How COVID-19 has changed the way we work

The COVID-19 outbreak has been the greatest global disaster in the last few decades by a long shot. It has affected every single country in the world.

Many have lost loved ones and jobs, dreams and plans for the future were scrapped, and at some point even hope and belief seemed hard to hang on to.

The last few months have probably been the toughest ones in many of people’s lives, and although we are beginning to see some light at the end of this tunnel, the threat of a second wave is all but gone. 

If on one hand some might believe our NHS would be more prepared than it was when it all first started, on the other it would be hard to imagine how global economy would survive another period of lockdown when it’s already been brought to its knees.

And if it is true that restrictions are being eased with caution and scientific evidence, it is also true that it’s up to each one of us to play our part in reducing that risk as much as possible.

Whilst we, as a Veterinary Practice, have never stopped working at the best of our ability to provide care for our beloved fluffy patients, our main priority is and has always been to safeguard public health. 

And that is why we had to make substantial changes to our working hours, the services we provide, our rates and our team structure. We understand our new way of working may not feel as warm and welcoming as it used to be, but we really hope you understand these are unprecedented times and these measures are aimed at keeping not only our staff, but you and your loved ones safe.

The following is a list of the changes we had to make in order to keep providing animal health care:

 

-      Two separate teams are operating and swapping every 2 days. 

If one staff member tests positive for COVID-19, the whole team would have to isolate for at least 2 weeks.

By having 2 separate teams we insure that there’s always going to be someone available to see your pets.

A deep cleaning of the whole practice is done every 48 hours in order to minimize the risk of cross contagion.

-      We are open from 8.30AM to 5PM, 7 days a week, including bank holidays. Our last available appointment is at 4.20PM

This gives us reasonable time for an appropriate sanitation of the practice on a daily basis whilst working with a reduced staff. We understand that these hours may be inconvenient for some, especially during working days, and that is why we have decided to stay open on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays as well.

-      We cannot allow clients to enter the premises.

We know how upsetting it can be to see your pet being taken into the practice whilst you’re waiting outside. As mentioned above, all of these measures have the sole intent of keeping everyone (including you) safe so we thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.

On our behalf we can assure you that every consultation will be conducted by one of our vets veterinarian and a very caring nurse in order to maintain high standards in each clinical visit and procedure. 

Please make sure you bring your mobile phone with you so we can communicate efficiently whilst your pet is being examined.

-      We cannot conduct house visits.  

Again this is in line with the social distancing advice we received from the government and the Royal College. We are aware that the current regulations do allow for members of two different households to meet, however as we do provide a 24/7 service (between working hours and out of hours) we need to be extra cautious, and conducting house visits would unnecessarily increase the risk of us being unable to maintain this service. 

Exceptional circumstances will be considered individually, where animal welfare is a real concern and if there is no way you can bring your pet to our practice. In those cases special precautions will be taken so there is no contact between you and the staff members who will be conducting the visit. Please note this is NOT a routine service and it will be provided only in very specific cases.

-      If your pets are more than 3 months overdue their vaccination because of lockdown, we offer a restart for the price of a normal booster.

We though we’d save the good news for last! 

You shouldn’t be paying the price for being sensible and following the rules, so if your fluffy friend falls under this category, rest assured we will cover the cost for the 2^ndinjection he will need after his regular booster, in order to guarantee appropriate immune protection. 

 

We hope this article can shine some light on what is happening behind our scenes and why.

As usual our staff members are here to answer any question you may have so please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

We’d also like to thank all of our clients, we’ve received priceless support from you during these very challenging times and we are ever so grateful!

Stay safe everyone, and take care of your loved ones, both fluffy and not!