We want you and your horses to be happy with the care and service you get from us. If something isn’t right, please tell us. Most concerns can be sorted out quickly with a conversation, and your feedback helps us improve.
How to raise a concern
If you can, please mention it at the time to the vet involved, or call the office on 01270 660014 (08:30–18:00, Monday to Friday). We’ll always try to put things right straight away.
For a formal complaint, please write to Sophie Coombes, Practice Manager:
- Email: info@tomwaltersequine.com
- Post: Tom Walters Equine Vets, Barn 1, Somerford Business Court, Holmes Chapel Road, Somerford, CW12 4SN
If your complaint is about Sophie, please email it to info@tomwaltersequine.com, marked for the attention of Tom Walters, Practice Principal.
It helps if you tell us your name and your horse’s name, what happened and when, why you’re unhappy, and how you’d like us to put it right. If you’d find it hard to put your complaint in writing, call us and we’ll help.
We ask that you contact us within three months of the event if possible, as it helps us look into it properly. This doesn’t limit your legal rights.
What happens next
- We’ll acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days.
- Sophie will review your complaint together with Tom Walters, Practice Principal. This will usually include talking to the vet or team member involved and checking your horse’s clinical records.
- We’ll send you a full written response within 10 working days of receiving your complaint. If we need longer, for example to speak to everyone involved, we’ll tell you why and when to expect our response.
We treat complaints in confidence. Only the people who need to be involved will see the details, and we keep a record of your complaint and our response for 6 years after it is closed, as set out in our privacy notice.
If you’re not satisfied
If you’re unhappy with our final response, you can contact the Veterinary Client Mediation Service (VCMS). It is free, independent and funded by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). A trained mediator talks to both you and us to help reach a solution we can both accept. The VCMS doesn’t take sides or decide who is at fault.
The VCMS can usually only help once you’ve raised your complaint with us in writing and been through our process. They usually ask you to contact them within 12 months of the problem arising.
- Website: vetmediation.co.uk (with an online complaint form)
- Phone: 0345 040 5834 (option 1), 8am–6pm, Monday to Friday
- Email: enquiries@vetmediation.co.uk
- Post: Veterinary Client Mediation Service, 6 Market Square, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM23 3UZ
If you use the VCMS, we’ll share with them the information they need to help resolve your complaint.
Concerns about a vet’s professional conduct
The RCVS is the regulator for vets in the UK. It deals with the most serious concerns, such as serious breaches of its Code of Professional Conduct, dishonesty, criminal convictions or health problems that affect a vet’s ability to work safely. It cannot order refunds, apologies or compensation, so for most complaints about care, service or fees the VCMS is the right place to go. The RCVS doesn’t ordinarily look into events more than two years old.
To find out more, see the RCVS page Concerns about veterinary care or call the RCVS on 020 7202 0789.
Complaints about your personal information
If your concern is about how we use your personal information, please see our privacy notice or email info@tomwaltersequine.com. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint.
Tom Walters Equine Vets is the trading name of Tom Walters Equine Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 09237269. Registered office: 20 Moorland Road, Stoke-on-Trent ST6 1DW.