Terms & Conditions | Vet in Hand | Freelance Veterinary Surgeon

Updated March 2020

You should read these Terms and Conditions ("Terms") carefully before using Vet in Hand services as they set out the basis on which we provide services to you. If you are unhappy with or do not agree with these Terms, then you should not use the services provided by Vet in Hand.

INTRODUCTION

Dantas Goddard Limited, trading as Vet in Hand ("Company", "Vet in Hand", "we", "us" or "our") operates the website at www.vetinhand.com ("Site") and operates Vet in Hand ("Service").
The Service is not for human health concerns. It is only for queries regarding companion animals, such as, cats, dogs and other small pets. Advice regarding exotics, farm or equine animals will not be covered.
The Service is not an emergency service, it is to be used for general advice only and is not intended to replace a physical examination by a veterinarian. If you think you need emergency assistance, you should take your pet to the nearest emergency veterinary practice.
Do not use the Service to seek medical advice for an animal that is unconscious, not breathing or gasping for air, experiencing an allergic reaction, uncontrollably bleeding, or showing any symptoms that require urgent veterinary attention. In a life-threatening emergency you should make your way to the nearest emergency veterinary practice immediately.
All information obtained directly or indirectly from the Service is provided at your own risk.
These Terms apply to your use of the Service, and by accessing or using any part of the Service, you are deemed to have accepted and agree to be bound by these Terms in full. If you do not agree to be bound by these Terms, you must leave the Site immediately.
By agreeing to these Terms, you confirm that you are at least the age of majority in your country of residence.
We may need to revise these Terms, at any time. We will do this by updating this posting. You should check the Site from time to time to review the current Terms, because they are binding on you. If you do not agree to any changes, you must leave the Site and stop using the Service immediately.

THE VET ADVICE SERVICE

Through the Site, we operate the Service, which allows you to obtain information, guidance and/or advice from a health professional ("Online Veterinarian").
In certain circumstances the Online Veterinarian may consider that your pet's problems are best addressed other than through the Online Service and they may suggest that you should seek advice elsewhere.
As part of the Service, you will provide us with brief written details of the issue you would like to discuss ("Your Concern") and information about your pet including details of any medical history.
You acknowledge and accept the limitations and risks of providing information relating to a pet that has not had a physical examination.
The Online Veterinarian will only provide advice. This cannot be considered a diagnosis.
By submitting Your Concern, you confirm that you are the owner of the pet in question or that you have the authority of the owner or other appropriate authority to use the Service in relation to that pet and to disclose the details of that pet through the Service.
Your Concern will be made available to the Online Veterinarian, who will review Your Concern, assess your pet's needs and, if possible, provide you with information, guidance and/or advice as soon as possible. This will be provided via email or the live online chat function.
You should never disregard medical advice received from your primary veterinarian(s) or delay seeking advice from a veterinarian(s) because of information provided to you by the Online Veterinarian or that is otherwise provided to you through the Site and/or the Service.
You acknowledge that if your pet needs immediate medical attention that you should and will promptly take your pet to the nearest emergency veterinary facility, in many cases recommended by the Online Veterinarian.
You agree that no Veterinarian-Client-Patient-Relationship ("VCPR") is established in connection with the Site.

ONLINE VETERINARIAN

The Online Veterinarian will try to ensure that you get the best possible information, guidance and advice available in the circumstances but, due to the nature of the field in which we operate and the service we facilitate, we cannot guarantee that any of the information, guidance or advice you may receive will achieve any specific results.
The Online Veterinarian is a licensed professional and member of a regulated profession (Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons), therefore bound by laws, regulations and codes of conduct that may, in certain circumstances, prevent them from being able to offer you specific guidance or advice or a formal diagnosis through the Online Service. In those circumstances, the Online Veterinarian will let you know and will advise you on the most appropriate course of action to get the help that you and your pet need.
Any information, guidance or advice provided by the Online Veterinarian will be based on the information that you provide to them in Your Concern. Therefore, it is your responsibility to ensure that all the information that you provide is complete and accurate, to the best of your knowledge. If you do not provide complete and accurate information, this may result in inaccurate advice being given by the Online Veterinarian.
The information, guidance and/or advice that you receive through the Service will be based on the specific information that you provide through the Service (including in Your Concern). As such, it may not be applicable generally or in relation to any other animal and you should not apply the information, guidance or advice you receive to any animal other than the pet in question, without the explicit confirmation from the Online Veterinarian.
The Online Veterinarian cannot prescribe medication.

DATA PROTECTION AND PRIVACY

In order to use the Service, you need to provide certain details about you and your pet(s) ("Details").
The Details you provide must be up to date and accurate at all times.
Any personal information you submit on the Site or through the Service and all electronic communications between you and us are governed by our Privacy Policy.
By providing your Details, you agree that you are happy to receive communications from us by email in relation to your use of the Service. We may communicate with you by email (using the details you provide to us in your Details), by posting notices on the Site, or via the live online chat, and you agree that any such email, notice or message will be deemed communication "in writing" for legal purposes.
You agree that we may pass on your Details and the information you provide in Your Concern to the Online Veterinarian.
The Online Veterinarian may keep notes and copies of the information that you provide and any information, guidance or advice they give through the Service, and you agree that they may use that information for any internal professional purposes as may be required by law or relevant regulation (such as for supervisory purposes).
In certain circumstances, we may be required by law or regulation to disclose certain information that you provide. This includes, but not exclusively, in the event that there is a suspicion of animal abuse (including neglect) or any illegal or criminal activity.
You hereby consent to the Company's storage of your pet's medical records in the Company's system so that they can be reviewed by the Online Veterinarian or distributed to emergency or specialist referral hospitals at your request in the event that your pet might need emergency care at a time when your primary veterinarian(s) might not available to care for your pet.
The Details you provide will be retained by the Company for a maximum of 6 years, after which they will be deleted. Upon request, these Details can be deleted sooner.

DISCLAIMERS

While we try to ensure that the information on the Site is correct, we cannot guarantee the accuracy and completeness of such information. Therefore, we may make changes to the material on the Site at any time without notice. The material on the Site may be out of date, and we cannot commit to update such material.
Any assurances or guarantees that we provide in relation to the Site or the Service are set out in these Terms. Nothing in these Terms will affect your consumer rights. Advice about your legal rights is available from your local Citizens' Advice Bureau or Trading Standards office.

LIABILITY

If we fail to comply with these Terms, we are responsible for any loss or damage that you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our breach of the Terms or our negligence, but we are not responsible for any loss or damage that is not foreseeable. Loss or damage are foreseeable if they are an obvious consequence of our breach or if they were contemplated by you and us at the time we entered into this contract.
We do not limit or exclude in any way our liability where it would be unlawful to do so. This includes liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence or the negligence of the Online Veterinarian; or for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation.
We will not be responsible for any failure to perform, or delay in performance, of any of our obligations under these Terms that is caused by you or any act or event beyond our reasonable control. In the event of any act or event beyond our reasonable control, we will notify you as soon as possible and the time for our performance of our obligations will be extended for the duration of the event outside our control. You may cancel Your Concern if an event outside our control takes place that delays our ability to provide the Service and you no longer wish to use the Service.

ACCESS TO THE SITE AND THE SERVICE

While we work to ensure that the Site and the Service are available 24 hours a day, we cannot be held responsible if, for any reason, the Site or the Service are unavailable at any time or for any period.
Access to the Site and/or the Service may be suspended temporarily and without notice in the case of system failure, maintenance or repair or for reasons beyond our control.
The availability of the Service is dependent on the availability of the Online Veterinarian at the time you submit Your Concern.
Advice is provided at the availability of the Online Veterinarian, who will use all reasonable endeavours to respond to Your Concern promptly and we do not operate any service levels for response times.

PROHIBITED USE

You may not resell or make any commercial use of the Site or the Service or any information provided on or through the Site or the Service without our prior written consent.
You may not use the Service to contact the Online Veterinarian for any reason other than to seek information and guidance for your pet in accordance with these Terms.

THIRD PARTY LINKS

Certain content, products and services available on the Site and through the Service may include materials from third-parties.
Third-party links on the Site may direct you to third-party websites that are not affiliated with us. We are not responsible for examining or evaluating the content or accuracy and we do not warrant and will not have any liability or responsibility for any third-party materials or websites, or for any other materials, products, or services of third-parties.
We are not liable for any harm or damages related to the purchase or use of goods, services, resources, content, or any other transactions made in connection with any third-party websites. Please review carefully the third-party's policies and practices and make sure you understand them before you engage in any transaction. Complaints, claims, concerns, or questions regarding third-party products should be directed to the third-party.

OTHER IMPORTANT TERMS

Each of the paragraphs of these Terms operates separately. If any court or relevant authority decides that any of them are unlawful, the remaining paragraphs will remain in full force and effect.
The terms govern the relationship between you and Vet in Hand and are not enforceable by any other person.
Neither your nor our failure to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall be deemed a waiver of such right or provision.
These Terms (and your use of the Site and the Service) shall be governed and interpreted in accordance with English law and you and we both agree to submit any disputes arising out of or in connection these Terms and from your use of the Site and the Service to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

CONTACT

If you have any questions or complaints about the Service or about these Terms, please send us a message by email to vetinhand.uk@gmail.com.