Admissions

Admission times for scheduled routine and elective procedures are from 8.00am each morning and clients will be required to attend a health check with their pet and Veterinary Nursing team to ensure clarity of procedure, consent and estimated costings. Times outside of this can be made with staff if essential. We ask that dogs be on lead or in a carry cage and cats be in a carry cage for transportation into and from the clinic. We will supply all the hospital bedding for your pets. 

Inpatient Care

There are separate cats, dogs and exotic wards with a trained ward nurse to provide 1:1 care for all inpatients. Anti-anxiety pheromone plug-ins as well as soothing music to create as stress free an environment as possible. Pets with potential infectious diseases will be isolated in our designated isolation suite. 

Discharge

Discharge times for the days surgical procedures are between Midday and 7.00pm unless previously arranged with staff. Aftercare instructions and medication will be explained for each patient by the nursing team. 

Emergencies

Out of hours emergencies will be referred to: 

Petmedics Emergency Clinic

Unit A1 Priestley 

Road Worsley Manchester M28 2LY 

Telephone: 0161 794 4999 

Emergencies reported during surgery hours, upon arrival must be reported and triaged by a trained nurse. Reception staff must book the client in within appointment lists to ensure prompt access to clinical history. 

The afterhours services are provided by Pet Medics Emergencies Clinic, contact details above, and clients will be required to attend the site upon advice from the clinical teams. Emergency services are subjected to additional charges. House calls out of hours is prohibited due to occupational health and safety reasons. 

Payment

Payment for all services is required prior to discharge unless previously arranged. In some cases, deposits for larger procedures may be requested. Pre-payment for services can be arranged if required. 

Pet Insurance

Chorley Vets strongly recommends pet insurance. We are not affiliated with any company in particular. Each policy is different with both coverage and returns but all require payment to be made to the vet first and reimburse once proof of payment is received. All forms require veterinary input, and our staff will assist you with claim forms as much as possible. 

Direct claim – A preauthorisation must be completed, and written confirmation received from the insurance company accepting liability for the claim before any treatment is carried out. 

Direct claims can only be considered for claims above £300. All submitted claim forms incur a £10 administration charge.  

Transport

Chorley Vets does not offer transportation of pets even in emergency cases. Our out of hours provider does offer a pet ambulance service and reception staff will be happy to provide details of local taxi services if required. 

Prescription Medication

Frequently patients need ongoing prescription medications for their wellbeing. The supply of such medications is strictly controlled and there are a number of legal requirements which we must meet. All patients must have a consultation with their vet at least every six months or more often as specified by the prescribing vet. This visit may include blood tests, x-rays or even ultrasounds. Only vets are able to dispense prescription medications and as such we request that clients call to order the medications 24hrs in advance to allow suitable time for staff to dispense. 

Imaging

Charges for imaging (x-rays and ultrasounds) are for the service and interpretation only. The clinic owns the actual images and must maintain the originals by law for a period of at least seven years as with all other documentation. We are happy to provide copies upon request. 

Stray Animals

Stray animals presented by the general public or clients will be assessed for injury, scanned for micro- chip and then reported to proper authorities following a suitable period of trying to locate the owner. First aid will be given for any injuries until an owner can be contacted, then treatment will be as per owner consent. The vet on duty has the discretion to euthanise on humane grounds if needed where an owner cannot be found, however consultation with the relevant authorities will be sought. Clients presenting strays will have to fill in forms outlining when and where the pet was found. 

Wildlife

When clients or the general public present injured wildlife to Chorley Vets, we will assess for injury and where required, first aid will be administered.  

Wherever possible, wildlife will then be sent to trained specialist carers for rehabilitation.  

As stipulated by our governing bodies; those animals believed to have injuries too significant for complete rehabilitation will be euthanised on humane grounds. With dignity & respect, we will arrange the cremation of such animals.

Training

All staff at Chorley Vets are encouraged to build further skills within the practice and develop clinical knowledge in areas that interest them. Whilst every effort is made to limit disruption to clients, occasionally the practice may close for short periods of time to conduct staff training and carry out practice meetings to provide updates. Clients will be informed of practice closures by displayed signs in practice and social media updates. 

Inappropriate Behaviour

We have very high expectations regarding staff behaviour within Chorley Vets, as dictated by our Employee Handbook. To ensure all clients and patients receive excellent care whilst in our practice, we expect that all staff will be treated with respect by clients: inappropriate language, shouting, aggressive behaviour, intimidation, gesturing, threats, slander, and dedicated attempts to upset staff will not be tolerated and clients behaving as such will be asked to leave the premises and advised to seek alternative veterinary services. Staff and clients have the right to attend a safe environment and we will ensure that we provide this. 

Referring a Patient

All referrals must be made by the Veterinary Surgeon. Some patients require specialist input, your vet will advise you if this is the case. Expected prognosis and additional costs will be discussed beforehand. 

Data

Chorley Vets are committed to safeguarding our client’s data and follow strict data and privacy policies. These policies detail the information we may collect about you and your pet. It explains how we keep, store and handle personal information to keep it safe. 

Under the General Data Protection Regulation, you have the right to access the data we hold. Our subject access request policy highlights how to make a request and our actions upon receiving this. 

Please contact reception to request a copy of data/privacy notices/subject access requests if required.

Complaints

Chorley Vets takes all complaints very seriously and will try to ensure our patients and clients are pleased with the experience of our service. If you would like to report a concern, please email [email protected]. Grievances will be dealt with promptly and compassionately.