Referral Procedure

Here at Page & Gunstone your Horse’s Health and Wellbeing is our number one priority. If one of our Veterinary surgeons feels that management of a case or a treatment option for your Horse is outside their area of competence or our practice’s physical capacity they may suggest a referral to an outside colleague, organisation or institution, whom they are satisfied is competent to carry out the investigations or treatment involved.

Our team will make a referral appropriate to each individual case. When considering what is appropriate our team will consider all relevant factors. These might include the ability and experience of the referral veterinary surgeon, the location of the service, the urgency of treatment and the circumstances of the owner, including the availability and any limitations of financial means or insurance. Our team will always justify their referral decisions and should record the reasons for their decisions.

If you as our client do not accept our advice regarding referral and would instead prefer referral to a colleague, organisation or institution of which our team has insufficient knowledge to determine appropriateness, they may need to advise you accordingly. In some such cases, we may consider that we cannot be party to such a referral.

It is the responsibility of the referral veterinary surgery to ensure that the client understands the likely cost arising from the referral.