Terms & Conditions

Thank you for entrusting the care of your pet/s to Banstead Village Veterinary Surgery. This document details our Terms and Conditions of Business. Some aspects of the terms may not be relevant to you. Please ask for further explanation/clarification if required.

REGISTRATION & CONTACT DETAILS

Veterinary Practices must maintain accurate records of our clients and patients. To do this, periodically we will ask you to confirm your contact details.
If your details change, please inform us so we can ensure our database is up to date, so you can receive appointment and treatment reminders.

DATA PROTECTION

Banstead Village Veterinary Surgery takes your privacy very seriously and take great care to comply with our obligation under the UK GDPR Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 to protect your personal information including any financial details you provide.
As per the DPA 2018, we are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office UK (ICO). (Registration: ZA057262)
Banstead Village Veterinary Surgery will only use your personal information to liaise with you regarding the healthcare of your pet/s and to provide you with the services we offer.

You have the following rights regarding Banstead Village Veterinary Surgery’s use of your personal data:

Right to block or restrict any data processing relating to your personal information
Ask for a copy of the information we hold about you
Ask to correct mistakes in information that we hold about you
Restrict the use of your data in certain situations
Claim compensation for damage caused by any breach of any data protection laws
Exercise any rights by emailing us directly on: info@bansteadvillagevets.co.uk
If you feel that your data protection rights have been breached, and we are unable to resolve the matter, you reserve the right to complain to the ICO. (https://ico.org.uk/)
Banstead Village Veterinary Surgery may need to disclose or share your personal information with regulatory authorities for the purpose of fraud prevention and/or to comply with the legal and regulatory requirements.
If you have any questions regarding the use of your data by Banstead Village Veterinary Surgery, please email/write to the practice manager, Caitlynn Richardson. (practicemanager@bansteadvillagevets.co.uk), 170A High Street, Banstead, Surrey SM72NZ)
Please refer to our Privacy Policy for more detailed information on how your data is handled, stored and used.

There are 3 reasons why Banstead Village Veterinary Surgery, may potentially use your personal data to contact you:

General information relating to the practice’s Services
Reminders about ongoing treatments/appointments
Promotion of new products and services

OWNERSHIP OF RECORDS

Case records including radiographs, laboratory results, hospital sheets and similar documents are the property of, and will be retained by, Banstead Village Veterinary Surgery. As per our Privacy policy.

Copies of these records will be forwarded, on request, to another veterinary surgeon taking over the case, your pet’s insurance company in the event of a claim or any regulatory authorities for the purpose of fraud prevention and/or to comply with the legal and regulatory requirements. (e.g VDS, HMRC, police etc.)

LEGISLATION RELATING TO VETERINARY CARE

Banstead Village Veterinary Surgery will endeavour to provide veterinary services in accordance with reasonable standards as specified in the RCVS code of professional conduct for Veterinary Surgeons and Veterinary Nurses. (www.rcvs.org.uk)
Veterinary Surgeons at Banstead Village Veterinary Surgery can only give advice, diagnose and prescribe therapies for patients that are ‘under their care’.
For a patient to be ‘under our care’, it is our practice policy for one of our veterinary surgeons to have seen this patient within a 12month period for a clinical assessment to provide advice, diagnose and prescribe therapies.
A patient cannot be under the care of a veterinary surgeon if there has not been a clinical assessment performed. This means that a veterinary surgeon is required to do a clinical assessment on all patients prior to prescription class medication being dispensed. (‘Under care’ – guidance | Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons)

PRESCRIPTIONS

We ask that in the case of repeat prescriptions, 48 hours’ notice should be given to allow a full assessment of the clinical case by the prescribing Veterinary Surgeon.
The general policy of this practice is to re-assess an animal requiring a repeat prescription at least every 6 months, but this may vary with individual circumstances and be affected by the legislation regarding the dispensing of prescription medication.
The veterinary surgeon may need to re-examine your pet before issuing repeat medication, depending on the medicine, your pet’s condition, the time since the last examination and current professional guidance.
Written prescriptions are available from this practice. You may obtain ‘Prescription Only Medicines’ (POM-Vs) from your veterinary surgeons OR ask for a written prescription and obtain these medicines from another veterinary surgeon or a pharmacy.
A prescription may not be appropriate if your animal is an inpatient or treatment is needed urgently.
We reserve the right to charge for the issuing of prescriptions.

Clients are advised to return any unused or expired medication to the practice for proper disposal at no extra charge. Unfortunately, we are unable to re-sell any medication that has already been dispensed, and we are therefore unable to give a refund for any such returned medications.

APPOINTMENTS

All consultations are by appointment only. Clients are requested to inform the practice in advance, preferably at least 24 hours before your appointment time if you wish to cancel or reschedule your appointment. We reserve the right to charge for missed appointments or for appointments cancelled at short notice.

FEES

All fees, diets and drug charges are subject to VAT at the current rate.
Fees are calculated according to the time, risk and skill required to perform a veterinary service/procedure.
Our prices are available on request.
A detailed invoice for every consultation, surgical procedure, medical treatment or other transaction performed with us, is available on request. This can be sent to you digitally or printed out for you, upon request.

ESTIMATES OF COST

Estimates are provided as a guide to the likely cost of treatment based on the information available at the time. They are not fixed quotations unless expressly stated in writing. Costs may vary if your pet’s condition changes, complications arise, additional treatment or medication is required, or further investigations become necessary. We will make reasonable efforts to contact you if costs are likely to exceed the estimate significantly. However, where urgent treatment is needed in the interests of animal welfare, we may proceed with necessary treatment and pain relief where delay would be inappropriate. All estimates are valid for 30days, thereafter a new estimate is to be formulated for said procedure/service.

TREATMENT OPTIONS

Where appropriate, we will discuss reasonable treatment options with you. These may include investigation, treatment, referral, monitoring, palliative care or euthanasia, depending on the clinical circumstances.

Our recommendations will consider your pet’s welfare, clinical needs, likely outcomes, available evidence, practical considerations and any circumstances you tell us may affect decision-making.

REFERRAL AND SECOND OPINION

You may request a referral or second opinion at any time. We may also recommend referral where we consider that your pet would benefit from further investigation, treatment, equipment, facilities or expertise not available within the practice.

Where referral is discussed, we will provide information where reasonably available about the referral options, including relevant expertise, urgency, location and likely costs. Referral fees and treatment costs are usually payable directly to the referral practice or provider.

With your consent, we will provide relevant clinical history and records to another veterinary surgeon or referral provider.

INPATIENT CARE AND HOSPITALISATION

If your pet is admitted to the practice, we will discuss the reason for admission, proposed treatment, monitoring arrangements and estimated costs where appropriate.

Please note that Banstead Village Veterinary Surgery is not staffed 24 hours a day unless specifically stated. If your pet requires overnight or intensive monitoring, we may recommend transfer to an appropriate out-of-hours or emergency care provider.

We will make reasonable efforts to keep you updated during your pet’s stay and to contact you if your pet’s condition changes significantly.

REGISTERED TRAINING PRACTICE

We are a registered training practice, providing veterinary and veterinary nursing students with the practical experience they need to achieve their qualifications. Students may assist with your pet’s care, always under the guidance and supervision of one of our qualified veterinary surgeons or veterinary nurses.

OPENING HOURS AND OUT OF HOURS SERVICE

Banstead Village Veterinary Surgery is open during the following hours:
Monday to Friday: 8am – 7pm
Saturday: 8.30am – 12pm

Outside of these hours, we use two ‘Out-of-hours’ providers that will ensure all our patients continue to have access to Veterinary care even when we are closed.
The Out-of-Hour providers that we have signed agreements with are independent to us. They have their own fees, terms and clinical arrangements and policies. Clinical records from out-of-hours treatment may be shared with us to support continuity of care, as will we send over any clinical records to aid in the continuation of your pet’s care.
These providers are:

The Village Veterinary Hospital Caterham, CVS Vets
Sergeants Hall,
Guards Avenue,
Coulsdon Road, Caterham,
CR3 5ZD
01883 348 483

VetsNow Sutton
609-613 London Road
North Cheam
SM39DF
02081270393

Their contact details are on our website, and we have pamphlets at reception for easy access.

SETTLEMENT TERMS

All fees MUST BE PAID IN FULL at the time of consultation, treatment, dispensing of drugs/diets or collection of patients.
You may settle the account using: Credit/Debit card. (American Express and Diners cards are NOT accepted).
We accept cash payments; however, as we do not keep a cash float at the practice, we are unable to provide change. Card payments are our preferred method of payment.

An accounting surcharge will be applied to any amount that remains unpaid after 60 days. This may be removed if prompt payment is made on receipt of our reminder. It is the practice policy to pursue all debts to full collection, and the client will be responsible for any account charges, or further costs incurred in recovering unpaid fees including any debt collection or court fees. Any card payments that are returned to us for any reason unpaid by our bank will result in the principal amount being reinstated along with any bank charges and administrative costs incurred by the practice.

If for any reason, you are unable to settle your account as specified, we ask you to discuss the matter as soon as possible with a member of staff. Please note that instalments or part payments of any account may ONLY be sanctioned with the express permission of Mr A Downing, the practice principal, or by the practice manager, prior to treatment being performed.

PET HEALTH INSURANCE

Banstead Village Veterinary Surgery strongly supports the principle of insuring your pet against unexpected costs due to illness or accidents.
Please ask for details about insurance from any member of staff.
We cannot legally recommend any insurance providers but can advise on different policies and how to process claims.
Please be aware that it is your responsibility to settle your account and then reclaim the fees from your Insurance Company. We may assist you in this process, but it is your responsibility to follow up with your insurance provider directly regarding settlement, excesses etc.
Direct claims may only be sanctioned by Mr A Downing or the practice manage and apply to individual conditions only. Refer to our insurance policy for more information.
We charge an administrative fee for processing all insurance claims. £25 per condition, per year. This fee is waivered for all patients that are a VIP Health club member.

COMPLAINTS & STANDARDS

We hope that you never have reason to complain, but if you have a concern, please raise it with a member of the team as soon as possible so that we can try to resolve it promptly.

If the matter cannot be resolved informally, please submit your complaint in writing to the practice manager at (practicemanager@bansteadvillagevets.co.uk) or by post to the practice address.

Please include your name, contact details, your pet’s name, clear description of your concern and the outcome you are seeking.

(Please refer to our complaints procedure policy which can be sent on request.)

STANDARDS OF CONDUCT EXPECTED OF OUR CLIENTS

Just as clients expect appropriate standards of care and service from us, all our staff are entitled to expect appropriate standards of conduct and behaviour whilst serving our patients and our clients.
Banstead Village Veterinary Surgery’s definition of appropriate standards of conduct and behaviour are as follows; clients are not entitled to speak to us or treat us in a manner that would be considered inappropriate should we do the same to them.

This includes:

Swearing
Aggressive, abusive, discriminatory, defamatory or intimidating behaviour towards members of staff
Defamation on social media

We reserve the right to restrict communication methods, require communication in writing only, decline non-urgent services, or end our professional relationship with the client.

Where it is necessary to end our relationship with the client, we will consider the welfare needs of the patient/s and, where, appropriate, provide reasonable notice to allow alternative veterinary care to be arranges. In serious cases involving threats, violence, harassment or safety concerns, immediate de-registration may be necessary.

By registering with Banstead Village Veterinary Surgery, or by continuing to use our services and keep your pet/s under our care, you confirm that you have read, understood and agree to our Terms and Conditions of Business. These Terms apply to all veterinary services, treatment, products, advice and care provided by the practice. We may update these Terms from time to time, and the most recent version will be available from the practice or on our website.

For official use only.
(Amended/Reviewed: October 2026)