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How does our ‘after-hours’ service work?

 With the Christmas break almost upon us, many clients have asked if our vets ‘take a break’ over Christmas. Our after-hours service will continue to run 24:7 as usual through the Christmas and New Year period with a vet ‘on call’ to ensure that our clients and their horses have access to emergency care.

What does ‘on call’ mean for our vets?

Our after-hours service is covered by our regular vets, who also work in our hospital and ambulatory service during regular hours (8am-4pm). When most people are knocking off work, one of our vets remains “on-call” until 8am the next day and then works a full day until 4pm the following day. This means we go home, try to rest, and get a good night’s sleep before the next full day of work, but we may be called out at all hours of the night. The on-call vet still attends to their regular duties the following days; we only come ‘off shift’ once our on-call bracket is finished, which can be tiring. Despite the challenges, this is all a part of the job to ensure we can help any horse that needs emergency veterinary care, and our team are happy to provide this service – this is why we are vets!

What if the on-call vet doesn’t answer my call?

There are times when we may be with another patient or temporarily unable to answer the phone. These periods will generally be short in nature and we will get back to you as soon as possible if you leave a message including your name, contact number and a brief reason for your call. If we do not get back to you within 30 minutes, this usually means we are with another patient and unable to attend to your call until we have resolved the emergency we are currently with. In these circumstances, if you have an emergency that cannot wait any period of time, we suggest you contact an alternative emergency veterinarian.  

How can our clients help us?

We are providing this insight to ask clients to only call the after-hours number when you have an emergency. We often get calls from clients who have a non-urgent question, wish to seek advice on a long-term concern, or want to make a booking for a non-emergency consultation. This can be frustrating for our vets who have already worked a full day and are trying to rest before the next. Our after-hours number is not answered or monitored within regular hours (8am-4pm Monday-Friday); if you wish to speak to someone in the team during these regular hours, you need to call our reception on 02 4650 7777 or email univetscamden@sydney.edu.au.

The regular hospital operation will close on Thursday, 22nd December and reopens on Tuesday, 3rd January. Our after-hours ambulatory service will continue to run 24/7 across the Christmas and New year holiday period. If you require any medication to get you through the Christmas period, please order by Monday, 19th December.