It would appear the RCVS have increasing concerns about the Veterinary Profession providing acceptable out of hours emergency Veterinary care under the Code of Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons. It is very gratifying to see them inviting the animal owning public to forward their views to them by 17th February 2014.

The open letter and two pages of information and instructions can be accessed from this link-

https://www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-events/news/call-for-evidence-on-provision-of-24-hour-emergency-veterinary/

Yes but I think the problem joe public perceive that they should get the same care that they get under the NHS.

People have got to expect extra cost and possible distance to travel to get emergency care for animals.

> but I think the problem joe public perceive that they should get the same care that they get under the NHS.

From many discussions on here over the years, I think there are many people even here (nothing to do with Joe Public) just don't understand that a vet is a business, the same as a hairdresser/solicitor/childminder/supermarket etc They also don't understand the finances of running a business either :)

Yes but I think the problem joe public perceive that they should get the same care that they get under the NHS.

I'd expect a LOT more from a vet as you pay them handsomely! You don't pay anything under the NHS and more often than not you get rubbish care, if any. Definitely been my family's experience, over and over. I know I can't call a doctor and get an appointment the same day like I can with my vet, for a start. In fact I can't even call the doctor's surgery and SPEAK to somebody as it is all automated and just pressing buttons. I trust my vet a hundred times more than my GP surgery or local emergency hospital -which is miles and miles away. My vet will even do a home visit if needs be, my doctor will not -not even for an 87 year old disabled lady.

That was a tongue in cheek comment really as it was to highlight that people expect things for nothing now a days

As Daisy has said they are businesses and are not non profit making organisations.

We are lucky ( which is the case as post codes make such a difference to the type and quality of nhs care) our doctors surgery is first class same day appointments or consultant ions by email and if you ring to talk to a a doc they will always ring back within a couple of hours if not an emergency .

As for house visits I remember signing myself out of hospital after my CS and one of the Docs popped round on her way home to say hello and see if I was ok !

>I think the problem joe public perceive that they should get the same care that they get under the NHS.

You're absolutely right. Because of the NHS people have no concept how much medications and the doctors' time would actually cost them. Veterinary medicine is the equivalent of private medicine and costs are similar - but there's no NHS for animals to pick up the tab.

>our doctors surgery is first class same day appointments or consultant ions by email and if you ring to talk to a a doc they will always ring back within a couple of hours if not an emergency .

We have the same level of service as you, Lucy.

I'm lucky my vet I normally use has an out of hours service. I had to use it once when my dog couldn't stop being sick. You call up and get threw to some one somewhere who takes your address and then they get your closes clinic to phone you back with in a set amount of time. You then speak to the vet over the phone and tell them what's wrong, they can offer you advice and ask if you want to bring the animal in but if you do the consult is more as out of hours. Then if you want to you go up. There is vet nurses on all night to watch the animals who are staying there and they habe cameras up on the cages so they can monitor them when not in the room day or night. Which I like.

> There is vet nurses on all night to watch the animals who are staying there and they habe cameras up on the cages so they can monitor them when not in the room day or night. Which I like.

Same here Jo.  Which I like as well.  The hospital that I use for my dogs offers 2 vets and 2 nurses in attendance from 7pm to 8am when the day staff start.  I expect to pay for such excellent service, and I can phone in the early hours if I'm worried.  You get straight through to someone you know.  It's the reason I won't move too far away!  :-)

yeah, I had hurd of some vets keeping dogs in over night with no staff in the pratice over night to keep an eye on them.
With my girl she ended up having to stay over for 4 nights and on a visit one of the nurses who had been looking after her was in tears talking to use about how she had been. It was nice to see how much she cared about her. They also phoned my in the morning and evening to update me on how she was doing. only once I had to call them to find out.

My vet uses another practice for out of hours where they don't have cover which we used on Christmas with Betty one of my Labs however when one of our cats Stinky got injured and had her jaw broken in various places they kept her in overnight during the week where there was a nurse staying overnight but during the Bank Holiday Stuart took Stinky home with him.

Now that is what I call good care :-)

I have access to a vet 24/7. I give my number and the vet calls me back within 15 minutes. However the surgery is not staffed overnight but as vets come and go all night they assured me that they always check on the animals in their care when they are there. I have been in with a sick animal in the early hours and the lights were all on and the vet was actually checking round when I arrived, although I must say that I would be happier if I knew that there was a vet or a nurse on duty all night and not just popping in.

Our vets do their own cover, which I'm very glad off ,rather than the service being farmed out to lord knows who.

Last year my friend needed to have her old dog pts, which she wanted done at home , I'd already told her she couldn't leave it to the last minuet and would have to give her vet fair notice. But of course, she ignored me, and decided to call the vet on a Sunday and demand they come out to her ( around 20 miles away ) right away, of course the vet said they couldn't do it right then and there as there was only one vet on.
She then phoned me for my vets number, to see if he would come out, and bless him he did , even though she wasn't a client.
To me, that man's compassion is worth any price.

> ...I must say that I would be happier if I knew that there was a vet or a nurse on duty all night and not just popping in.

My feelings exactly, and I'd be happy to pay for it. I've been in the situation twice recently, knowing my dog would be left unattended, and it is not a nice feeling, adding to what was already a very emotional and stressful time. The first time, a very, very  sick Hamish spent one night at my own vet's and I have to say that was one of the worst night's I think I've ever spent. The following day I had him transferred to a vet hospital where I knew there would be someone in attendance 24/7. As it happens he was pts later the following day and I would have much preferred that to be done at my own vet's, in familiar surroundings with vet's I knew well, than a place he and I didn't know and with unknown vet's. I was basically stuck between a rock and a hard place. :(

The second time was with Lottie who became paralysed following a slipped disc and again I had to leave her knowing someone wouldn't be with her. The following day, she was pts.

Each time I'd volunteered to stay overnight myself, but due to "health and safety" that isn't possible. We trust our vet's with our beloved animals, and I'm pretty sure a lot of owners have no idea their pets will be left unattended.  My vet's do at least have their own emergency cover, but I really do feel that someone should be in attendance 24/7.

The RCVS Council has now agreed a New Emphasis for 24-7 Veterinary Cover Guidance.

http://www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-events/news/council-agrees-new-emphasis-for-24-7-guidance/

The response to the original call from the RCVS Standards Committee on expectations for 24-7 emergency cover resulted in written responses from 214 Vets, 20 Nurses, 16 organisations and 52 members of the public.

The pdf (which can be accessed from the above link) is available to be read by pet owners who go to Veterinary Practices who do not provide their own out of hours cover. Veterinary Practices are now expected to provide clarity about any outsourced out of hours cover and draft changes supporting guidance to the Code of Professional Conduct should be agreed and eventually published.

My vet is sadly retiring now and I will miss him dreadfully. His practice used to provide 24/7 cover and I have his mobile number that he trusts me to use only in an emergency, I have never abused this but him and I have been in the surgery many a night at unearthly hours with a very sick dog or little one. There was always a vet on call and a nurse overnight so the animals were never left unattended for long periods of time.

Now that he is selling up, they have passed the out of hours emergency to another service that only operates between the hours of 6.00pm through to 9.00am. He told me that there has been a new directive now saying that staff can only work a certain amount of hours. He used to do 2 days/nights right through sometimes but has often said that he doesn't/didn't allow his staff to as it wasn't fair. As it has been his practice for 45 years, he always expected to go the extra mile. An old fashioned vet, I doubt that I will ever find another vet like him :-(

I think theres a very marked difference in approach to owners between the more 'country type' vets who deal a lot with farm animals & city based vets who deal with pet dogs & other animals.
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> I think theres a very marked difference in approach to owners between the more 'country type' vets who deal a lot with farm animals & city based vets who deal with pet dogs & other animals.

That doesn't always follow. I live in a very large village and the vets here are small-animal only, but still have their own 24-hr cover. The vets in the next town (which, oddly, is smaller than my village!) have a very large practice covering small animals AND farm stock (but not equines). They, too have their own 24-hour service.