Why Out-of-Hours Costs What It Does
A £220 consultation at two in the morning is not opportunism. Here is what you are paying for.
It is the bill people find hardest to accept, and it is worth explaining before you are standing at a counter at three in the morning.
Somebody Is Awake Whether or Not You Come
An out-of-hours service staffs a vet, a nurse and usually a receptionist through the whole night, ready for whatever arrives. On a quiet Tuesday that team may see two animals. The cost of having them there does not change.
Night Work Costs More Per Hour
Overnight shifts are paid at a premium in every profession, and veterinary is no different. A rota that keeps people safe and not exhausted requires more staff than a daytime one, not fewer.
Why We Do Not Run Our Own
We are a five-vet practice. Providing our own twenty-four-hour cover would mean our daytime vets working nights and then consulting the next morning, which is worse for your animal than a dedicated overnight team two miles away who are awake and expecting you.
What You Can Do About It
Know where the service is before you need it — ours is Severnside on Lancaster Road, and it is on our homepage for exactly this reason. Check your insurance covers emergency treatment. And ring first; some things genuinely can wait until we open, and they will tell you honestly which.
