In light of the recent CMA report regarding veterinary pricing, we wanted to address some of the key points and how they could affect you as our client. The CMA raised questions about the transparency of pricing, the cost of medication and the breadth of options offered to clients for various treatments or services such as referral and cremation, primarily with regards to corporate owned practices, many of whom have their own referral centres and crematoria.
Heathfield Vets is proudly independent, we are not part of a corporate group or owned by a large investment partnership. Our practice is owned and operated by our three full time vets – Ian, Gerald and Philip. As an independent practice we are in control of how we run our business so that we can make decisions in the best interests of our patients and our clients.
The cost of veterinary care across the country has increased in recent years for a multitude of reasons, many of which you are already aware of; rising cost of living, inflation, rising gas and electricity costs, just to name a few. This compounds up the veterinary supply chain, as manufacturers and suppliers are all impacted by this. Additionally, and most importantly, there is so much more we can do for our pets today than we could before, so you are offered better options now than would have been available even just 10 years ago. Advancements in veterinary medicine mean that our pets are living longer, healthier and happier lives, with new (usually more expensive) options allowing for better treatment outcomes with fewer complications or negative side effects.
We have written this article to address some of the common issues raised in the CMA enquiry and how we support our clients.
How do we keep our clients informed about veterinary fees?
The fees you pay reflect the quality of service we provide and the investment we make in our facilities, staff and equipment to provide the best level of health care for your pets. We believe in being transparent about our fees so that owners can make a decision that works for both them and their pet.
The prices of our most commonly charged items are listed on our website and we are always happy to provide estimates for other specific fees (such as visits or neutering procedures) over the phone when requested. Prior to any procedure in our hospital, an itemised estimate of cost is always provided in advance, usually by email, which is then discussed with owners prior to admission to ensure they have fully understood the associated costs.
During consult, our vets will always make their best recommendation and inform you of all available treatment or diagnostic options including costs, so that you can make an informed decision.
Our out of hours fees are listed on our website for both the service provided by Heathfield Vets and our emergency service partner, Vets Now, they are also discussed over the phone when owners call with an emergency.
Why is medication cheaper online?
We are a small independent practice and unlike large online pharmacies, we are unable to buy medication in bulk directly from manufacturers at a discounted rate. This means the price of medications from our suppliers (wholesalers rather than manufacturers) will often be higher. As a small, independent, local business, we are unable to compete on volume purchases with online companies with large amounts of storage space. We always endeavour to source medications at the lowest price possible in order to make them more affordable to our clients, so our system uses a live pricing system where the cost will go up if we’ve paid more for it, or down if we’ve paid less for it. Prices do tend to increase rather than decrease over time, but we do also check each time we order to make sure we’re using the supplier with the most competitive costs at that time to be able to keep the prices down for our clients.
It’s worth noting that we are not allowed, by law, to purchase medications from an online retailer and sell them on to you – we are obligated to go through a wholesaler. This does ensure the security of the supply chain for our clients – they never need to worry when they buy a medication from us that they may be using an online pharmacy that is not reputable, as there is a huge counterfeit veterinary drug market.
Written prescriptions are available upon request, these are charged at £22.25. The charge for a written prescription includes the professional time of our vets and administrative team in providing this legal document. It also reflects the responsibility taken on by the veterinary surgeon in prescribing any medication for a patient under their care – it’s them you’ll call if you’re worried about your pet, not the online pharmacy that has provided you with the medication. If you would like a written prescription, please feel free to ask your vet in consult or when requesting repeat medication.
What happens if my pet needs a referral?
It is not often that we need to refer your pet to another practice as we have always endeavoured to provide as many in-house diagnostic and treatment options as possible. If you pet does need to see a veterinary specialist in a particular field or requires advanced diagnostics such as a CT or MRI scan there are many excellent referral centres we can refer them to. Unlike some large corporate-owned veterinary practices, we have no affiliation or incentive to choose a particular referral centre. This means we are free to refer to only the most appropriate specialist. In most cases, the choice of referral centre is governed by distance and convenience for the owner, availability (especially in emergency cases) or client preference, so if you would prefer referral to a specific centre other than one of the five or so we regularly use, please do not hesitate to let us know at the beginning of the referral process.
How do we help our clients manage the cost of vet care?
We strongly encourage owners to take out pet insurance. We have several information pages about choosing insurance and about some of the jargon insurance companies use. If you are confused about how pet insurance works or how to make a claim, our team is always happy to offer their expertise. Most of the issues that arise with insurance companies can be avoided by reading through the terms and conditions before taking out a policy and being aware of any limitations of your policy, so there are no surprises later – insurance is a tightly regulated industry so they will provide this information when you are first taking a policy out.
When it comes to your pet’s routine care, our Platinum Pet Club can help spread the cost and save you at least 15% on flea and worming treatment as well as their annual vaccination and health check, which also helps with budgeting.
How do we invest in our practice?
We believe our staff should be paid a fair, living wage which also reflects their level of expertise and dedication. We have three full time vets and a regular locum vet which means we can offer routine and emergency appointments when our clients need them. We also have a dedicated reception team who are trained to triage patients over the phone, give advice about pet care and handle a huge amount of (often complex) administration. We are very proud to be a training practice for veterinary nurses, we currently have two registered student nurses as well as three qualified nurses. We are very passionate about the importance of registered veterinary nurses and believe their title should be recognised and protected.
We also invest heavily in training and development for all our staff so that we are able to offer a larger range of services including ultrasonography, laparoscopy and orthopaedic surgery. Providing these services in-house reduces the need to refer to more expensive referral practices. Our vets and nurses are always looking for new techniques and treatments to bring to our patients, from new medications to new ways of thinking about veterinary medicine.
We invest heavily in new equipment and in maintaining the facilities that we already have. We recently upgraded our x-ray machine and software to provide clearer, more defined images. We also now offer Phovia light treatment as well as laser therapy, both great complementary treatments to aid in healing.
Above all, we want our practice to be the best it can be for our patients and their owners.
Call us on 01435 864422 if you have any questions about insurance or managing the cost of your pet’s health care.
