Specialist Service FAQ's
How do I arrange for my pet to be seen by a specialist at Willows?
What will happen on the day of my appointment?
I have seen a Willows' specialist. Can I now bring my pet to Willows for all of its care?
My pet is going to stay overnight – will someone be there?
Are the staff at Willows properly trained?
How much is my pet's treatment going to cost?
My pet is insured – will the costs of treatment be covered?
My pet is insured – can Willows claim directly so I don't need to pay?
My pet has an ongoing problem – will I be charged for consultations and treatment?
I want to give some feedback about Willows – how do I do this?
How do I arrange for my pet to be seen by a specialist at Willows?
Please see our section on Arranging a referral for information on this topic.
Where is Willows?
Willows is very conveniently located near the M42, M40, M5 and M6. We are close to Birmingham Airport and Birmingham International railway station.
See our location details for a map and instructions for finding us.
Does Willows treat horses?
Willows is a small animal practice, which means that we treat dogs, cats, rabbits and other small 'children's' pets.
What will happen on the day of my appointment?
During your appointment Willows' referral veterinary surgeon will take time to obtain a detailed history of your pet’s medical background as well as the current problem. A thorough clinical examination of your pet will then be performed and any findings and provisional diagnoses will be fully discussed with you at the time. Your pet may then go home after the consultation with suggested management or treatment, but it is also quite possible that further tests or procedures e.g. blood tests, imaging (X-rays or scans) and/or surgery may be required.
Whilst we will make every effort to perform investigations and possible surgery on the same day as the consultation (if this is in the best interests of your pet and in line with your wishes), there is no guarantee that it will be possible to do everything on that day. It may be that initial work will be done on the day of your appointment, and that your pet may be hospitalised for further diagnostic and possible surgical procedures to be carried out over the next few days, depending upon circumstances. It is also possible that your pet may need to go home after the consultation (possibly on treatment) and return for diagnostic or surgical procedures at a later, mutually convenient date. Again, this depends upon the circumstances of the case and the current workload at the practice.
It is important to understand that, like a large human hospital, Willows provides an Accident and Emergency service, and urgent cases must take priority when we are organising our patient care.
For further information about referral appointments, please see our section on Arranging a referral.
I have seen a Willows' specialist. Can I now bring my pet to Willows for all of its care?
Although Willows does see pets belonging to clients who live in the locality, if you have been referred by your vet for a specific problem you will be returning to your vet for all of your pet's other treatment. You may, however, continue to come to see our specialist vets for the problem about which you were initially referred, should it be ongoing.
My pet is going to stay overnight – will someone be there?
Willows offers exceptional 24 hour in-patient care. We have veterinary and nursing staff on duty, on the premises and caring for in-patients 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. Our patients benefit from continual monitoring and attention from fully qualified, trained veterinary and nursing staff, whether during the day, the night or on weekends and public holidays.
At Willows, vets and nurses work 24 hours a day throughout these periods, providing the necessary monitoring and treatment of all patients that need to be hospitalised. The veterinary and nursing staff on ward night and weekend duty work closely with the specialist vets who are on emergency duty. The specialist services providing 24 hour emergency cover include:orthopaedics; ophthalmology; soft tissue surgery; internal medicine; neurology; diagnostic imaging; anaesthesia and analgesia.
Are the staff at Willows properly trained?
We take pride in what we do, and providing top level care for our patients can only be done by having personnel who are properly trained, either through courses provided by others or by being trained in-house. As well as having some of the country's leading veterinary specialists on our staff, we are a recognised post-graduate training centre for vets who wish to specialise. We are also a registered training centre for veterinary nurses. In addition, we encourage all members of staff to attend regular continuing education meetings, conferences, seminars etc and we provide our own sponsored meetings for staff, using speakers from both inside and outside the practice.
How much is my pet's treatment going to cost?
If you would like details of referral consultation fees, please contact reception for up-to-date pricing. If your pet has a more complex problem then the vet will be pleased to give you an estimate of further treatment costs at the time of the consultation, before you decide whether or not to go ahead.
My pet is insured – will the costs of treatment be covered?
You will need to check with your insurance company about your level of cover, any exclusions you may have and what excess you will need to pay. We will do our best to help with this process, but insurance companies often prefer to deal with the policyholder.
My pet is insured – can Willows claim directly so I don't need to pay?
Please see our Payment options section for our policy on direct claims.
My pet has an ongoing problem – will I be charged for consultations and treatment?
We make a charge for every consultation your pet has with our specialist veterinary surgeons and for all treatments we prescribe.
I want to give some feedback about Willows – how do I do this?
If you have recently visited us with you pet and you would like to give us feedback, you can do this by going to the feedback page of the website, alternatively you can complete a comment form available at the practice. We are constantly striving to improve the service we offer and we are always pleased to get feedback, whether good or bad!
If you have an issue which you would like to raise more formally then you should contact us and ask for the Practice Manager, Jenny Tubb.
TOP
