Terms and Conditions
Please read the following terms and conditions before making an appointment.
1.Introduction:
1.1. These terms and conditions govern how Proactive Veterinary Physiotherapy (“Proactive”, “PVP”, “We”, “Our”, “Us”) will operate and fulfil the service provided. This service is conditional to you (“The client”, “The owner”, “You”, “Yours”) agreeing to all the terms and conditions outlined in this document.
1.2. The terms “Client”/”Owner”/”You” refers to the customer using this service, which may include the owner of the animal, or the animals’ guardian appointed to act as the owner/responsible person for the service, for example a loaner. If Proactive is providing a service for multiple customers who have joint ownership rights of the animal, it is understood that it is authorised to act on instructions from either, both or any of the owners, and that all owners have read and consent to the terms and conditions as outlined.
1.3. By confirming your appointment and using this service i.e. accepting assessment and treatment, you are consenting and agree to be bound by our terms and conditions as outlined within this document, both for current and future work. When utilising these services, you shall be subject to any guidelines or rules applicable during the process of this service. Any participation in the service constitutes acceptance of this agreement.
1.4. It is your responsibility to read through the terms and conditions.
2. General:
2.1. Proactive Veterinary Physiotherapy is a fully qualified Veterinary Physiotherapist holding appropriate specialist public and professional liability insurance and is member of the Register of Animal Musculoskeletal Practitioners (RAMP).
2.2. It is a legal requirement under The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 for animals with prior medial history to have consent from their veterinary surgeon prior to initial assessment. In any case, and especially if your animal has not been directly referred to me by your animals’ veterinarian, you agree that Proactive can contact your animal’s veterinary surgeon to gain veterinary consent and/or ascertain your animals health status thus suitability to undergo assessment and treatment.
2.3. Proactive Veterinary Physiotherapy must only assess and treat your animal once consent is obtained from your animals’ veterinary surgeon, in accordance with The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, unless the purpose of the session is for maintenance physiotherapy/the animal does not have any prior medical history in which veterinary consent/veterinary referral is no longer required. Your animal must still be registered with a veterinary practice.
2.4. If your animal develops a new condition/injury in the course of time your animal is our client, a new Veterinary referral may be required before treatment can continue.
3. Services
3.1. Proactive Veterinary physiotherapy provides physiotherapy for your animal which includes a thorough static and dynamic assessment; palpation, range of motion, spinal and neurologic status assessments (if indicated); treatment which may consist of massage, myofascial release, mobilisations, stretching, passive range of motion, electrotherapies (if indicated) and thermotherapies; followed by exercise prescription and a suitable fitness/rehabilitation plan as needed.
3.2. Massage only sessions are shorter in nature, and whilst this does include a short assessment to ascertain the suitability of your animal to undergo treatment and identify treatment areas, this will not provide the same extensive treatment as a full physiotherapy treatment. As such no electrotherapies will be used, and Proactive may provide you with suitable home exercises to carry out but will not provide you with an extensive exercise programme to follow. If you wish for these services, you should book a Physiotherapy appointment.
3.3. Only Physiotherapy sessions are available for cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and farm animals. Massage only sessions for these animals is not available. Massage only sessions are available only for Horses and Dogs.
4. Your obligations:
4.1. You must confirm you are the legal owner, or loaner (with permission from the animals’ owner to make decisions regarding the animal’s care) of the animal, and that all information provided regarding yourself and the animal on the consent form is correct.
4.2. Your animal must be registered with a veterinary practice.
4.3. Your animal must be up to date with all relevant vaccinations and flea/wormer treatments. Puppies must have received their first vaccination before their first appointment.
4.4. Whilst all care is taken for the animal undergoing treatment, all animals receive treatment at their owner’s risk. Your animal is not the responsibility of Proactive Veterinary Physiotherapy.
4.5. You must ensure your animal is in fit state to undergo their appointment. Any animal presenting with illness, coughing/sneezing, sickness, diarrhoea, flea/lice infestations or other will not be treated and the appointment may still be charged.
4.6. You must inform us as soon as possible if your animal has an infection/contagious condition, giving at least 24 hours’ notice for us to reschedule your appointment, otherwise you may still be charged. Your animal must be free from symptoms of illness for at least 48 hours before commencing physiotherapy treatment.
4.7. Proactive Veterinary Physiotherapy reserves the right to refuse service if your animal presents with a new lameness or change in health that was not disclosed before the appointment which means treatment cannot take place, in which case the session may still be charged under our discretion (at a rate of at least 50% the appointment fee if applicable), and Proactive will refer your animal back to their veterinary surgeon.
4.8. You have the responsibility to keep us informed of developments or changes in your animals’ condition, behaviour and management, including recent veterinary appointments, changes in medication and behavioural concerns.
4.9. You must inform us if your animals veterinary surgeon has recommended for treatment to be stopped/suspended for any reason.
4.10. You must ensure that we have an appropriate working area that is safe and clear of obstructions. Please see general guidance below, however exact specifications depending on the type of treatment being offered will be discussed before your booking is confirmed.
4.10.1 In the case of horses we would need a hardstanding where they can be tied up, or the ability to treat them inside their stable. An area suitable for a short walk/trot assessment (i.e. an arena, field or yard space) may also be required.
4.10.2 In the case of dogs we would need a clear, secure room, back garden, or pen to allow us to conduct physiotherapy treatment with enough space for the dog to lie down and move around comfortably.
4.10.3 In the case of small animals (i.e. rabbits or guinea pigs) we would need a clear, secure room, or outdoor exercise pen, to allow us to conduct physiotherapy treatment with enough space for us and the animal to move around comfortably.
4.11. You must ensure that the animal is fully prepared. Effort must be taken to keep your animal dry and brushed clean with visible mud removed to allow effective assessment and treatment.
4.12. There must be access to a suitable means of restraint for your animal, such as a headcollar and lead rope for a horse and a collar and leash for a dog.
4.13. Please allow dogs the opportunity to toilet/empty its bowels prior to the physiotherapy session. Failure to do so may cause delays during the session, in which no extra treatment time will be provided to compensate for any potential loss of time during your appointment due to this.
4.14. Please ensure that horses are in from the field ready for their appointment in a clean, dry state, ideally on a firm surface.
4.15. You take full responsibility in disclosing of/warning Proactive Veterinary Physiotherapy against potentially harmful or dangerous behaviour your animal may display. Failure to disclose this information before the appointment which results in the appointment being unsafe to continue means Proactive Veterinary Physiotherapy has the right to cancel/stop the appointment and retain at least 50% of the treatment fee.
4.16. We understand some animals may demonstrate guarding behaviour due to current or previous pain and/or life experiences. All animals with a prior medical/behavioural history will be deemed fit to treat prior to their appointment by the relevant professional(s), which may include their veterinary surgeon and/or behaviourist/trainer.
4.17. Proactive Veterinary Physiotherapy is committed to providing a calm, compassionate and patient approach to ensure assessment and treatment is conducted safely and with the least amount of stress possible. In some circumstances, we may recommend the use of appropriate handling or restraint measures to protect the safety of your animal, yourself and us as the treating Veterinary Physiotherapist. For example, we may ask for you to muzzle a dog if it has a known bite history or where their behaviour poses a significant risk of injury. Any additional restraint/handling methods will be discussed prior to your appointment, where your consent will be obtained. If you do not consent to our use of such methods if needed, we may be unable to proceed with treatment.
4.18. If during the appointment your animal becomes unsafe to handle, or presents as a risk to themselves or others, and does not show any signs of stopping the behaviour/ shows signs of escalating the behaviour/ you do not consent for us to use additional methods of handling or restraint to enable us to attempt to resume treatment safely, we reserve the right to stop treatment, and under our discretion this may incur a minimum of 50% of the appointment fee.
5. Terms of payment:
5.1. All fees are charged per visit. Any additional charges, if necessary, will be discussed prior.
5.2. Payment is accepted by cash or bank transfer.
5.3. Payment must be received before or on the day of treatment, unless another arrangement is otherwise mutually agreed upon in writing. Failure to make payment will result in Proactive Veterinary Physiotherapy reserving the right to refuse treatment.
5.4. Proactive Veterinary Physiotherapy reserves the right to pursue any unpaid accounts in any matter we deem appropriate, which may include but is not limited to the use of the debt collection service or civil proceedings. Any costs incurred by us in recovering unpaid accounts will be passed to the respective client/yourself.
5.5. In the case you fail to comply with our payment terms, we reserve the right to withdraw our services, upon which notice of this will be given in writing and/or verbally.
5.6. The registered owner of the animal at the time of treatment is ultimately responsible for any invoices/outstanding payments pertaining to the animal.
5.7. Proactive reserves the right to amend the prices of the services offered at any time.
6. Cancellations:
6.1. If less than 24 hours’ notice is given of your appointment cancellation, we reserve the right to charge 50% of the appointment fee.
6.2. Proactive Veterinary Physiotherapy offers services within good faith, however in the event of an emergency/medical event/illness or adverse weather conditions we may need to cancel/rearrange appointments. We will provide you with as much notice as possible, and either a refund or a replacement time and date will be arranged.
6.3. Proactive veterinary physiotherapy cannot accept liability for or pay any compensation where our delivery or prompt delivery of our services is affected by circumstances that are ‘Force Majeure’. ‘Force Majeure’ refers to circumstance or event which means Proactive or any other associated supplier of our services cannot foresee or avoid, such as but not limited to the threat of war/war, terrorist activity, adverse weather conditions, fires or other similar events beyond our control.
7. Complaints:
7.1. Proactive Veterinary Physiotherapy strives to provide exceptional service. However, if you are dissatisfied with our service we ask you, in the first instance, to address us directly to resolve any issues. We are regulated by RAMP, who provide a neutral platform on which to submit a complaint if the matter cannot be resolved informally.
8. Ownership of records:
8.1. Proactive Veterinary Physiotherapy retains, as my property, all clinical records. Any veterinarian or paraprofessional involved in your animal’s case may be forwarded copies of relevant records but only upon the request or consent of yourself, the client. Please refer to Sections 8 and 9 for further details.
9. Data protection and confidentiality:
9.1. All client details are strictly bound by client confidentiality law within the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 and RAMP code of conduct. Proactive also complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In instructing us to treat your animal, you authorise us to use that data in line with the service we provide for you.
9.2. Proactive will protect your data, which will be securely held in accordance with our Privacy Policy as outlined in section 9 (‘Privacy Policy’).
9.3. Proactive or another associated photographer may take photographs or videos of your animal within your session, which may be used/shared publicly on social media platforms or our website to promote our services. If you do not wish to have your animal photographed, you must notify Proactive in writing before your appointment takes place.
10. Privacy Policy:
This section outlines how Proactive Veterinary Physiotherapy uses personal data when you use Proactive’s services. By volunteering your data to us, you agree to the following terms as outlined below:
10.1. Proactive collects personal identification information from yourself the consumer either in person or electronically via email, phone or other means of social media. Consent will always be obtained before data is used, which may be for, but is not limited to, the following reasons:
· To register yourself/your animal as a client or to update details
· In the booking or management of appointments
· To process treatment fees and insurance claims
· To contact you regarding your animal/your appointment or any changes to our services
· To discuss your animal’s case and share clinical findings with the referring veterinarian or other allied professionals as appropriate
· Share basic details of tour animals’ case, photos or videos on social media.
10.2. Your data will not be used for any marketing communications unless specified by you, the consumer. Any other use of your data not outlined above will be discussed and agreed upon voluntarily by yourself.
10.3. Proactive will safely store your data, including personal information, photographs and videos of your animal digitally on password protected devices, and will be backed up to ensure the data is not lost. Any paperwork will also be kept in a locked cabinet on private property.
10.4. Proactive Veterinary Physiotherapy complies with the General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018; as such your data will be stored for up to 7 years, as needed for insurance purposes, and will be used by Proactive Veterinary Physiotherapy for communication with yourself, your animal’s veterinary surgeon or other professionals involved in their care. We will not divulge your details to other agencies except for debt collection purposes.
11. Your data protection rights:
11.1. Right to be informed: you have the right to be informed on the process of the collection and use of your data.
11.2. Right to access: you can ask us for copies of your personal information.
11.3. Right to rectification: you can ask us to rectify information you think is inaccurate or ask us to complete information you think is incomplete.
11.4. Right to erasure: you have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.
11.5. Right to restriction of processing: you have the right to ask us to restrict or suppress your personal data.
11.6. Right to data portability: you have the right to obtain and reuse your personal data for your own purpose across different services.
10.7. Right to object: you have the right to object to the processing of your data in certain circumstances.