Emergency partner hospital

An emergency partner hospital is the emergency or 24-hour veterinary hospital that a clinic directs urgent callers to when its own team can't see them, most often at night, on weekends and on public holidays.

Many independent clinics don't run overnight services. Instead, they agree where their clients should go when the clinic is closed, and they tell clients the same thing every time: in the voicemail greeting, on the website, on the after-hours message and on the phone. That named hospital is the emergency partner. Some arrangements are formal, with a referral agreement and shared records. Others are simply the nearest hospital the clinic trusts.

What a working arrangement includes

A clinic's after-hours plan usually records the partner's name, phone number and address, the hours it is open, and how records and updates travel back to the clinic the next day. It also names who at the clinic owns the arrangement and checks that the details are still right.

Details drift. Hospitals change numbers, move, or change their hours over holidays. A short routine helps: a test call to the number on a set schedule, a check of the partner's holiday hours before each holiday, and an update to every place the details appear when anything changes.

Saying it well on the phone

When a caller needs the partner, clarity matters more than anything else. Give the name, then the number slowly, then the address, and offer to send them by text so the caller doesn't have to write while worried. The front desk does not give advice on what to do on the way.

An example

A clinic's after-hours rota sheet lists its partner hospital with the number, the address and the date of the last test call. Before the holiday season, the practice manager confirms the partner's opening hours, updates the voicemail greeting, and records who will make the next test call.

How Tilly handles it

When you're closed, Tilly reads out your emergency partner's name, number and address, slowly, and texts the details to the caller. If the caller's number can't receive texts, Tilly repeats the number slowly, twice. Your team confirms the partner's details in your clinic settings, the number is checked with a test call, and Tilly uses the same details on every channel.

The after-hours calls guide and the phone coverage guide cover building your after-hours plan.