As the new lockdown restrictions come into law, we are once again reviewing our ways of working to keep our team and our clients as safe as possible. There has been a rapid rise in local COVID cases and recent spread of a highly transmissible new variant. This means that our whole team will be more careful than ever to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection.
Today has seen the publication of guidance from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), the regulator of the veterinary profession. Considering this, along with our practice’s caseload and facilities, has enabled us to work out how best to provide a service over the coming weeks.
- Our practice’s priorities are patient and staff welfare. On-going provision of care for emergency, urgent and deteriorating cases will continue.
- We will be offering appointments in Hay and Talgarth each week-day, albeit for shorter hours on some days.
- Team working and rota changes mean it will not always be possible to request a certain vet.
- We continue to ask clients to wait outside practice premises at all times.
- Some of our staff are working from home – if possible please contact us via email (contact@hayvets.co.uk) to take the pressure of our telephone lines. We will answer your messages within 24-hours, so use email for non-urgent enquiries, medication orders or general questions.
- As in the spring, we feel it is appropriate to see a variety of elective/routine procedures (e.g. neutering, pup/kitten vaccines, etc) where a delay may adversely impact animal welfare.
- If you are unsure if we should examine your pet, a vet or nurse can discuss this with you over the phone/via email.
- We continue to offer online and telephone consultations, as one way to support the ‘stay at home’ message of the UK governments. These consultations will be chargeable (£32.50), but as before, if a physical examination is needed after all, it will not be charged in addition.
- At some points, non-urgent work may need to be rearranged due to reduced appointment availability. Adult dog/cat vaccines can be delayed by up to 3-months without the need to restart courses.
- If you or anyone in your household has COVID, or is self-isolating, please let us know before we examine your animal. We will always do all we can to protect animal welfare and treat animals from all environments, but we need to know if our team are at increased risk from COVID so that appropriate PPE can be used.
- Please wear a mask and keep socially distanced when talking to our team. It may be easier to have sensitive conversations over the phone as confidentiality can be difficult to achieve when talking in the car parks.
- When our vets/nurses call you, it may be from a witheld number. If the phone isn’t answered the vet will leave a message (if possible), then call back at least once to try and reach you.
- It is extremely unlikely that home-visits for pets will be possible. IF these happen at all, the procedure will need to happen in an open-fronted garage, summer-house, etc and our team will need adequate light, space and hygiene facilities to ensure the visit can be carried out safely.
- Our vets visiting farms and equine establishments will wear masks. We ask that clients do so as well. Please keep socially distanced and provide hand washing facilities for our team. Do not be offended if we say ‘no’ to a cup of tea – sadly we have to decline on safety grounds at the moment.
