How do I join the Plan?

You will need to bring in your pet for a consultation and general clinical examination before we can accept it on to the Healthcare Plan. The charge for this is a standard consultation charge which is payable at the time. The reason for this is that even if we have seen your pet recently, we may not have carried out a full examination. For example, if we have treated an ear problem, we are unlikely to have listened to its heart.

You can then fill in the direct debit mandate and the medical health declaration form, which can be printed off from the bottom of this page or collected from the practice. Hand the completed form to reception or post it back to us. We will then confirm in writing what your monthly payment will be and if your pet suffers from any conditions which will be excluded. Some exclusions will be for life, but many will only be for a limited period as long as the same condition does not occur again. We will also specify the date on which your cover will start.

We will then wait for 14 days to give you an opportunity to contact us, either to ask further questions or to tell us that you do not wish to proceed. Your direct debit mandate will not be activated unless 14 days have passed without us hearing from you and your pet will be on cover under the Plan from that moment.

Payments will then be taken from your account monthly. If you want cover to start immediately after you are approved, you can make your first months payment at the surgery and cover will start then. Your direct debit mandate will start on the following month.

Can I pay by cash or debit/credit card?

Yes we can do this by special arrangement, but you must be remember that people can sometimes forget to make regular payments and a direct debit avoids all the problems of your membership of the Plan running out and having to reapply. You could arrange to pay 3-monthly, 6-monthly or annually. We unfortunately do not accept cheques as a form of payment.

What would happen if I had made such an arrangement and forgot my regular payment?

If you wish to make regular payments personally, it would be entirely your responsibility to make those payments on time. We do not send reminders. However, as part of our service we would certainly try to contact your to remind you about an overdue payment as soon as it came to our notice.

If an overdue payment was not made within 14 days of the due date, we would assume that you wished to terminate your membership of the Plan and your cover would be withdrawn. You would then have to reapply for membership. However, please remember that as a new application, that might involve conditions treated under than plan being excluded from future cover.

Can either side cancel membership of the Plan?

If you have been a member for less than a year, and you decide to cancel your membership, you will be subject to pay up to the cost of treatment provided, or for the rest of the years membership (whichever works out cheapest). After being a member for a year, if you wish to cancel your membership at any time, you can do so by informing us in writing and cancelling your direct debit. We will then withdraw cover when that months period of cover has ended. We cannot cancel your cover as long as payments continue to be made unless there is a serious dispute between yourself and the practice and we decide that the relationship of trust which must exist between veterinary surgeon and client has broken down. For example, any threatening or abusive behaviour towards a member staff would normally result in the relationship being terminated. However, we are pleased to note that this type of situation is a very rare occurrence.

Is there a maximum amount of treatment which my pet can receive from the Plan?

Yes, we cover up to £7000 of treatment for your cat or dog, and up to £4000 for your rabbit during their lifetimes. It is very rare for a pet to need more than this value of treatment over their lifespan.

Do you only cover healthy pets?

No. The Plan will accept any pet but we cannot cover known long-term or pre-existing conditions. You can still join to cover future events other than illnesses we both know your pet is prone to.

Can older pets join the scheme?

Yes, but because this isn't insurance, but a plan to cover all the likely costs of treating their illnesses, they have to pay a little more. We increase your monthly payment by £3 for dogs and £2 for cats who join the scheme when they are eight years old or more. If pets join the scheme before they are eight years old, a surcharge of £3 for dogs and £2 for cats will be added to their monthly premium when they become eight years old.

Will you drop my pets from the scheme as they get older?

No. Unlike most insurance schemes we will continue cover, up to the lifetime limit, for as long as your pet lives, no matter how many medical problems they develop. Your monthly fee will increase by £3 for dogs and £2 for cats once they reach eight years old.

Once I’ve joined, what do I do if my pet needs treatment?

Make an appointment in the normal way. It would help the reception staff if you tell us when you make the appointment that your pet is a member of the plan.

Does the Plan cover vaccination?

Yes, booster vaccinations are covered for all the diseases listed above, but only after you have been a member for six months. All pets accepted for the Plan must already by vaccinated up to date against the diseases covered by the boosters included in the plan.

Does the Plan cover neutering?

No. We keep the cost of neutering operations as low as possible to make them affordable. We recommend that all pets are neutered to avoid medical problems as they get older.

Does the Plan cover worming?

Yes. Routine worming is free to all members of Option One after 1 month’s membership of the plan. It consists currently of treatment with Milbemax wormer every six months. If you choose to treat your pet more frequently than this, you will have to pay for the extra wormer yourself. You may wish to use a different wormer for your pet and we can certainly supply this, but if it is more expensive you will have to pay the difference.

If you choose Option Two, you have to pay for worming yourself. The Rabbit Healthcare Plan does not cover worming.

Does the Plan cover flea treatment?

Routine flea treatment is free to all members of Option One after 1 month’s membership of the plan. It consists currently of Frontline Spot-On used every two months for dogs and every five weeks for cats. These are the manufacturers’ recommended intervals. If you wish to treat your pet more frequently than this, you will have to pay for the extra flea treatment yourself. If you wish to use a different flea treatment we can supply this, but if it is more expensive you will have to pay the price difference.

The Plan does not cover the cost of environmental sprays for flea control in the home. If you choose Option Two, you have to pay for flea treatment yourself. The Rabbit Healthcare Plan does not include treatment against external parasites.

Does the Plan cover special diets/supplements?

Yes, if they are recommended by us for periods of convalescence of up to two weeks. If your pet needs a special diet permanently due to illness, you will have to pay for it. The plan also covers supplements (e.g. Glycoflex/ synoquin) for a period of up to two weeks.

Does the Plan cover the cost of dental treatment?

Yes, if we recommend it for your pet’s health. We do not pay for cosmetic dental work (tartar removal when there is no disease) or for routine clipping of overgrown front teeth in rabbits.

Does the Plan cover laboratory tests?

Yes, all relevant laboratory tests including those on blood, urine, skin samples and histopathology are included.

Does the Plan cover X-rays and other investigations?

Yes, radiography, electrocardiography and ultrasound scanning are included. MRI scans have a separate excess to pay. X-rays for marking schemes such as hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia are not included. We offer MRI scans at an additional premium of £100.00 to cover the cost of equipment and interpretation.

What about pregnancy, puppies and kittens?

We do not cover any cost relating to your pet’s fertility, pregnancy or the early days of their offspring. Your pet can join the Plan as soon as it’s first vaccination course has been completed.

What if my pet has a problem which needs continual treatment?

If your pet is on medication all the time, you will never need to pay another fee each time your pet is examined for the condition which is being treated.

What if my pet has more than one problem at the same time?

If your pet is being treated for one problem and has to be examined because of a different problem, you will have to pay the usual excess for the new problem. If two completely separate conditions are treated during the same consultation, you may be asked for two initial charges. This is to keep the costs of the Plan down for other members and is standard for normal commercial pet insurance policies.

What happens if my pet needs specialist treatment?

If we think it is necessary, we will arrange to refer your pet to a specialist. You will usually have to pay the specialist’s fees at the time, but if you bring us your receipts we will issue you with a cheque after contacting the other vet to bring your records up to date.

However because the costs of specialist treatment can be extremely expensive, you will be asked to contribute the first £200 of the specialist’s fee for a cat or dog or the first £100 for a rabbit, which will help us keep costs down for other Plan members. After this, there will be no limit to the costs of specialised investigation or treatment up to the £7000 (£4000 for rabbits) maximum. We have some specialist facilities in practice, which allows us to perform procedures such as spinal and middle ear surgery, which incurs the same fee as referral (£200.00).

What happens if my pet is taken ill on holiday and has to go to a local vet?

If you are away from home and your pet needs to go to another veterinary surgeon, we will reimburse the cost of treatment less an excess of £110 (option one) or £130 (option 2), up to a maximum of £200. You will have to pay a local vet at the time, but if you bring us your receipts we will issue you with a cheque after contacting the other vet to bring your pet’s records up to date. NB we will not pay for any treatment which takes place outside the UK, and if you are located within 50 miles of our surgery, we would expect you to bring the animal to us in the case of an emergency.

What happens if I ask a vet to visit my pet at home?

Home visits are not included in the Plan, so you pay the normal home visit charge according to the distance and the time of day or night. You will also pay the normal initial excess charge depending on what option you are on if your pet is not currently being treated for the problem.

What if I need to call a vet out to the surgery outside of normal working hours?

If you need to call a vet out after normal working hours, you will need to pay:

- A surcharge to cover the costs of providing a 24-hour emergency service. This is currently up to £90.00 before 10pm and £120.00 after 10pm on option one, and £120.00 before 10pm and £130.00 after 10pm on option 2. If you are on the Rabbit Plan, the charge is £90.00. However these surcharges may vary in the future with rising costs

1. -If the cost of treatment amounts to less than the above surcharge for your animal, you will just pay for the cost of the consultation and treatment.
   

(THE DIRECT DEBIT FORM, MEDICAL HEALTH DECLARATION FORM AND A HEALTH CHECK CONSULTATION AT THE PRACTICE ARE REQUIRED FOR APPLICATION TO JOIN THE HEALTH CARE PLAN)