With consult time at a premium and lack of resource due to split team rotas and various Covid processes and procedures in place, wouldn’t it be good to help your clients understand when an ‘Emergency – is an Emergency’.
We’ve all been there. The ‘bleeding out’ dog that has a torn dew claw, and the ‘collapsed’ dog that walks in with a slight limp. We’ve also been on the other side- the ‘not himself’ dog that’s on death’s door and the ‘constipated cat’ that is actually blocked.
This is a common problem in practice that adds greatly to the stress felt by your clinical teams, so we thought we’d see if we could help.
That’s why we’ve released a new video available to download to explain the signs of an emergency to clients.
We’re hoping that this will help your clients to differentiate between a true emergency and something that can wait until you’re open again- or at least until a more reasonable time of day!
Our ‘When is an emergency an emergency?’ video covers everything from dystocia to respiratory distress, and even has a slide about signs of stasis in rabbits.
It’s easy to read, every page reminds them to call you immediately if they notice the signs. We’ve also added a catch-all at the end that explains a qualified team can help assess whether there is an emergency and to call if they aren’t sure.
We know many of you haven’t been accepting clients into the waiting room, but we think it’s important for your clients to have this information. So we’re making the video available for download so you can embed it into your website or use it on your Facebook page. You can even attach it to an email along with your revised opening hours and procedures to make sure that clients know when to call. You will need to email us at info@thevetchannel.co.uk to access the link.
Reaching out to your clients proactively is a great way to reduce incoming call volumes and clear the phone lines for the things that matter. We highly recommend being very clear about opening times, emergency phone numbers, and what constitutes an emergency- the last thing your team needs are owners calling for flea treatment because they’ve noticed a flea on their new puppy.
So, we’re hoping this video supports your veterinary practice team, enabling time be used more efficiently and effectively.
Author: Dr Joanna Woodnutt MRCVS
Dr Joanna Woodnutt is an experienced vet and author. After qualifying in 2016 she worked in small animal practice in the Midlands where she developed a love for consulting, with a particular interest in educating and empowering people to understand and help their pets.