Vet complaint

PoGee

One of our pets went through a traumatic few days, at the start of the year and had to be put down. Errors were made. I can't go through explaining everything. The complaint is against the vet practice and a hospital. Has anyone used the vet mediation crew -are they any good? Their reviews are awful. Do i complain to the vet first?

Brie

I would always start with a complaint direct to the "company" with which you have a problem.  They may be able to resolve it all in one go - and apologise as well one would hope.  Escalate only after that if things are not resolved to your satisfaction.

Sorry for your loss - pets are so precious and so dependent on us (& our vets) to do right by them.  

tacpot12

If there enough bad reviews of vet Mediation Crew, I would not use them. 

Do you have home insurance, and if so, do you have legal expenses cover? If you do, call the Legal Helpline and see if they can find a vetinary claims specialist solicitor to handle the case for you. They should be able to help find a specialist mediator, but unless the dispute relates to medical negligence, I'm not sure why you would need a specialist. Many vetinary claims turn on communication with the client, not the medical care of the pet.  

TripleH

I'm sorry for your loss.

Have you thought about what outcome you are after and if it is realistic?

Good luck with your course of action.

MalMonroe

Hello, I'm also very sorry for your loss. A similar thing happened to my daughter and me last year. I'm now at the stage of wondering if it's too late to make a complaint - we just haven't felt able to do anything before now because it's still very painful to even think about.

But, I would always contact the responsible party first - in this case, the vet or veterinary practice. Yes, I'd just contact them and ask for a meeting.

If you don't find them helpful at all, you can contact the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons - information in the following link - 

https://www.rcvs.org.uk/concerns/

That's a better idea than the Vet Mediation Crew, since the RCVS is a recognised and authorised body and the website says that they have a responsibility to investigate all concerns raised.

Again, I'm so very sorry and hope that this information is of some help. All the very best. 

KatieXZoe

Hi, firstly I'm so sorry for your loss, losing a pet is never easy to come to terms with for both yourselves and your vet. All I can say is that from experience, if you wish to discuss the care of your pet I would go directly to the vet themselves. Please DO NOT, as a first port of call lodge a complaint against the vet in particular with the RCVS. There is a time and place for those complaints and they are incredibly stressful for the people involved (to the point where they keep vets up at night wondering if they will have a job to go to in the future). This, as a first port of call I'm sure you can imagine will be extremely unnerving and unexpected for the persons involved, and doesn't give the company a chance to respond to you directly, (usually the most successful way of managing these complaints). 

Undervalued

MalMonroe said:

Hello, I'm also very sorry for your loss. A similar thing happened to my daughter and me last year. I'm now at the stage of wondering if it's too late to make a complaint - we just haven't felt able to do anything before now because it's still very painful to even think about.

But, I would always contact the responsible party first - in this case, the vet or veterinary practice. Yes, I'd just contact them and ask for a meeting.

If you don't find them helpful at all, you can contact the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons - information in the following link - 

https://www.rcvs.org.uk/concerns/

That's a better idea than the Vet Mediation Crew, since the RCVS is a recognised and authorised body and the website says that they have a responsibility to investigate all concerns raised.

Again, I'm so very sorry and hope that this information is of some help. All the very best. 

Not exactly!!

If you take the trouble to properly read the website you link you will see.....

Concerns for the RCVS 

The RCVS can only deal with the most serious concerns that relate to a veterinary surgeons professional conduct. This includes:

• Very poor professional performance where there are serious departures from the standards set out in the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct
• Fraud or dishonesty
• Criminal convictions or cautions
• Physical or mental health problems affecting ability to work

Basically, like most / all professional bodies, they are concerned with fitness to practice and protection of the public. So, it is only a matter for the RCVS if the service was so poor or unprofessional that it raises wider questions about the vet's safety / ability to practice. That is a very different threshold from a one off less than ideal experience.

Unless the OP genuinely believes that their experience was that extreme then any dispute is a matter for mediation or the small claims court and not the RCVS.

sheramber

If the vet was negligent and what he did was below  expected standard then RCVS would review based on whether he is fit to practice.

If they decided he was not fit he may be suspended for a time, he may be supervised or he may be banned from practising.

Any decision takes months.

PoGee

tacpot12 said:

If there enough bad reviews of vet Mediation Crew, I would not use them. 

Do you have home insurance, and if so, do you have legal expenses cover? If you do, call the Legal Helpline and see if they can find a vetinary claims specialist solicitor to handle the case for you. They should be able to help find a specialist mediator, but unless the dispute relates to medical negligence, I'm not sure why you would need a specialist. Many vetinary claims turn on communication with the client, not the medical care of the pet.  

I do have legal cover but when I attempted to use the policy for a head injury, they put me in touch with a company that was no use whatsoever and I ended up giving up as it was too stressful. I'll see if they can put me in touch with an alternative legal firm.

PoGee

MalMonroe said:

Hello, I'm also very sorry for your loss. A similar thing happened to my daughter and me last year. I'm now at the stage of wondering if it's too late to make a complaint - we just haven't felt able to do anything before now because it's still very painful to even think about.

But, I would always contact the responsible party first - in this case, the vet or veterinary practice. Yes, I'd just contact them and ask for a meeting.

If you don't find them helpful at all, you can contact the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons - information in the following link - 

https://www.rcvs.org.uk/concerns/

That's a better idea than the Vet Mediation Crew, since the RCVS is a recognised and authorised body and the website says that they have a responsibility to investigate all concerns raised.

Again, I'm so very sorry and hope that this information is of some help. All the very best. 

I'm sorry for your daughter's pet loss. It's traumatic in every sense. Every time I think about it.......
Our house rabbit stopped eating one day. I thought 'blockage'. But he was the same happy active rabbit. The community vet missed a blockage, saying to keep feeding him rabbit recovery gruel. The blockage was diagnosed by the vet hospital when I took him there at 2am the same night.