There has been a lot of media attention in recent days regarding the CMA inquiry into veterinary practices.
As an independent practice, we have always been proud of what we stand for and who we are: an incredibly hard-working team who strive to do their best for their patients and clients alike, whilst working to very high standards and constantly investing in our equipment and services.
Having reviewed the preliminary CMA report, we are pleased to say that from what we can see, we are carrying out the vast majority of the recommendations already.
1. Transparency on ownership. Aldgate Veterinary Practice is 100% owned by vets Lucy and Giles, who both work full-time within the business and make decisions based on what is best for their patients and clients without any external pressures or interference.
2. Estimates. An estimate is provided to our clients prior to every procedure undertaken. For patients which need to be hospitalised, an initial estimate is given for the first 24 hours of care, and then a daily update on costs (both current and projected) is given thereafter.
3. Transparency on pricing. A significant number of our prices for routine procedures/services are available to be viewed on our website. Itemised invoices are provided after every consultation or procedure.
4. Cremation fees. We work closely alongside Chapel Moor Pet Cremation Services, another local independent business, and are not tied to any contracts that influence our pricing.
5. Premium Health Plans. Our health plans offer fantastic value for money, and we are transparent with what they provide and the savings that they offer.
6. Out of Hours (OOH) Emergency Services. We are proud to provide our own emergency service from our Bridlington practice and are not constrained by external contracts. This allows us to control our OOH fees, reflecting the high-quality work that we perform OOH, all of which are transparent on our website.
7. Prescription fees. We feel that we charge fairly for our medication and try to keep a wide range of medications in stock to allow for a quick and convenient supply to our clients. However, we are happy to provide written prescriptions for medications if requested. One thing that the CMA has not made clear is that a lot of the online pharmacies are owned by the corporate vet practices that they are trying to regulate. By insisting on written prescriptions moving forward, the CMA would be playing into the hands of the corporate veterinary groups and would actually be doing the opposite of what they are trying to achieve. This is an area we will be investigating more closely.
We are passionate about our patients and clients and feel that, as an independent business, we can offer what our clients deserve: high-quality care provided in a transparent and fair way.
The response from our clients
After sharing our response on Facebook, we were blown away with some of the support from our valued customers, so we wanted to share some of their incredible comments about our practice and hardworking team below.
“I cannot praise Aldgate vets enough. They have done so much for my dogs. Giles has saved my dog Bobby twice. Bobby will be 14 this year has a pacemaker, arthritis, spongelitis. We have insurance for all our dogs. Bobby is very well cared for and acts like a 2-year-old at times. We lost Toby earlier this year Duncan a vet at Aldgate was so kind and compassionate with Toby and us . All the staff are caring and there for you the practice is one big happy family”. Ann
“We’ve always been given quotes for treatment and drug prices. We are more than happy with Aldgate’s Vets. To put it in perspective, we moved from Suffolk where prices are considerably higher and out of hours services are farmed out to big conglomerates who really know how to hike prices.” Deb
