🐾 Update 23rd September 🐾
We really miss having a blether with our lovely clients at the reception desk and long for the day when we can see everyone without the current worry and stress 😀
However, given the recent rise in covid infections and the latest government announcements about further restrictions we do not feel that this is this time to re-open our doors. We’ll be continuing as we are for the foreseeable future and this is likely to be for several months yet.
Please be assured that we are doing our utmost to maintain the best possible service that we can to our clients and their pets at the moment. You can help us out by making sure that you keep a 2m distance from our team outside the practice, letting us know if you can’t make your appointment time and giving us plenty of notice for repeat prescriptions (at least 2 working days). Our phones have been very busy and our vets have been working extremely hard; please be patient with our team who have been under a lot of pressure recently. Everything takes twice as long at the moment and we are very stretched.
Please also plan ahead. As we get into the colder months make sure that you are as comfortable as possible if waiting outside the practice while we see your pet. We know it’s not ideal when it’s rainy and cold but we need to try and keep everyone safe. We are lucky to have plentiful free car parking on our doorstep so please use this if you can.
Thank you so much to all of you for your understanding and to each and every person who has thanked us, left us a kind review or sent in a lovely card. We really appreciate it ☺️
Update 18th August 2020
Thanks for your ongoing patience as we try to catch up with boosters and other non-urgent appointments. Please be aware that there may be a wait for routine appointments at the moment and we are still triaging all other appointments so that we can prioritise pets who need to see us most urgently. Further info from the BVA below:
https://www.bva.co.uk/coronavirus/coronavirus-advice-for-animal-owners/
Update 3rd August 2020
. We still feel that the safest way of working is to continue to see pets in the practice and asking owners to wait outside. We know it’s a bit of a nuisance but we would hate to have to close unexpectedly. We’ll let you know as soon as we make any major changes but in the mean time thank you all so much for your patience and understanding during what continues to be a very uncertain time.Update 4th June 2020
Here at Crossriggs we’re in the process of moving from providing essential veterinary care only towards providing a more normal range of veterinary services. Reducing the transmission of coronavirus is still the overriding priority and for this reason we will continue to minimise client contact by working from behind closed doors and maintaining a safe distance outside the practice building. We continue to follow the latest guidance from the RCVS and BVA and really appreciate your support and understanding during these unusual times! Please don’t hesitate to contact the practice if you are concerned about your pet’s health and we will do our best to help.
🐾 Cases will still be prioritised in order of clinical need
🐾 Phone triage and phone consultations will continue
🐾 Reduced office hours continue (8:30am – 5:30pm Monday – Friday, closed at weekends)
🐾 Out of hours service remains the same: our vets will answer the phone 24/7
🐾 We’ll be catching up with overdue boosters in order of priority and will contact you when we are able to offer your pet’s booster
🐾 Some neutering will go ahead based on clinical need
🐾 Repeat prescriptions can be collected safely from the practice as well as posted out
Finally, please let us know if anyone in your household is self-isolating due to Covid-19 and your animal needs veterinary care. You may need to arrange for someone else to transport your pet to the practice in order to protect our team.
It will take time for veterinary practices to adjust to offer a more normal range of services. Please bear with your…
Posted by British Veterinary Association – BVA on Wednesday, 10 June 2020
BVA statement on cats and coronavirus
The British Veterinary Association has clarified its position in light of a report on the BBC news website relating to cats and coronavirus. The headline of the article suggested that veterinary advice was to keep all cats indoors, but BVA has explained this advice is only in relation to cats in infected households or where people are self-isolating.
https://www.bva.co.uk/news-and-blog/news-article/bva-statement-on-cats-and-covid-19/
Guidance from the RCVS
Our governing body has issued advice for clients to help you understand what we can and can’t do for your pets through this difficult time.
https://animalowners.rcvs.org.uk/help-and-advice/
Temporary change to opening hours
We’re at the practice 8:30am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday at the moment to answer phonecalls, see urgent cases and dispense prescriptions. We won’t have anyone on the premises at the moment on Saturdays in order to avoid unnecessary travel to work. Our on call vet will still be available by calling the usual surgery number.
Phone consultations
☎️ Phone consultations ☎️
Please be aware that there will be a charge for phone/video consultations with our vets. Our dedicated team are still here, still working hard and also still need to be paid! Thank you very much for your patience and understanding.
🌟 VIPs! 🌟
We’ll do all that we can to enable you to get the benefits of your pet health plan at this time. Please see below:
🌟 If your pet is due a six month check one of our nurses will call you when this is due, for a phone consultation
🌟 We will ensure that your pet’s vaccines are covered by the plan, so if their booster is delayed due to the coronavirus we will offer a full vaccine course at no extra cost
🌟 We can post flea treatments and wormers to you at a reduced postage fee – this will be half price for our VIPs. We can also post three months at a time.
🌟 Thank you for your patience and support!