Terms & Conditions

Fees

• Referred cases will have a consultation with one of our surgeons, for which a consultation fee will apply.
• All of our procedures have an all-inclusive, fixed price that includes the initial consultation. Prices for our procedures and investigations are shown on the website.
• At the initial consultation, the clinician will provide a quotation for the cost of investigation or treatment based on our understanding of your pet’s condition. However, if further diagnostic investigations are required, the final cost of treatment may increase, depending on the outcome of those investigations.
• We reserve the right to charge additional fees if the clinical situation changes. We will always try to discuss this with you in such cases before incurring extra costs, but in some urgent situations, where we are unable to contact you, this may not be possible.
• At least one follow-up consultation appointment, including X-rays if required, is included at no extra charge in the fixed price for all procedures. Additional follow-up appointments, investigations and treatments will be charged separately.

Payment

• Payment is required at the time of the first consultation. We accept payment by major debit and credit cards, bank transfer and cash. We do not accept American Express or cheques.
• If your pet is undergoing a procedure, we will require you to pay the full cost at the time of admission.
• We do not offer payment plans.

Insured pets

Indirect Claims

• Once you have paid our invoice in full, we can submit your insurance claim on your behalf. Please bring your original, current insurance certificate and policy documents, and a completed and signed claim form where necessary. We undertake to submit insurance claims within three working days, and we do not charge for this service.

Direct Claims

• If your pet is insured and you are unable to pay the full cost of treatment up front, we may consider making a direct claim from your insurance company so that your insurer pays us rather than you. Please note that, for us to make a direct claim, the cost of treatment must exceed £1,000.
• When possible, we will pre-authorise the treatment to ensure that your insurance provider will cover our fees.
• Direct claims require a significant amount of administrative work by our team, so we charge an administration fee of £50. Any subsequent claims for the same condition will be processed free of charge.
• We require a minimum payment of £500 (£450 deposit plus our £50 administration fee) at the time of admission of your pet for treatment. Once your insurance provider has settled the claim, any costs not covered by your insurance will require settlement by you. If there are any surplus funds, these will be returned to you.
• Irrespective of whether you pay upfront or we make a direct insurance claim, it is important to understand that payment of our fees remains your responsibility. If your insurance provider fails to pay your claim for any reason, then you are personally liable to pay the full cost of veterinary treatment.

Royal and Sun Alliance (RSA) insured pets

• If your pet is insured with a company underwritten by the RSA insurance group, your insurance company may direct you towards a clinic that is a member of its “preferred referral network”, many of which are not specialist veterinary facilities. This may result in your pet being treated by a less qualified and less experienced surgeon.
• RSA has decided to impose a penalty of £200 on insured pet owners who choose not to use their referral network. We have elected to remain independent of the RSA “preferred network”. We believe that your choice of treatment centre should be based on what is best for you and your pet, rather than on what is most convenient or profitable for your insurance company. We will refund the £200 penalty for our clients if they are affected by this commercial decision by the RSA underwriters. We may ask for your help in challenging this charge before reimbursement.

Your Data

• Please note that your details will be stored securely on our practice management system.

Our Surgical Guarantee

• All medical and surgical procedures carry a degree of risk, and, like every other referral clinic, we cannot guarantee that there will not be any complications following surgery. However, our complication rate is so low that we can offer a full 12‑month surgical guarantee for all of our procedures. If something does go wrong after surgery, whatever the cause, we will treat the complication and only charge you for the cost of any additional or replacement implants or prostheses, if needed.
• We know you will want to follow our post-operative instructions precisely to speed your pet’s recovery. However, we also appreciate that accidents do occasionally happen, despite your best endeavours. In the event of a complication, our focus will be solely on resolving the problem rather than trying to apportion blame.
• We are always realistic about prognosis, but it is not possible to predict precisely how well an individual case will progress after surgery. Failure to achieve an anticipated or hoped-for outcome is not necessarily indicative of a complication.
• This guarantee does not impair your statutory rights.

What is included in the guarantee:

• One revision surgical procedure specifically for the treatment of the complication (including consultation, anaesthesia, IV fluids, X-rays, CT if needed, and hospitalisation for up to two nights).
• The cost of all medication is included for the first 28 days of treatment of a post-surgical complication. Long-term medication, if required, is excluded from the guarantee.
• Post-surgical complications are defined as those presented to us within the first 12 months of the original surgery.

What is excluded from the guarantee:

• Complications not directly relating to the surgical procedure are excluded from the guarantee, for example, post-operative vomiting, diarrhoea or exacerbation of any pre-existing medical condition.
• The cost of additional or replacement implants or prostheses, such as plates and screws, is excluded from the guarantee, and these items will be charged at cost.
• Transport of the patient to and from the clinic, and any costs incurred in doing so, are the responsibility of the owner.
• Wessex Veterinary Orthopaedics accepts no responsibility for the treatment of complications or for costs incurred elsewhere.
• The guarantee only covers the cost of treatment performed directly by Wessex Veterinary Orthopaedics. All patients with suspected surgical complications should be presented to the referring veterinary surgeon or to Wessex Veterinary Orthopaedics promptly.
• The guarantee is not activated until full settlement of our fees for the initial surgical procedure.

Our promise to you

• We will provide our patients with the same level of care that we would wish for our own pets.
• We will provide a friendly and personalised service and will treat you and your pet with compassion and respect.
• We will work alongside your own vet to achieve the best possible outcome for you and your pet, and we will keep your vet fully informed about your pet’s treatment.
• We will advise you of the best treatment options, based on both the available evidence and our extensive experience, but you will always have the final say.
• Your pet will always be treated by an experienced orthopaedic surgeon, not by a junior vet or trainee.
• We will offer help and advice for emergencies outside normal working hours for ongoing cases. However, we are not an emergency clinic, and we may not be able to see your pet. If you have an urgent enquiry outside our normal hours, contact us by phone on 07775 091723.