In Case of Emergency
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From the 1st July 2020, we have made the extremely difficult decision to change our out-of-hours provision, partnering with Vets Now, a dedicated pet emergency service which provides expert pet emergency care when we are closed. We know a lot of you will be disappointed by this announcement but due to a shortage of vets and nurses it has become more and more difficult to recruit and retain staff to maintain the high standards that we strive to achieve when offering round the clock care. The Vets Now clinic is based at: 125 Bedford Rd, Barton-Le-Clay, Bedfordshire MK45 4LP
They are the pet equivalent of an accident and emergency service and their veterinary teams are specially trained in emergency and critical care and work only out of hours i.e. through the night, at weekends and on Bank Holidays. This means, they are on-site and ready and waiting to see your pet when we are closed. What does this mean for me? During our normal opening hours (9am – 7pm Monday – Friday and 9am – 12.30pm on Saturday, there will be no change in our service. We will continue to provide you and your pet with the highest standards of veterinary care. However, if your pet falls ill when we are closed, you can call the Vets Now team at Barton-Le-Clay on 01582 967089, who will be happy to talk through your concerns. In patients If your pet has been hospitalised at Elizabeth Smith Veterinary Practice during the day, then there will be a discussion with the vet managing your pet’s care as to the best treatment plan. If the vet feels your pet’s treatment needs to be continued over-night or that they require continuous monitoring, then you will be responsible for transferring your pet to the Vets Now Hospital at Barton-le-Clay. All of their history, records and any results will be sent through to Vets Now in advance. The next morning, you pet will either be discharged from Vets Now or if they require on-going hospitalisation, it will be necessary for you to bring your pet back to Elizabeth Smith Veterinary Practice. House visits In order to comply with the RCVS Emergency Service Clinic Standards, Vets Now must ensure that there is at least one vet and/or nurse at the clinic at all times during the hours of operation. For this reason, it is rarely possible to perform routine house visits. They will do their best to perform a house visit in an emergency situation however they will need to arrange for another off - duty member of staff to attend the clinic. Fees If your pet needs to be transferred to Vets Now for overnight care then an estimate will be provided before the transfer is arranged. If you attend the emergency clinic directly, then a deposit is paid on admission and the balance is required to be paid on discharge. Out of hours and consult fee before 9pm - £179. 50 Out of hours and consult fee after 9pm - £231.50
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