Communicating emergency care, after hours services to clients

practice guidance is our interpretation of how professional standards apply in a particular situation it is designed to help practices deal with common issues, using judgement to apply the advice to their own situation it represents our best efforts at the time of publication but standards and expectations change over time and particular care should be used when reading old advice emergency care provision is a requirement set by the vet council for all veterinarians in clinical practice to ensure that animal welfare is protected, public expectations are met, and the obligation falls fairly on each veterinary business veterinarians may provide emergency care, after hours themselves, or have an arrangement to share this with other local vets, or with a dedicated after hours clinic practices must inform their clients of what they offer in terms of emergency and after hours services setting expectations around service levels in advance supports clients to make their own decisions about what they will do in an emergency involving their animal/s this also reduces the likelihood of complaints from expectations not being met the vet council recommends that practices advise new clients about how they provide emergency care, after hours during the sign up process we also encourage you to regularly include information in your client communications about these arrangements your emergency care, after hours service could be communicated to clients by • including information in a new client sign up pack or on discharge/after care forms • using posters in high traffic areas of your practice such as the waiting area or reception desk • posting about how your practice provides emergency care, after hours on social media • including information in your practice’s client newsletter • sending a letter to all clients outlining how your practice delivers emergency care, after hours this should be done every time there are significant changes to any arrangements • advice on the practice website and answerphone message if your practice has an arrangement with a dedicated after hours clinic to provide emergency care, and you’re unsure how to communicate this to your clients, we have provided an example of some wording you could use below more information about the provision of emergency care, after hours is available on the hub, including emergency services and travel times emergency services and offering a specific and limited range of veterinary services emergency services and competence emergency services advice for new practices please contact the vet council by emailing vet\@vetcouncil org nz if you have any questions example kia ora \[name of client] to ensure your \[pets/animals – select the relevant term and delete the other] receive the best possible care at all times, emergency and after hours services for our clinic are provided by a dedicated emergency care facility; \[name of emergency care, after hours provider] among the benefits of this arrangement are that your \[pets/animals – select the relevant term and delete the other] will be cared for by a veterinarian who is skilled in emergency care, in a facility that is resourced with the equipment required for this type of treatment, and with staff available at all times to attend to the needs of critical patients working in this way means our team can remain focused on providing excellent day to day care for your \[pets/animals – select the relevant term and delete the other] while ensuring our costs remain reasonable this arrangement means you and your pet will receive great care, though you may need to travel further than usual if your \[pets/animals – select the relevant term and delete the other] require emergency care, after hours we encourage you to speak to us if you have any concerns about this if this applies to you as an animal owner, it is important to make a plan in advance for what to do during an emergency so you know who to contact or where to go, and how you will travel for any urgent or unexpected care if you have any questions, please contact our friendly team using the details below \[your practice phone number and email address]