VRCC in Laindon, Basildon
VRCC
Before you send your precious pet to VRCC consider how you will feel if this happened to you and if possible choose somewhere else. My cat B.C. went in on 3 separate sessions to have radiotherapy. Each time, he went on a Sunday and we collected him on the Wednesday. On the last visit which was to complete the final sessions of radiotherapy, when I'd phoned up on the Monday late in the day, at nearly 5pm, I was alarmed to hear he'd not yet finished the "treatment" for that day as they'd 'seen a rush on' that day. He must have been so anxious waiting and also he couldn't eat until each session was over and he'd come round. Apparently, on the last evening B.C. had developed a breathing problem, although he'd not had this before he came in there. I was not informed of this - imagine how I felt when I got a call in the night asking should she, the "Intern" Lilli Pihler resuscitate B.C. After this I got a call from the Vet Nurse asking if they could put him down! Of course, I said no. They 'cut off' from me, somehow. When she came back on she told me B.C. had died. I then asked why he died. The vet nurse said only the clinician could say why he died, the latter was supposed to be 'on call'. I was told she, the clinician was not in the building, but coming in later at 9 a.m.
Later that day we collected B.C.'s body, Susan North said with a laugh that the clinician was her - later the story was changed. As well as being poorly informed of events, it appears Susan North did not make herself available "on call" during the emergency and adds to VRCC's failings. Later, I tried phoning Susan North, I tried sending E-mails trying to get to the (basic) bottom of what happened. I tried this for weeks, months. We just wanted the truth. She made herself unavailable every time I phoned, she left my E-mails largely ignored giving only a very abrupt answer overall, that the cat had cancer which obviously we already knew since that was why he was there. We never got a real picture of why B.C. died or how everything happened, a real explanation, her stalling tactics worked.
As a result of failing to get co-operation from her, we have had difficulty in moving forward in the bereavement process. The bereavement process has been impeded from the silence from her office. (They managed not only to get all of their money for the entire course but extra too!) Terrible treatment, Terrible prices, Terrible outcome.