When choosing a veterinary practice, you may have had a look at a few websites. One of the terms that may have come up during your research is the ‘OOH’ provision. What is this though, and what does it mean on a practical level? Let’s explore this further.
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What does OOH stand for?
OOH is short for Out Of Hours. This refers to the times when the veterinary practice is closed for routine appointments. This is usually evenings, weekends and bank holidays, depending on your vets’ normal opening hours.
All veterinary practices are obligated to make a provision for out of hours emergency care, as stipulated by our governing body the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). As part of this guidance, the notes say; ‘This does not mean that veterinary surgeons must personally provide the service and they are not expected to remain constantly on duty. They are, however, required to ensure that when off duty, or when otherwise unable to provide the service, clients are directed to another appropriate service’.
This means that whilst your veterinary practice could choose to provide their own in-house emergency service, they are not obliged to. There they can use the services of another practice to provide cover instead.
Why doesn’t my practice do its OOH work?
Many practices have chosen to improve their employees’ work-life balance by outsourcing their out of hours work to a dedicated local provider, or a nearby larger hospital.
Whereas once upon a time you would have expected to see the same vet at night as you do during the day. This is often no longer the case. The veterinary industry has drastically changed in recent years. Business is much faster paced in the daytime; client expectations are higher and there are now multiple small veterinary clinics with limited staff numbers. (As opposed to just previously having one or two larger practices in a town).
This all means that it is often impossible for that same vet who has pulled a 10-hour day, to work efficiently and safely overnight too, and then be back at their consults again the next day. So, many of these small vet practices pool together and either share their OOH rota. Or they use the services of a separate dedicated night team.
Is it good or bad that my practice doesn’t do OOH?
Some small practices may choose to continue to do their own out of hours, though it is becoming less common.
I used to work as part of an out of hours rota in a couple of practices like this myself. I found that most pet owners didn’t realise that the vet they were calling in the middle of the night was the same one that had already been called out of bed twice that night; and would also be back in the practice for routine surgery the next morning.
Clients were often surprised that they had woken someone up and were expecting a dedicated service sitting in the practice taking calls. This, however, is the reality of small practices that don’t have a dedicated out of hours provider. And means tired vets struggling through the next day’s appointments and operations if they’ve had a busy night on duty.
The other thing to consider is that inpatients may be left unattended
At these types of practices, the on-call vet is at home trying to sleep in between checks and emergency call outs. This is fine for the vast majority of stable patients, but it obviously means your pet isn’t constantly monitored. The practices that I used to work at have since moved to a separate OOH service.
This should give you an idea as to why using a dedicated out of hours provider might actually be a good idea. It shouldn’t be seen as a negative. You will see separate day vets and night vets. But this means less tired staff and a higher quality of care for your pet. Plus, it ensures your pet will have more close monitoring through the night by a dedicated team, who are on standby should something go wrong.
Of course, if the practice you are registering at has a large team or is a hospital, then they may be fortunate enough to employ separate night vets. Or run shift work such that they can give their vets time off in the day following an on-call shift. These hospitals can then provide their own 24/7 care. And may even act as an out of hours provider for other local practices too. The advantage of this setup is that you don’t need to travel elsewhere if you have an out of hours emergency.
Check what the OOH provisions are
Whenever you register with a new vet practice, be sure that you understand where their out of hours service is. And how long it will take you to get there before you need to use it in an emergency. If you do need to travel elsewhere in the middle of the night, it can feel a little daunting if you weren’t prepared for it.
The RCVS doesn’t stipulate what is a reasonable distance to travel for emergency care. But in some practices, it can mean a 30- or 45-minute journey to their chosen provider. There is also no obligation for the vets to come and do a home visit to you. (Except in very exceptional circumstances such as a trapped animal). This is because it will take them away from their practice and any other cases that are coming in through the door. So you need to be prepared for the journey.
Ringing around other local practices in a panic because you don’t want to travel in the middle of the night is not advisable either; most will just direct you back to the practice and OOH service that you are currently registered with. (They are busy helping their own registered clients).
However, know that when you do arrive at your out of hours service you will be in safe hands; with a dedicated team who are fully equipped and used to dealing with emergency cases.
Conclusion
When a practice talks about OOH on their website, they are referring to the provision of emergency services outside of their normal opening hours. There are pros and cons as to whether you use a practice that does their own OOH. So it might be worth asking them for a few more details. Such as do they have a dedicated night team and do they have continuous monitoring of inpatients overnight? If you are happy with a practice that uses a separate OOH provider (as many do) then it is important to check in advance where this service is and how long it will take you to get there; just in case you are ever unfortunate enough to need emergency help for your pet.
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