Out of hours service
Providing the best care to our clients at all times is our main priority.
After careful consideration we decided to partner with Vets Now who specialise in providing a dedicated emergency service at nights and weekends.
They have clinics in Tunbridge Wells and in Eastbourne and we trust they will provide an excellent service.
Prior to Vets Now, our Vets cover the out of hours which has had some disadvantages:
- When our vets are working 9.00 -6.30 and then covering the On Call overnight and weekends. This can mean they are working in excess of 70 hours a week. We are sure you can appreciate if the Vet has to deal with an emergency in the middle of the night it may impact on their ability to provide the best care during the day due to lack of sleep.
- A lot of clients are uncomfortable disturbing the Vet during the night and will often choose to wait until the morning, often jeopardising the pet's health.
- Our current on call system does not provide constant nursing and treatment of In - patients kept in overnight or the constant monitoring of animals after they have been treated as an emergency overnight or at weekends.
Who are Vets Now and why have we chosen them?
Vets Now are the equivalent the the A&E department of a hospital ... or like the service provided by your GP.
Your pet will be treated by Vets and Nurses who focus purely on emergency and critical care medicine. They only work out of hours and never on consecutive days which means they are fresh and ready to treat your pet in an emergency.
Any critical care In-patients that are hospitalised with us overnight, weekends or Bank holidays that require constant monitoring will need to be transferred to Vets Now by the owner for continuation of care.
Vets Now are the UK's leading provider of out of hours care. The clinical staff are paid a standard salary and do not receive fee related commission.
By choosing to use this service it means we can now comply with EU working regulations that came into force that you should not work in excess of 48 hours per week and you should be entitled to an uninterrupted rest period of not less than 24 hours in each seven day period.
Please visit their website for further information about their services, www.vets-now.com
What do you need to do in an emergency?
Phone our surgery as normal and you will hear an answer phone message stating the number to phone. Contact the Vets Now clinic for advice and if they feel it's necessary arrange a time for your pet to be seen at the centre.
RCVS Guidelines for out of hours care
Veterinary Surgeons across the UK are required under RCVS guidelines to make provision for out of hours emergency veterinary treatment, a commitment they have recently re-affirmed. However, it is your responsibility to know what to do and where to go in an emergency.