Mon-Fri 08:30 to 18:00 & 24hr out-of-hours
We welcome new clients to the practice. Details of any historic illness or treatment your horse may have experienced should be provided upon registration. Previous practices will be happy to provide a copy of your horse’s medical history. It is important that you request this information on our behalf as soon as possible.
Booking an appointment or otherwise engaging our services indicates your acceptance of our terms and conditions.
In order to comply with regulations set by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, we will not supply medication on prescription without first examining the animal in question. Repeat prescriptions can only be issued for animals under the care of Tom Walters Equine; to this end, an examination must have occurred in the six months prior to the prescription of medication.
In certain situations we understand that requests will be made by persons acting on your behalf, such as a stable manager or stable owner. In giving instructions either in person or via your agent for an animal to be examined or treated, you agree to be responsible for associated fees and charges. We cannot accept instructions from anybody under 18.
We are always pleased to receive feedback on the service we provide and hope that you never have recourse to complain about the standards of service received from us.
However, in the event of a complaint please discuss the matter initially with the Practice Manager. If this proves unsatisfactory, the complaint should be put into writing for the attention of a director.
Clinical notes, radiographs and similar medical records are owned by the practice. The fees charged for these services are for carrying out investigations and interpreting results. The resulting documents and images remain the property of the practice and will be retained by Tom Walters Equine.
Upon request we will send copies of clinical histories to referral practices and to any new practice with which the client chooses to register, subject to requisite settlement.
Information pertaining to pre-purchase examinations remains the property of the individual instructing the practice and will not be shared with any third party, including the vendor, without express written permission.
It is practice policy to encourage all our clients to consider adequate insurance for their animals. We do not sell insurance and cannot advise clients on the merits of specific policies. Clients are reminded that animal insurance is a contract between themselves and their insurance company.
In the majority of cases we are able to liaise with and accept payment directly from insurance companies on your behalf, however we reserve the right to request payment directly from clients regardless of their insurance status.
We will provide all information requested in expediting claims, however it must be understood that we are not obliged to negotiate with any insurance company on your behalf.
You should be aware of the financial and chronological limitations of your insurance cover. It remains the responsibility of the client to monitor expenditure relevant to the condition(s) under treatment.
If an insurance claim is unsuccessful you will be expected to pay any costs associated with the care of your animal.
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards were established to help organisations that process card payments to prevent card fraud. The standard applies to all organisations that store or process cardholder information and applies to all payments accepted in person, on the phone and online. We comply with all requirements of the standard.
In order to complete your registration with us we require valid credit or debit card information to confirm an active account status. The most mutually convenient and reliable means of account settlement is via our Instant Pay system. Clients using this system will benefit from a 5% discount on the majority of goods and services offered by the practice.
Your card information will be securely logged with our payment providers. Members of the practice cannot subsequently view your details, but we maintain the ability to issue charges against your account.
For substantial invoices a payment plan arranged prior to the appointment taking place may be agreed upon at the sole discretion of the management. In such instances, your card information will be used to settle a specified amount at agreed regular intervals. This amount will be processed automatically until the debt is cleared.
We request that payment is made in advance for supplies and routine appointments such as vaccinations and preventative dental care. Fees for all non-routine appointments should be settled either after each consultation or upon receipt of the invoice.
If for any reason you are unable to settle your account, we ask you to discuss the matter as soon as possible with a member of staff. Non-payment of accounts is a serious matter, and clients who fail to make payment in full (unless previous exception has been made) could face further action including legal proceedings.
We reserve the right to charge interest on any account that remains unpaid after 30 days. Persistently unpaid accounts will be referred to our debt collection agency and proceedings may be initiated to recover the debt through the courts. Costs associated with debt collection will be the responsibility of the client.
We will not provide any further scheduled treatment for animals belonging to clients who have an unauthorised outstanding debt with the practice. Persistent refusal to pay bills will result in a written instruction to seek veterinary treatment elsewhere and the discharging of our responsibilities to you under the Veterinary Surgeons Act.
Out of hours fees are charged when a veterinary surgeon visits out of normal office hours, which are 8.30am – 5.30pm Monday to Friday.
In order to keep our costs as low as possible and to be able to pass these benefits on to you, we do not offer credit accounts.
A detailed invoice is provided for every consultation, procedure or transaction.