Register with us - Small Animal

Effective Date: 22 March 2025

These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern the use of services provided by MacArthur Barstow and Gibbs, a trading name of MBG Pets Ltd (“we,” “our,”, “the Practice” or “the Surgery”). By visiting our premises, instructing us to perform services or purchasing products from us, you confirm your acceptance of these Terms. If we accept your instruction or purchase, a legally binding contract is made between us and you. These Terms apply to both personal and business customers, except where explicit reference is made to one of these customer types.

You can contact us by telephone, email, post, online messaging, our website, or by visiting one of our branches (36 Hanbury Road, Droitwich, WR9 8PW; 238 Ombersley Road, Worcester, WR3 7HB; or Unit 8, Webbs, Wychbold, WR9 0DG). We may contact you by telephone, email, post, or online messaging. Please note that references to “written” or “in writing” also includes emails. Some aspects of the Terms may not be relevant to you and we request that you ask us for clarification if required.

1. Services Provided

1.1. We provide veterinary care and services in accordance with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Code of Conduct. This includes but is not limited to: general consultations and check-ups, vaccinations, surgical procedures, diagnostic tests (e.g., blood tests, imaging), dental care, emergency care, prescription and non-prescription medication and treatments, and euthanasia.

1.2. These services are provided by suitably qualified persons, including veterinary surgeons and Registered Veterinary Nurses. Services may also be provided with the support of nursing assistants, vet students or trainee nurses under the supervision of suitably qualified staff.

2. Appointments

2.1. Appointments must be made in advance, either via telephone, online booking, or in person. We cannot guarantee appointment availability but you are welcome to use any of our branches.

2.2. You will receive an appointment booking confirmation and reminder email if your communications preferences permit this. We cannot guarantee delivery of these emails or accept any responsibility for missed appointments.

2.3. If you are unable to attend an appointment, please inform us at least 24 hours in advance to allow us to accommodate other patients. We reserve the right to charge for missed appointments.

3. Emergencies and Out-of-Hours Care

3.1. We offer emergency care during our standard opening hours. These are published on our website.

3.2. For out-of-hours emergencies, we partner with a nearby emergency veterinary service. This is a wholly separate company with separate premises and separate pricing. All fees incurred are payable to that provider, and any disputes that arise are between you and that provider.

4. House Visits

4.1. Whilst we offer house visits, we do not guarantee their availability. We reserve the right to refuse a house visit due to distance, scheduling or staffing constraints, personal safety and/or clinical best practice.

4.2. We require a safe environment in which to work, with sufficient lighting and supplies of water and electricity.

5. Consent for Treatment

5.1. By presenting your animal for treatment, you give us consent to perform necessary procedures, diagnostics, and treatments. You will be given advice before any procedures are undertaken, with the opportunity to ask questions and seek clarification. Once you and we are satisfied, you will be asked to sign a consent form.

5.2. If the need arises for additional treatment that was not initially discussed, we will make all reasonable efforts to contact you for consent.

5.3. If you cannot be reached for approval in an emergency, we reserve the right to proceed with any necessary medical intervention.

5.4. We can accept instructions from third parties, such as close family members. Such third parties must be nominated by yourself and noted on our records. They must be over 18 and we reserve the right to refuse their instructions if we suspect they are not acting with your consent.

6. Pet Health Plans

6.1. We offer Pet Health Plans with a monthly payment. Multiple plans are available depending on the species and age of your animal. These are administered in partnership with a third party and governed by a separate set of Terms & Conditions. Please see our website or contact us for a copy of these.

6.2. The practice may require you to make an upfront payment or pay for the treatment before the plan commences.

6.3. If you cancel at any time other than on an anniversary of joining the plan, you will be required to pay the practice either the outstanding amount for (or value of) treatment received, or the monthly payment due until the anniversary of your plan, whichever is lower.

6.4. No refunds are payable for any months paid before a pet’s death, except at the discretion of the practice.

7. Reminders

7.1. We offer reminders for appointments, vaccines and parasiticides. These are offered on a complementary basis and their delivery is not guaranteed.

7.2. It is your responsibility to ensure that your animal’s vaccinations and treatments are up to date, including those needed for travel documentation.

7.3. We are not responsible for any subsequent loss resulting from missed vaccinations, treatment dates, or non-delivered reminders. If you fail to keep up with a product’s recommended interval periods, you may need to restart a course of vaccinations. You are responsible for the costs associated with this.

8. Prescriptions

8.1. Prescriptions may be obtained on request from this surgery. We require at least 24 hours’ notice to authorise and/or dispense your prescription.

8.2. A fee will be charged to cover the time, responsibility and professional indemnity costs involved. We will advise you of the cost before issuing a written prescription.

8.2.1. This fee must be paid before we issue a prescription. There is no fee for seeking the authorisation of a prescription.

8.3. Only a veterinary surgeon can issue a prescription. They may not issue the prescription unless your pet has been examined by a vet at MacArthur Barstow & Gibbs and is under the care of a vet at MacArthur Barstow & Gibbs.

8.4. The maximum period allowed since the last examination of your pet will vary according to the medication being dispensed and the condition for which the medication is required, at the discretion of the vet issuing the prescription. The maximum period allowed will never be more than 6 months.

8.5. We do not carry all items in stock and will sometimes need to order your repeat prescription from our wholesalers. We are not responsible for medication delays outside our control.

8.6. We do not automatically prepare your repeat prescriptions or products. You must contact us to request them.

8.7. Collection is the default delivery method for prescriptions and product orders. By placing a request, you agree to pay for, and collect your items during the opening hours of the branch where you placed your request. You are welcome to place orders at any of our three Pets & Exotics branches.

8.7.1. If you do not collect the products from us, we will attempt to remind you that they are ready to collect. If you fail to collect in a reasonable length of time, determined by the shelf life and expiry date of the product in question, we will return the item to stock.

8.8. Except for high value, refrigerated or bulk-quantity items, you may request delivery of your products. There will be a charge for this, to cover our postage and administrative costs. Our standard service is Royal Mail 2nd Class or similar. We are not responsible for the loss or non-delivery of items sent by post.

8.9. For online pharmacy prescriptions, please contact us before placing your order. Once clinical authorisation has been granted by one of our vets, you may place and pay for your order.

8.9.1. Please then supply us with the name of the pharmacy, your order number, and the medication required. We will issue the prescription and send it directly to the pharmacy. This process complies with industry guidance to reduce fraudulent prescriptions.

9. Charges and Payment

9.1. All services are subject to charges, and individual fees will be provided to you upon request. Except for some supplements, all medications and professional fees are subject to VAT at the current rate.

9.2. Fee levels are determined by the procedure(s), time, skills and equipment used on a case and in accordance with the cost of the medicines and consumables used.

9.3. We reserve the right to change our fees, and any such changes will be communicated on our website.

9.4. We will provide, on request, a written estimate as to the probable costs of a course of treatment. Please bear in mind that any estimate given is approximate: a pet’s illness may not follow a predictable course.

9.5. Payment is due at the time of your pet’s consultation or when collecting them after an operation. Accepted forms of payment include credit/debit card, cash, cheque, or bank transfer.

9.6. At our discretion, we may offer longer account terms for customers with a Farm or Equine account serviced by our sister company, MacArthur Barstow and Gibbs Ltd.

9.7. If payment is not received within 60 days, a 10% surcharge will be added to your balance. If payment is still not received, a further 5% will be added each following month.

9.8. We reserve the right to require upfront payment or a deposit before offering goods or services.

9.9. In certain cases, payment plans may be available; however, these must be agreed upon in advance and are subject to approval. Any arrangement can only be sanctioned with the express permission of the Accounts Manager or one of the directors.

9.10. Failure to settle payment within the agreed terms may result in further action to recover the debt. Unpaid balances will be referred to our Debt Collection Agency and further charges will be levied in respect of costs incurred in collecting the debt, including but not limited to reports, correspondence and court fees.

9.10.1. Any cheque returned by our bank as unpaid, credit card payment not honoured, or any cash that is found to be counterfeit will result in your balance being restored to the original sum with further charges added in respect of bank charges and administrative costs, together with interest at the rates stated in clause 9.7 on the principal sum.

10. Insurance

10.1. We strongly support the principle of insuring your pet to assist with the cost of veterinary care. While we can assist with providing necessary documentation for claims, it is your responsibility to ensure that your insurance covers the appropriate treatments and procedures.

10.2. We are generally willing to complete a direct claim for your animal’s treatment. We will need either a link or claim form from your insurer. Some insurance companies have a time limit on how many days after treatment you can claim, so we must receive this information in a timely manner before the insurer’s deadline.

10.3. Our direct claim handling service may be withdrawn if money is owed on your account with us, or if our systems are incompatible with your insurer.

10.4. Provided you have not already made payment to us in advance of a claim, we require that payments of claims by insurance companies be made directly to us.

10.5. You must ensure that your claim form is correctly completed and appropriately signed. We cannot be held responsible for claims that are rejected due to incorrectly completed paperwork.

10.6. Your insurance may not cover the full amount that is claimed. They may charge you an excess on each condition claimed for every policy year; an excess based on a percentage of the claim; and/or a co-payment for the amount you claim.

10.6.1. Additionally, they may make deductions for treatment or medication not covered on the policy, or they may decline your claim altogether. Full details will be in your insurer’s policy wording document.

10.7. As the policy holder, you are responsible for all charges or amounts not paid by your insurance company. A belief or understanding on your part that your insurers will meet some or all of our charges will not be a defence in respect of any claim we make against you for non-payment.

10.8. If any claim or policy-related disputes arise, these are exclusively between you and your insurer and not with MacArthur Barstow and Gibbs.

10.9. We may charge a fee for completing insurance company claim forms. This is usually levied on a per-submission basis and reflects the administrative burden associated with completing this paperwork. We will make you aware if we add such a charge to your account.

11. Client Responsibilities

11.1. You must provide accurate information about your pet’s health, medical history, and any known allergies. This must include clinical records from any previous veterinary practice(s). It is your responsibility to authorise the transfer of those records to us.

11.2. You are responsible for ensuring that your pet is brought to appointments on time and for complying with any prescribed treatments or follow-up care instructions.

11.3. Whilst on our premises, you are responsible for complying with health and safety instructions and for any vehicles or possessions that you bring.

11.4. We will not tolerate any form of abuse or aggressive behaviour towards our staff. Examples include threatening or abusive language, derogatory remarks, malicious allegations, physical aggression or criminal activity. We reserve the right to remove you from our premises and contact the police.

12. Liability

12.1. Our liability to you is limited. Any claims for damages, losses or expenses shall not exceed the limit(s) imposed by our professional indemnity insurance policy. If the claim is not covered by this policy, our total liability shall be no greater than the fees paid by you in relation to the dispute. Where a dispute relates to a continuous event, any such fees are limited to those relating to clinical work undertaken within 1 year prior to dispute engagement date.

12.2. We do not limit our liability where it would be unlawful to do so. This includes liability for death or personal injury being caused to you by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, for breach of your legal rights, or and any other liability that may not be excluded under applicable laws.

12.3. For individual private customers, we are responsible for losses caused by our breaking of these Terms, except for those that are unforeseeable, avoidable (see clause 12.7) or caused by events outside our control.

12.4. For individual private customers, we exclude entirely our liability in respect of any direct, indirect or consequential loss, including but not limited to: property damage, transport or travel disruption, loss of income, or losses related to breeding or your business.

12.5. For customers who are trading or operating as a business, we exclude entirely our liability in respect of any direct, indirect or consequential loss, including but not limited to: property damage, loss of sales or contracts, loss of profits, business disruption, loss of savings, loss of goodwill or loss of reputation.

12.6. If you damage any of our property, goods or equipment whilst visiting our premises, you will be responsible for their repair, replacement or restocking costs. You are also responsible for any damage caused to our vehicles, goods or equipment whilst we visit your premises.

12.7. We are not liable for any losses caused by you failing to follow oral or written instructions, such as veterinary advice, pre- and post-operative instructions, medicine instructions given by us, or manufacturer instructions for products that we recommend for your animal(s). This includes the administration and storage guidance for such products.

13. Complaints and Standards

We hope that you never have recourse to complain about the standards of service received from MacArthur Barstow & Gibbs. However, should you wish to raise a complaint, please direct your comments as follows:
13.1. A complaint may be submitted in writing, by phone or in person. Please provide your contact information and as much detail as possible so we can deal with your concerns effectively. In the first instance, please contact your usual branch or complete the Feedback form at the bottom of our website.

13.2. Your complaint will be passed to our Accounts Manager or Practice Manager, who will liase with you and attempt to seek an immediate resolution. If this is not possible, they will escalate your complaint.

13.3. We will formally acknowledge such complaints within 14 days and aim to resolve them within 28 days. If additional investigation is necessary and this is likely to take longer than 28 days, we will keep you informed of our progress and the expected timeline for resolution.

13.4. After investigation we will contact you with our findings. If appropriate, we will also inform you of any steps we have taken – or plan to take – to address the issue. If you are concerned that we have not addressed your complaint and require further information, we would recommend that you contact the Veterinary Client Mediation Service (www.vetmediation.co.uk)

13.5. If the issue remains unresolved, your complaint can be sent to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).

14. Ownership of Records

14.1. Case records including clinical histories, radiographs and similar documents are the property of, and will be retained by, MBG Pets Ltd. If these are requested by another veterinary surgeon or practice, we will seek your consent before sending them.

15. Data Protection and Privacy

15.1. We comply with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Your personal data will be processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy, which can be found on our website or upon request.

15.2. Please note that your data will be shared with our sister company, MacArthur Barstow and Gibbs Ltd; and if required, our appointed Debt Collection Agency.

16. Right to Refuse Treatment

16.1. We reserve the right to refuse treatment to any animal if we believe it is in the animal’s best interest, or if you do not provide the information that we require for treatment.

16.2. We reserve the right to ask you to leave our premises if you do not comply with clauses 11.1 to 11.4 (Client Responsibilities) or clauses 18.1 to 18.3 (Recording Devices) of these terms. We may also decline to offer you veterinary services in the future.

16.3. We reserve the right to decline offering veterinary services without giving you a reason. We may explain our decision making but we are not required to do so.

16.4. Services will be declined if you have a history of unpaid debt with us or our sister company, MacArthur Barstow and Gibbs Ltd.

17. Withdrawal of Services

17.1. In exceptional circumstances, we may choose to stop providing our services to you. We will provide written notice of at least 30 days and will continue to offer emergency treatment during the notice period.

17.2. It is your responsibility to find a new veterinary practice during that notice period, and to inform us of their details. We will then pass any veterinary records to them.

18. Recording Devices

18.1. We operate CCTV at our branches for the purposes of crime prevention and the security of our customers and staff. We reserve the right to extend this into our consultation areas if required.

18.2. It is prohibited to use any recording devices to capture our provision of veterinary services on our or your premises. If found, you will be asked to stop recording and delete the photo, video or audio recordings.

18.3. We reserve the right to take legal action against anyone who captures and/or disseminates these recordings.

19. Changes to these Terms and Conditions

19.1. We reserve the right to update or modify these Terms at any time. Any changes will be posted in our premises and on our website. We encourage you to review these Terms periodically to stay informed about any updates.

19.2. No addition or variation of these conditions will bind the practice unless it is specifically agreed in writing and signed by one of the practice directors. No agent or person employed by, or under contract with, the practice has the authority to alter or vary these conditions in any way.

19.3. You will need our written consent to transfer your account and/or rights under these Terms to another party.

19.4. We can delay enforcement of these Terms. For example, we may not initially chase you for payment but that does not prevent us from doing so at a later date.

20. Governing Law

20.1. These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any legal disputes arising from these Terms will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

20.2. Each clause in these terms operates separately. If a court finds part of these Terms illegal, the rest of the clauses will remain in force.

MacArthur Barstow & Gibbs Privacy Notice

This privacy notice tells you how MacArthur Barstow & Gibbs will collect and process your personal data if you register as a client, purchase our services and products, and use our website.

About Us

MacArthur Barstow & Gibbs is an independent veterinary surgery in Worcestershire. We protect the health and well-being of your pets, horses and farm animals, offering a range of services that include: diagnosing and treating sick and injured animals, advising owners on the right pet care, the best farm care and horse care, we provide a range of care related products for purchase.

Who to contact regarding your personal data

We take your privacy seriously. Our Data Protection Officer looks after data protection and would be happy to answer any of your questions about this privacy notice and how MacArthur Barstow & Gibbs uses your data. They can be contacted directly at  or on 01905 773262.

The personal data we collect and process

There are four main ways we process the personal data you provide. We endeavor to keep this information accurate and up to date, and not keep it longer than is necessary.

1. To administer your account as a surgery client

In order to provide our service effectively and ensure the best possible care for your pet, we need to collect and process the following personal data when we register you as a client.

This personal data will be used for the following services and purposes:

• To administer your account and provide the products and services you have requested from us. For example, invoicing, calling to change an appointment and to keep a record for legal and accounting purposes.
• To inform you by email of service information about the practice. For example, notification of seasonal opening times or changes to out of hours availability.
• If you have pet insurance and you wish to make a claim, we will pass on your pet’s clinical history with your name and address to your insurance company to allow them to process your claim.
• If we take a blood sample from your pet, we send the sample to our supplier and provide your surname and address for identification purposes only.

 If you decide to purchase our healthcare plan and pay by direct debit, you will also need to provide bank account details to set up and confirm your direct debit. We do not retain this information once your direct debit is confirmed.

2. To send you marketing communications as a surgery client

We send all our clients the following marketing communications:

• Reminders for pet vaccinations and administering preventative healthcare treatments.
• News information on animal welfare, like top tips for exercise and health checks you can do yourself.
• Promotions and the latest related product offers.

Clients find these communications useful in administering care to their pets and to keep up to date with what is going on at the surgery. They are only sent to existing clients who can opt-out at any time.

The personal data that we process for these communications is first name, email address and mobile phone number.

We would like our clients to enjoy these communications, so it is important to note that you can opt-out at any time by:

• Clicking the ‘Unsubscribe’ link in any marketing communications email.
• Calling our team at the surgery on 01905 773262 for Droitwich, 01905 453007 for Worcester or 01527 861771 for Wychbold.
• Dropping into the surgery and speaking to a member of our team.

3. To share with veterinary related 3^rd parties WITH your consent

There will be occasions where we will need to ask for your consent to share your personal data with a 3^rd party:

• If you would like your pet to be referred to a specialist veterinary surgeon, we will provide them with your pet’s clinical history with your name and address to enable them to confirm your referral appointment.
• Should you wish to move to an alternative veterinary surgery, we will provide your pet’s clinical history with your name and address to your new vets before closing your account.
• Should you wish to chip your pet (cats and rabbits), we register your name, address and contact number with the chip provider. Note that chipping dogs is a legal requirement and we share your personal data in this case under a legal obligation to do so.
• Should you wish to purchase a dog tag, we will provide your name for identification and your contact number for engraving to the dog tag provider.

MacArthur Barstow & Gibbs will not pass on your personal data to any third parties without your consent unless the law requires us to do so. We do not provide any personal data to the suppliers of the medicines we administer or the pet care products we sell.

4. When you use our practice website

When someone visits www.mbgvet.com we use a third party service, Google Analytics, to collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns. We do this to find out things like the number of visitors to the various parts of the website. This information is processed in a way which does not identify anyone.

MacArthur Barstow & Gibbs uses a third party service to help maintain the security and performance of our website. To deliver this service it processes the IP addresses (a number assigned to each of your devices connected to the internet by your broadband provider) of visitors to the MacArthur Barstow & Gibbs website.

We provide contact forms on our website and collect users’ personal information to help them complete certain tasks. Each form details the information required and an explanation of what the form is for. For general enquiries, once an enquiry has been dealt with, the data is deleted in line with MacArthur Barstow & Gibbs procedures.

Disclosure of personal data to our service providers

We may pass on your personal data to service providers contracted to MacArthur Barstow & Gibbs in the course of dealing with you. They act as a data processor on our behalf and are obliged under contract to keep your details secure, and only use them to fulfil the services they provide on our behalf. When they no longer need your data to fulfil this service, they dispose of it in line with MacArthur Barstow & Gibbs procedures.

How long do we process your data for?

MacArthur Barstow & Gibbs is required to retain information in accordance with the law, such as information needed for income tax and audit purposes.

In order to comply with our professional liability insurance, we keep and securely store past clients records for seven years. This includes full name, address, email address and telephone number, but excludes bank account details.

We will only process your personal data whilst you are a client. After one year and six months of inactivity we will email or call clients to prompt them to see if they wish to remain as a client. After three years we will write to or call clients again. If there has been no activity for three years and six months, and no response to our enquiries we will close the client’s account and archive the data.

Your rights as a data subject

• Right of access – you have the right to request a copy of the information that we hold about you.

You can do that by calling Droitwich 01905 773262, Worcester 01905 453007, or Wychbold 01527 861771. If we do hold information about you we will:

• give you a description of it;
• tell you why we are holding it
• tell you who it could be disclosed to; and
• let you have a copy of the information in an intelligible form.

Please note that you will need to provide proof of identity – a current passport or driving licence.

• Right of rectification – you have a right to correct data that we hold about you that is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Right to be forgotten – in certain circumstances you can ask for the data we hold about you to be erased from our records.
• Right to restriction of processing – where certain conditions apply to have a right to restrict the processing.
• Right of portability – you have the right to have the data we hold about you transferred to another organisation.
• Right to object – you have the right to object to certain types of processing such as direct marketing.
• Right to object to automated processing, including profiling – you also have the right to be subject to the legal effects of automated processing or profiling.
• Right to judicial review: in the event that MacArthur Barstow & Gibbs refuses your request under rights of access, we will provide you with a reason as to why. You have the right to complain as outlined below.

Complaints

We take the processing of your personal data very seriously and are here to help with any concerns you may have. Please do contact the Data Protection Manager at  or 01905 773262.

If you are still not happy with how your personal data is being processed by MacArthur Barstow & Gibbs or how your complaint has been handled, you also have the right to lodge a complaint directly with the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/ or by calling 0303 123 1113.