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We offer expert veterinary orthopaedic care for your pets.
How can I get an appointment at EofEVets?
We are a referral-only practice. This means we must receive a referral from your local vet before we are permitted to see your pet or discuss their condition. In most circumstances your local vet will arrange your referral to East of England Veterinary Specialists. You may also request your vet to arrange a referral for your pet to us, should you wish. It is your pet, so it is your choice who will treat them.
What can I expect when I come for my appointment?
Mr Mark Bush or Dr Martin Owen will discuss your pet’s condition with you, before examining them. Next, we will usually recommend further investigation, if necessary. In most cases, the investigation will begin with x-rays or a CT scan, sampling and analysis of joint fluid or a biopsy. But on occasions, other tests, such as ultrasound or MRI may be needed and these may be arranged externally. Once the tests have been completed and the results reviewed, we will recommend a treatment plan. This may involve surgery, in which case we will explain the procedure, the required aftercare and any potential risks involved. We will answer any questions you have. We normally perform straight forward surgical procedures on the day of the consultation, and in most cases, your pet will be ready to go home the same day.
In some circumstances and for some conditions, surgery may not be appropriate for your pet, and we may recommend a non-surgical (sometimes called ‘conservative’) treatment course instead. At all times you are in control of your pet’s investigation and treatment.
What is a “Recognised Specialist”?
To become a RCVS Recognised Specialist a vet must first hold an RCVS or ECVS diploma or equivalent, in their field of expertise. They may then apply to the RCVS for inclusion on the Specialist list. In order for inclusion they must demonstrate an active, on-going contribution to the profession, for example through publishing scientific papers in veterinary journals, giving talks at conferences and undertaking continuous professional development (CPD). European Specialists are recognised as such by virtue of their ECVS diploma and on-going re-accredication and recertification. All specialists must re-apply for Specialist recognition every 5 years.
What do all the qualifications mean?
Vets have a large string of letters after their names (called post-nominals) and they can be very confusing! Below is a brief outline as to what they all mean:
MRCVS: All veterinary surgeons practising in the UK must be registered members of the Royal college of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).
BVSc/VetMB: In order to qualify for RCVS membership vets must hold a recognised veterinary degree. Currently, seven UK Universities award such degrees; Liverpool & Bristol- BVSc, Cambridge - VetMB, Edinburgh - BVM&S, Glasgow - BVMS, London - BVetMed and Nottingham - BVMBVS.
BSc/MA: On the way to becoming vets, some chose to spend an extra year studying! This will award them a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree.
PhD: Some vets have undertaken a Doctorate degree and earned the title Dr. Recently the RCVS changed the rules and now all vets may title themselves Dr, should they so wish.
Certificates - CertSAS: Years ago the RCVS offered certificates in specific disciplines (Small Animal Surgery, Small Animal Medicine etc). The RCVS has tried to simplify all of this and now just offers a more general certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice (CertAVP), which covers many aspects of general practice. A certificate is evidence that a vet has studied beyond their university degree final exams and has achieved competence in a clinical discipline. Certificates are intended to be qualifications achievable by general practitioner vets. Certificate holders are not Specialists, and may not call themselves Specialists but they may register as Advanced Practitioners.
Diplomas - DSAS, Dip. ECVS: Diplomas are the highest level of veterinary qualification, and veterinary diplomats have trained and achieved expertise equivalent to that of a consultant in human health care. A veterinary diplomat has trained full-time in that discipline for 3 years or part-time for the equivalent period. The ECVS diploma covers both small animal soft tissue surgery and orthopaedic surgery. The RCVS DSAS (Orth) diploma is purely in small animal orthopaedics. You can be confident that a vet with a diploma has passed the most rigorous training programme and examinations. Diplomats are entitled to apply for “Specialist” status.
What if my pet has a complication after surgery?
We are confident that in partnership with your veterinary surgeon and you, the pet owner, we will work together to the very highest standards in order to minimise the chances of your pet developing a complication such as an infection or an implant related problem, but sadly complications do still occasionally occur following orthopaedic surgery. When complications happen we will work to resolve them quickly and with minimal stress. The cost of treating a complication is not included in our original fixed price, however we will work with significantly reduced fees when managing a complication. We don’t seek to make a profit out of a complication.
Data Protection and Privacy Policy
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Compliance Document for East of England Veterinary Specialists Ltd
Client data
How and where is the data stored and who has access to it?
We (East of England Veterinary Specialists Ltd) keep a data register of all of our cases. The register is in the form of a proprietary software package; VetIT Practice Management Software. The register is stored on a remote server, managed by VetIT 2Sys Ltd.
- The data will be controlled by Mark Bush and Martin Owen, who can be contacted at the address below, or using info@eoevets.com
- The register can be accessed and processed by all MRCVS and RVN personnel employed by East of England Veterinary Specialists Ltd and by employees of VetIT 2Sys Ltd for maintenance of the practice management system.
What details do we store and why do we store it?
1) Pet owner details
i) Pet owner personal data
With consent, this register contains the name, address, telephone number and email address of the registered owner(s) of the pet. This is stored by us (East of England Veterinary Specialists Ltd) for the legitimate performance of our work and this includes for the purpose of directly contacting pet owners to update them with the progress of treatment of their pet whilst it remains under our care and contacting pet owners to follow-up and assess our treatment once their pet has been discharged. Communication may be sent via telephone, post or electronic means depending on the contact details held. This data will be held for a minimum of seven years after the final appointment date. We may retain data for longer than this, up to a maximum of 20 years, due to the life expectancy of pets, and we may want to contact pet owners for long term follow-up and to make an assessment of our treatment. You may contact us after seven years from the date of your final appointment and request that your data be erased.
ii) Pet owner financial data
Where necessary, financial data may comprise insurance details or credit/debit card details, which will be stored for the performance of a contract. This information will be stored securely. This data will not be stored electronically. This data can only be accessed by the data controllers named above. This data will be destroyed within 48 hours of collection.
2) Referring Veterinary Surgeons personal and veterinary practice details
With consent, this data comprises the individual referring veterinary surgeon’s name, the practice name and address, practice telephone number and practice email address. This will be stored on the VetIT register to allow us to update the referring veterinary surgeons with the progress of the pets referred.
Also, we will contact referring vets to provide material detailing the services offered by us to facilitate the treatment of pets under their care, and to invite members of the practice to attend CPD and/or other events organised by us.
Communication may be sent via telephone, post or electronic means depending on the contact details held.
Referring veterinary surgeons may request not to receive any information about the services offered by us.
Referring veterinary surgeon data will be stored until a written request is received to erase the data.
Further points
- Clients may request a copy of all the data we hold on them, by submitting a request in writing. All such requests will be dealt with within a month of receiving the request.
- Client data may be shared with insurance companies for the performance of a contract. Client data will not be shared with, sold to or transferred to any other parties.
- The legal basis for processing client data is that it is necessary for the legitimate performance of our work. If you have any other questions about how or why this information is stored or used, please contact us in writing.
