A common theme was highlighted during our most recent discussion on our compelling purpose;
“Helping Pet owners of Mersea Island and surroundings to maintain the wellbeing of their beloved family pet, through provision of veterinary care and education on responsible ownership.”
We all feel strongly about the importance of the vet-client relationship which should be built on honesty, trust, and respect.
As veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses, and other veterinary professionals we all work to a strict code of welfare and professionalism.
The veterinary surgeon’s oath states as follows;
“I PROMISE AND SOLEMNLY DECLARE that I will pursue the work of my profession with integrity and accept my responsibilities to the public, my clients, the profession and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, and that, ABOVE ALL, my constant endeavour will be to ensure the health and welfare of animals committed to my care.”
We all take this responsibility incredibly seriously and as well as the statutory learning requirements each year, we are committed to constantly learning and evolving our knowledge to be able to offer you the best advice for your pet’s welfare. As well as physical needs, we also place a strong emphasis on the pets emotional needs as we recognise that both impact quality of life.
Veterinary services are part of the private healthcare sector, and we understand that in the same way that you can choose which doctor/surgeon to see for your own private healthcare needs, you can also do the same for your pet.
Whilst the decisions made are first and foremost based on animal health and welfare, we must recognise the need to balance what treatments may be necessary or appropriate against the circumstances and wishes of the client. This is why we strive to build a trusting relationship with our clients to provide the best medical care possible.
Financial aspects
We will always ensure you are fully informed throughout the consultation. With regards to procedures that involve hospitalisation we will always give you a maximum estimate to ensure there are never any unexpected costs associated with your pet’s treatment. A maximum estimate is not a “quote”
Our commitment to our clients is that the treatment/procedure will never exceed the discussed amount even if it will be more elaborate and time consuming than we initially thought. Equally if the procedure takes less of our professional time and/or less medications and equipment are used our charges will reflect this. We will only charge for the time, tests, procedures that are necessary.
Often it is not possible to predict the outcome of an investigation, for example in dentistry; we may not be able to fully examine the pet’s teeth when they are conscious. Therefore the vet will attempt to include all possible eventualities in the estimate so that clients are prepared for the maximum amount and can trust that we will only charge for what we actually do. Ultimately our commitment is to provide high standards of care and value for money.
Our expectation is that the relationship that is built on trust, honesty and respect is mutual and for this reason we will never compromise on your pet’s welfare. When we discussed our compelling purpose as a team a key element of our definition of a responsible pet owner was an owner that was willing to take the professional advice offered for their pet and accept that pet guardianship is a learning journey.
For your pet’s wellbeing and for that of our own we always want to be sure your pet is getting the best treatment options to optimise quality of life and we can only work with clients who support this ethos. An example of this is where we recommend pain relief for a pet. Our expectation is that this advice will always be taken on board.
One Vet Policy
Our focus on a relationship built on trust and respect is also incorporated into our “one vet policy” Why would you visit several doctors? Surely you would prefer to keep all of your clinical notes under one roof for cross referencing purposes. Our expectation is that if you choose us as your primary veterinary service, we remain your sole veterinary provider. This helps us ensure consistency to provide your pet with the best care and advice possible.
We recently treated a patient who, unbeknown to us, had visited another primary vet practice and subsequently established that medications used by the other practice and the one we were just about to use, would clash and cause quite significant side effects to the animal, making them more sick and not better! Fortunately the owner telephoned to notify us just in time. This could have resulted in the serious health implications for the pet, had we not been informed.
Second Opinions
We encourage second opinions especially in tricky cases when diagnosis might not be easily achieved. This must be with a specialist referral centre, where professionals examining your animal will have higher qualifications and experience than us. These centres also have advanced equipment to better assist (MRI, CT scans etc).
If a referral to a specialist service is needed, this will be discussed and arranged during the consultation. Our out of hour’s provider (Vets Now Colchester) and the other veterinary specialists that we refer to, always communicate clinical notes with us and we do the same in return. This shared information gives you pet the best quality of care.
However, if a second opinion request to see another primary care veterinary practice that offers the same level of service as us, we feel concerned that this shows a lack of trust and see this as a break down in our relationship. We would therefore advise a change of vets and duty of care will be transferred.
We completely understand that you have a choice as to where you take your pets for veterinary care and treatment. We are proud of the wonderful community of pet owners that choose to join our practice and embrace our ethos of kindness and a good vet/client relationship built on honesty, trust, and respect.
