Animal Care Tiree

A Community Owned and Operated Vet Practice

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Terms of Service

Animal Care Tiree will officially open on the 16th of Feb 2026.

We are not registering clients until then, but we encourage you to pre-register so that we can start the process of transferring your records from the old practice.

Animal Care Tiree – Our Terms of Service

1. About these terms

  • These terms explain how we provide veterinary services 
  • Please read these terms before registering with us. They explain what to expect, how services work, how to raise concerns, and your rights.
  • Our privacy policy details how we handle your personal data. 
  • If you register as a Member, additional terms may apply. 

2. About us and how to contact us

  • We are Animal Care Tiree Limited. A company limited by guarantee registered in Scotland under number SC871333
  • Our contact details and opening hours are published on our website and our app.
  • We may contact you by phone, email, or post using the details you give us.
  • When we say “in writing”, this includes emails.

3. Your agreement with us

  • You can register with us in person or online (where available).
  • Your agreement with us starts once we confirm that your registration has been accepted.
  • You must be legally able to enter into a contract (for example, be an adult).

4. Our veterinary services

  • We work to the standards set by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).
  • Care may be provided by vets, or trained staff, sometimes including students under supervision. You can ask for students not to be involved.
  • Services are normally provided during our opening hours. Emergency care is available outside these hours. As a community practice staffed by locum vets, it is not possible for us to have vets on the island 365 days of the year. We will do our best to arrange for a vet to physically be on Tiree during the spring (for lambing and calving) and on alternate weeks at other times of the year. This means that there will be periods when there is no vet physically present on the island. Where a vet is not present, emergency cover will be provided by phone or video call. Our app will show you whether a vet is available on the island or not.  In an emergency you should call the normal practice number and your call will be diverted to the on call vet for an person or telephone consultation. RCVS guidelines mean that certain medications may not be prescribed unless an animal has been examined by a vet and for certain emergencies you may need to attend a vet on the mainland.
  • For small animals, treatment is usually best carried out at the surgery, but home visits can be arranged in some cases for an additional fee. For large animals, we will come to your croft or premises. An additional fee will apply.
  • You are responsible for booking appointments and arriving on time. Last minute cancellations may incur a cancellation fee.
  • We will usually discuss a treatment plan and costs with you, but in emergencies we may act immediately in your animal’s best interests.
  • We will assume that we can accept instructions from the person that brings the animal into the practice or who handles the animal for our visit unless otherwise advised.
  • Delays caused by events outside our control are not our fault, but we will keep you informed.
  • Your animal’s medical records belong to us. We can share copies with another vet if you ask (a fee may apply).
  • We strongly recommend pet insurance although this is not a requirement for you to be registered with the practice. With prior agreement, we may submit claims directly to insurers. In this case we may charge a small administration fee. You will be liable for any policy excess. If an insurer does not pay within 30 days or declines a claim, you remain responsible for the balance.

5. Prescriptions

  • Prescriptions can only be issued by authorised staff.
  • Your animal must be clinically assessed before a prescription is issued.
  • We may charge for issuing written or repeat prescriptions.
  • You can choose to have prescriptions filled by us or elsewhere.

6. Respect and safety

  • We are committed to keeping our staff, clients, and animals safe.
  • We do not tolerate aggressive, abusive, discriminatory, or threatening behaviour.
  • If unacceptable behaviour occurs, we may refuse service or end our agreement with you.
  • We understand that emotions can run high in difficult situations and will always try to be fair.

7. Ending your agreement

  • You can end your agreement with us at any time.
  • You must collect your animal (if in our care) and pay any outstanding fees.
  • We recommend registering with another vet if you leave us.

You can end your agreement:

  • In person
  • By email
  • By post

8. When we may end the agreement

We may end our agreement with you if:

  • You give incorrect or misleading information
  • You break these terms
  • You behave in a way that puts people or animals at risk
  • Payments are not made when due
  • Important information is not provided

We may also stop providing certain services or give notice to end the agreement, and we will refund any unused payments where appropriate.

9. If something goes wrong

  • We are legally required to provide services with reasonable care and skill.
  • We aim to meet your expectations and to provide you and your animals with a great service. If something isn’t right, please raise it with a member of the team as soon as possible. We will endeavour to resolve your complaint. 
  • Where you have raised a complaint and are not happy with the outcome or have felt unable to raise your complaint with our team, you may make a formal complaint in writing within 3 months  of an incident occurring and will be investigated by a director. We will aim to respond within 28 days.
  • You may contact appropriate external bodies such as the Veterinary Client Mediation Service (www.vetmediation.co.uk) or the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (https://www.rcvs.org.uk/home/).
  • Your consumer rights are protected by law.

10. Prices and payment

  • We will usually give you an estimate before treatment.
  • Estimates are not fixed prices and costs may change, especially if treatment needs change.
  • Emergency treatment may go ahead without prior cost agreement.
  • Payment is normally required:
    • At the time of purchase (products)
    • At the end of an appointment (out-patients)
    • When your animal is discharged (in-patients)
  • We may ask for payment in advance in some cases.
  • We accept cash and card payments (not cheques).
  • If payments are overdue, we may use a debt collection service or pause services.
  • If you have a membership plan, included services or discounts will be applied.
  • If you miss a payment deadline, we can charge you interest on the overdue amount.
  • The interest rate will be 4% per year above the Bank of England base rate
    • If the base rate is below 0%, the interest rate will still be 4% per year.Interest builds up daily from the payment due date until the day you actually pay, even if a court judgment is involved.

11. Our responsibility

  • We hold appropriate professional indemnity and public liability insurance for the veterinary services and products we provide.
  • We are responsible for providing our services with reasonable care and skill, in line with professional standards and legal requirements. Nothing in our terms limits or excludes our responsibility where the law does not allow this. This includes responsibility for:
    • Death or personal injury to a person caused by our negligence
    • Fraud or dishonest behaviour
    • Any rights you have under consumer protection law
  • We are not responsible for indirect or consequential losses, losses that that are not a foreseeable result of our actions or for any loss of profit, loss of income, loss of contract or loss of opportunity.
  • Where we are legally responsible for loss or damage, our total liability will be limited to a reasonable and proportionate amount, normally no more than the total fees paid to us for the services or products involved, unless the law requires otherwise.
  • Nothing in these terms affects your statutory consumer rights.

12. Your personal information

  • We use your personal information only as explained in our Privacy Policy.

13. Other important points

  • We may transfer our business to another organisation without affecting your rights.
  • You cannot transfer your agreement without our written consent.
  • This agreement is between you and us only.
  • If part of these terms is found invalid, the rest still applies.
  • English law applies.
  • We may update these terms from time to time by posting updated versions on our website. These terms were last updated on 7th January 2026.