What to expect from Milestone Vets During the current phase of the Covid-19
Collecting Medication
Please collect in person or arrange to have your items posted. Please call 01626 331977 to arrange this, there is a charge for the postal service.
Flea and worming requests
Please pre-order either by phone or email staff@milestonevets.com and pay before collection or posting.
Emergencies
For all emergencies, please call our main branch at Kingsteignton on 01626 331977.
Appointment arrivals
On arrival at the practice, please call 01626 331977 at Kinsteignton or 01392 344719 at Kenton and let Reception know you are waiting. The vet or nurse will then come out to meet you for your appointment.
*****July 2021 – Covid Update*****
As of 19th July the Government has relaxed the guidelines relating to social distancing and the wearing of facemasks.
At Milestone Vets we do still have a high proportion of our staff that haven’t had their 2nd Covid vaccinations so would like to encourage our clients do help with the following :-
We politely request that all clients visiting the practice wear a face covering to protect themselves and our staff members.
One client is allowed into the consultation room alongside the vet/nurse. If you are exempt from wearing masks or you do not want to wear one you may be asked by the vet or nurse to conduct the appointment outside. Alternatively, your pet can come inside with a member of staff whilst you wait outside. We do allow 2 owners in the consult rooms if you are having your pet put to sleep.
On arrival – Please proceed to the reception desk to check in for your appointment or to collect medication that has already been ordered. We encourage our clients to scan our NHS QR code on arrival located in reception and the consult rooms.
The waiting rooms remains closed to clients, so we ask after checking in with Reception you wait outside under the gazebo until a member of staff comes to collect you for the appointment.
Repeat prescriptions – In order not to put too much pressure on the reception team we are asking that for all repeat medication requests you use the link via our website or pre-order over the phone or email to staff@milestonevets.com.
Staff isolating – We are finding that more and more of our staff are having to self isolate due to being pinged by the NHS track and trace system. We are still operating as normal but would ask all our clients to bear with us during this time as you may have to wait a bit longer to be served or phones to be answered. Emergency calls will of course be given priority.
Sanitizing – We are keeping to a strict cleaning regime and will sanitize each consult room between clients. We do however ask our clients to use the hand sanitizer found at the entrance and exit to the building.
Covid Symptoms – We would ask that if you are showing symptoms of Covid or living with a Covid positive person please refrain from coming to the practice. Medications can be posted out to you and we do still offer telephone consultations with our vets (This does incur a charge). Please contact Reception for further details.
November 2020 Covid Update
During the current phase of the Covid-19 lockdown, Government and professional advice is to run the practice in accordance with the Covid-19 Secure guidelines, ensuring social distancing as far as possible. To meet these requirements we are currently operating in the following way.
We have increased our appointment length. This is to enable us to see your pets in the building after consulting with you outside. It does mean there are less appointments available so please do continue to be patient with us. Our opening hours have changed – we are now open 8.30-7.00 on weekdays and we have returned to our usual weekend hours – Saturday 8.30-3.30 and Sunday 10-12. Our Kenton branch is open 9-5 Monday to Friday. We are reducing contact between staff and clients as much as possible. Our clinical teams are still meeting with multiple members of the public every day and handling their animals. Although we are taking precautions, we are a high risk group and need to protect our clients from contact with us as much as possible. We have installed screens on reception and clients are entering the reception area, following the one way system to report for arrival, collect medication and pay bills. Please wear a mask when entering the building if you can and use the hand gel provided. No clients are currently entering the building with their pets for consultations apart from a very few exceptional circumstances.
Sick and injured Animals
If you are concerned about your pet’s health, please call the practice to arrange an in person appointment with the vet. Please telephone the practice on arrival with your pet (especially if there is a queue) or report to the main reception desk. You will be asked to then wait in or by your car until the practice vet or nurse is ready to collect your pet. A socially distanced conversation can take place at the gazebo to the left of the entrance once your vet or nurse has come out to meet you. Payment is usually then made back at the reception desk where you will also collect any medication. However this can be made by telephone if you have no medication to collect and again especially if there is a queue. We have fewer receptionists on the front desk but additional people answering the phone who can take card payments, and make appointments. Please wear a mask when coming into the reception area, use the hand gel provided and use the stickers on the floor and the one way system to ensure you keep your distance from other clients.
If you are worried about attending the site we are still offering telephone consultations, please do ask at the time of booking. We will then take payment for the telephone consultation in advance which is at a reduced price compared to an in person appointment. For telephone appointments, the vet will phone you at the prearranged time to discuss your concerns (sometimes this maybe slightly later than planned due to unexpected emergencies at the practice). Photos can be e mailed to staff@milestonevets.com to help with diagnosis. Medications may be prescribed following the telephone consultation. Should medication be necessary you will be contacted again to pay for these and arrange collection or delivery. Some patients following a telephone consultation will be asked to come into the practice for a physical examination. There will be a small top up charge for this initial examination to bring it into line with the in person consultation charge.
Kenton Appointments
Kenton is operating in a similar way to Kingsteignton, except that clients are only entering the building one at a time after their pet has been seen, so please contact the practice upon arrival by telephone 01392 344719
Vaccinations
All first vaccination and boosters are currently taking place and will be booked physical appointments by the receptionists. We are still catching with boosters after the lockdown so it is likely that you will be offered an appointment up to three months after your due date. This window of time will ensure that your pet is still protected and will not have to restart the vaccination course. Please be patient as we are trying to spread these appointments out to reduce the number of clients at our doors. We have also set up some special booster clinics with shorter appointments – if you have other concerns about your pet please do let the receptionist know so that you can be booked into a longer appointment. We are able to offer booster vaccinations sooner at our Kenton branch. Arrival and payment procedures are operating as normal We have now contacted everyone whose booster was delayed and reminders are going out as normal as boosters become due. If your booster is overdue and you have not heard from us, please do get in touch to make an appointment. If your pet needs to restart their vaccinations because of the Covid restrictions, we are able to offer this for the same price as a booster.
Repeat prescriptions and parasite prevention
Please follow the link on our website: http://milestonevets.com/prescriptions, e mail staff@milestonevets.com or phone the practice to request repeat prescriptions including parasite prevention. Emails and website orders are best as our receptionists are very busy with incoming phone calls. You should receive a reply to let you know when your medication is ready. Please call the next day if you have not heard. Medications can be collected in person or posted out for a small charge. For posted medication - once your medication has been dispensed we will call you for payment and post this out to you. For collection in person - payment can be by phone in advance or on collection at the reception desk.
Neutering
We are now able to offer neutering surgery to any pet. Please e mail staff@milestonevets.com to request an appointment or call the surgery. We have some catching up to do with these surgeries so there may be a long wait. We are offering cat neuters and dog castrations at our Kenton. There may be less of a wait for these surgeries, please do enquire with the receptionist.
Nail clipping and anal gland expression We are now booking in routine nurse appointments including nail clipping and anal glad expression at both branches. Please call to book these appointments. As before please telephone the practice on arrival or report to the reception desk and the nurse will come out to collect your pet and the treatment will be in the practice.
Update on our Kenton Branch opening Our Kenton branch is now officially open for all vet and nurse consultations and many types of surgery. Please see the links from our home page for more information.