Terms of Service

Welcome Bay Veterinary Clinic Terms of Service 

Description of services

Welcome Bay Vets Ltd provides general companion animal veterinary services from our clinic at 58 Welcome Bay Road, Tauranga. From time to time we offer home visits for limited services. We see dogs, cats, and pocket pets (limited services). 

By using our services, you are requesting that Welcome Bay Vets Ltd accepts your animals into our care. This agreement will remain in effect while your animals continue to be seen by us, and for 24 months from your most recent visit. 

We may accept instructions from a person who presents your animal on your behalf, provided they represent themselves as authorised to act for you. You remain responsible for any fees incurred. Please advise us if there are people you do not wish to be accepted as acting on your behalf.

After-hours emergency care for animals under our care is provided by the Bay Afterhours Veterinary Hospital, located at 1450 Cameron Rd, Tauranga, telephone 0800 229 838. If your animal requires urgent care outside our opening hours, please contact them directly. (Our team will be notified and will follow up with you the next business day). We also utilise the Bay Afterhours Veterinary Hospital for overnight monitoring of critical patients under our care. If this is recommended, we will discuss this with you, and usually you will be responsible for the transfer of your animal from our premises to the Bay Afterhours Veterinary Hospital. All fees incurred at the Bay Afterhours Veterinary Hospital are payable to them directly and as per their terms of trade. If deemed stable, we may give you the option of overnight hospitalization at our clinic, however we do not have staff monitoring patients overnight and if you choose this option you accept the risk of complications occurring overnight without attention until the following morning. These risks will be discussed with you before the overnight hospitalization occurs.

Informed Consent

Veterinary procedures carry an inherent level of risk, including the possibility of complications or death. We will seek your informed consent before undertaking treatment wherever possible. Informed consent will usually be obtained in writing via a consent form; from time to time we may obtain verbal consent during a phone call or in-person conversation, if appropriate. 

In the event that we are unable to contact you, and treatment is necessary in the interests of your animal’s welfare, your acceptance of our Terms of Service gives authority for the practice to proceed with treatment without prior consent.

Fees, estimates and payment

Fees are calculated based on materials and medications used, time spent by staff, and complexity of treatment required. Estimates are indicative only, and the final cost may differ depending on actual time, medications and materials used. In particular, if unexpected complications arise or the scope of treatment changes, extra costs may be incurred. We will endeavour to communicate any charges above those estimated to you and gain consent to proceed, however this may not be possible (e.g. if complications arise during a surgical procedure).

Payment is due at the time of service. A deposit may be required prior to surgeries or complex procedures. We reserve the right to ask for payment before a consultation, surgery or procedure is performed. Our accepted payment methods include cash, Eftpos, Afterpay, and online bank deposits. Where accounts are overdue, we will charge a $40.00 handling fee and may be referred to a third party debt collection agency.

If you are unable to pay for treatment, please speak with a member of our team before treatment commences. We will always provide emergency treatment to relieve pain and suffering, regardless of your ability to pay. We may suspend non-emergency services where there are outstanding unpaid amounts. 

Privacy Statement

We will collect personal information from you (name, contact details, billing information, clinical information about animals) in person, over the phone, and via online communications including email and our website. We do this in order to provide our services, enable billing, credit assessment and legal compliance. This information may be shared with referring veterinarians, insurers, suppliers, government agencies (e.g. police or SPCA officers) and debt collection agencies with appropriate consent or under lawful grounds. If you wish to access or correct your personal information on our system, please contact us by email.

We will comply with the Privacy Act 2020, including notifying you of any notifiable privacy breaches.

During consultations we utilise an ‘AI scribe’ tool that records the conversation and generates written notes. The notes are then reviewed and approved by your veterinarian or veterinary nurse before being included in your pets’ clinical records. The recording is deleted after transcription of the notes. Please let our staff know if you’d rather this tool was not used during your visit.

We record CCTV footage of public areas at our veterinary clinic (inside and outside the building). We do this for safety and security.

Clinical Records

Clinical records relating to your animal’s care, including consultation notes and diagnostic images, are owned by this practice. You may request a copy of your animal’s records at any time by contacting us by phone or email. A reasonable fee may apply. If you are moving to another veterinary practice, we will transfer your animal’s records promptly on your request (a clinic may request on your behalf).

Your acceptance of our Terms of Service gives authority for the practice to request your animal’s prior clinical records from your previous veterinary practice. If you do not consent to this, please advise our staff in writing as soon as possible, by emailing theteam@wbvet.co.nz.

Raising a Concern

If you have a concern about any service we have provided, please speak with the attending veterinarian or our practice manager or clinic owner in the first instance. If your concern is not resolved, please email theteam@wbvet.co.nz requesting further communication. In the event of a dispute that cannot be resolved through discussion, either party may initiate mediation. You may contact the Veterinary Council of New Zealand at any time to raise concerns about professional conduct.

Ending the Relationship

The practice may end the client-practice relationship with reasonable notice, provided animal welfare is not compromised. The client may end the client-practice relationship at any time; outstanding accounts must be paid immediately. The practice will transfer the patient’s clinical records to another practice promptly, as requested by the client or practice acting on the client’s behalf, to ensure ongoing care for the patient.

We will continue to provide emergency care if required, on animal welfare grounds, even after the relationship has ended, until you are registered at a new practice.