RCVS to develop proposals for regulating practices
The working group will present its proposals at the end of 2024.
A new working group has been created by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) to develop proposals for the mandatory regulation of veterinary practices.
The RCVS wants to see regulations for veterinary practices, including statutory powers of entry and inspection, introduced by the UK government as part of legislation to replace the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966.
The working group will be chaired by RCVS president Sue Paterson and will include Standards Committee chair Linda Belton, Practice Standards Group chair Belinda Andrews-Jones, as well as other veterinary, veterinary nursing, lay and external representatives.
The group will present its proposals to the RCVS Council by the end of 2024.
Dr Paterson said: “At present, the RCVS only regulates individual veterinary surgeons and nurses, and the veterinary sector does not have an equivalent to the Care Quality Commission, which considers human healthcare premises.
“This means that the onus for maintaining standards within the workplace falls on regulated individuals rather than the business structure. We will consider what a scheme that puts more statutory responsibility on business owners to maintain standards should look like.
“I look forward to working with colleagues in RCVS Council, VN Council and other veterinary organisations via this group to really flesh out what this regulatory system might look like in the future, to make sure it is appropriate, robust, proportionate and enforceable.
“Establishing these details will also prove invaluable in our lobbying work with government, ministers and MPs.”
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Companies marketing medicines for small pets exempt from authorisation must submit their annual return to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) by 30 November 2026.
