We are working safely to provide routine, urgent and emergency care for all patients. To protect our staff, and our clients, we will continue to conduct initial interactions with clients by telephone or video consultation or where appropriate outside our practices. Some consultations will be by tele-consultation only, whereas others will still require the client to attend the clinic where our teams will be able to give further guidance on our safe ways of working.

Our team is here to provide the best veterinary service to our clients and outstanding care to their pets.

For consultations our clinicians will follow the following guidelines:

• Please inform reception via telephone of your arrival on 01420 481 777 and remain in your vehicle, your clinician will meet you at your vehicle wearing PPE to collect your pet.
• Please wear a face covering during the consultation or for any face to face communication with any of our team members.
• We kindly ask that all clients visiting the hospital remain in their car where possible, toilet facilities are available on site for clients with disabled access.
• During poor weather conditions we have access to a covered area to carry out any consultations if appropriate and your clinician will advise you on protocol for access to these areas if this will be necessary for your appointment.

Discharge appointments:

• Please follow the same process as your initial consultation and inform reception via telephone when you arrive. Please remain in your car and your clinician will bring your pet to your car with discharge instructions and will provide a verbal handover to you if necessary wearing PPE.
• If there is anything you do not understand after your pet has been discharged please do not hesitate to contact us on the telephone.

For collection of medications/queries:

• Please call us and discuss over the phone, this may at times be necessary even if you at the practice as we will ask you to remain in your car and we will bring your medication to you.

Owner visits:

• To protect you and our veterinary team, we ask that you call us on arrival. We continue to restrict access to our clinics to clients at this time and ask where clients are permitted entry into the building they wear a face mask as appropriate. Your pet will be collected from your car by one of our team members, who will take appropriate social distancing and heightened hygiene measures. You may be asked to remain outside whilst your pet is examined and treated.

If you have been exposed to COVID-19 or close contact with someone who has or if you are experiencing symptoms such as a new persistent cough, a fever or change in taste and smell please contact us before your appointment to discuss your pets appointment with us and how to proceed.

If you are required to self isolate we can arrange your referral for you if it is not urgent for your pet to be seen, if it is urgent we can discuss your appointment with you over the telephone and how we can accommodate your pets visit to us.

If you have any further questions or concerns that you wish to discuss regarding your appointment we are more than happy to help, please call us on 01420 481 777.

Policy update – July 2021