We have introduced a new process for handling online insurance claims – full details are in Insurance Claims

Unfortunately we are seeing an increasing number of clients either not turning up for appointments or canceling them with very little notice.

When someone does not turn up for an appointment, that was a slot that we could have given to someone else. Likewise, canceling shortly before the appointment means that we may be unable to fill that slot in the timeframe given. All this has a knock on effect on the team and the service that we are able to offer. Throughout the last couple of years we have worked hard to ensure that we are available to treat your pets and that you have not had to wait long periods to have an appointment.

So we have had to implement a cancellation fee of £25.20. This fee will be charged to any client who does not turn up for an appointment, or who cancels or rearranges an appointment giving less than 24 hours notice.

If you have a pet booked in for surgery, we will require 48 hours notice otherwise the same cancellation fee of £25.20 will be charged.

We appreciate that very occasionally there may be extenuating circumstances and we will take these into consideration. But reasons such as the cat not coming in on time is not one of them (if you have a cat booked in for an appointment, always keep it in no matter how reliable it normally is).

This charge is one that we would rather was not needed, and all it takes for us to never use it is for our clients to turn up on time for the appointment they booked.

If you have any questions regarding this please call reception on 020 8786 0777

We have been fortunate to have remained fairly untouched by covid, and haven’t had to close our doors at any point. That’s in part due to the protocols we have in place (thanks you to all of you for following these for us), and also due to the continued hard work and care taken by our team.

Moving forward, while the risks are reducing, they have not gone away and so to ensure that we remain open and available we will still be requiring that anyone who enters the surgery wears a face mask. We also ask that you apply hand sanitiser on entry into the practice and that only one person comes into the consulting room with the pet as it is a small space with limited ventilation.

Finally we would ask that if you feel unwell (even only slightly) you do not enter the surgery, either ask someone else to come in for you, or wait outside and we will come out to you.

I appreciate that as the hospitality sector etc appear to be returning to normal our measures may seem slightly excessive to some. However, an outbreak of covid in the practice could result in us closing our doors to everyone for at least 5 days. I am aware that the other practices in the area have limited reserves to cope with an influx of new or urgent appointments, so for the sake of our pets we need to be careful.

Take care and keep well

Bird flu is rapidly spreading across the UK, It is not only a highly infectious and highly fatal disease, it is also notifiable, meaning that if any animal is suspected of it, government vets will be dispatched to examine, test and euthanise any infected birds or in contact birds. It is essential that all poultry is kept under cover with food & water that can not be accessed by wildlife, to minimise the risk to them from this horrible virus.

When I was out with the dogs on Sunday on the north downs near Dorking, I saw several sick and dead pigeons in the undergrowth which makes me concerned it is in this area, so keep your birds protected, there is no vaccination or treatment for it.

For more information have a look at the government website https://www.gov.uk/guidance/avian-influenza-bird-flu

Sinead

At Ark Vets our priority is the health and wellbeing of our patients, their owners and our team. With this in mind and to try and minimise the risks of covid on our staff and practice we will be continuing our present protocols.

These are:

• Temperature check on arrival of all clients entering the building
• Face masks must be worn at all times in the practice
• Hand sanitising on entry into the practice
• Only one client to accompany the animal in the consult room
• Maximum 15 minute appointments

If anyone in your close contacts has any signs of illness / covid, and you need to book an appointment for your pet, please make reception aware of the situation and we will do all we can to ensure treatment of your pet while maintaining the safety of our staff.

The rising levels of covid are concerning and the chances of the practice being temporarily closed through test and trace are very real, so we appreciate you all supporting us during these difficult times.

Keep safe everyone