remote visits can be arranged via video consults with a member of the wards team. This will be dependent on staff availability. Due to the impact of COVID and the health and safety implications of this, visits within our clinical areas are not permitted.
Contacting us for updates
We will call you with an update on your pet after we have completed our morning rounds and later if your patient will be staying overnight. Further updates are available, if required, from our nursing team between 2-3pm or 10-11pm.
Complaints and standards
We hope you never have cause to complain about the standards of service provided by Paragon Referrals. However, if you would like to make a complaint, please contact clientcare@paragonreferrals.co.uk in the first instance.
Ownership of records, radiographs and similar records
Case records, including radiographs and similar documents are the property of Paragon Veterinary Referrals and will be retained by us. Even though we make a charge for carrying out diagnostic images, ownership of the resulting records remains ours. You may request a copy of these. Copies, with a summary of the history, will be passed to another veterinary surgeon taking over your case upon request