Advocating for the veterinary profession at our CMA hearing

We’ve been working tirelessly to represent the profession during the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)’s investigation into UK vet services for household pets for many months. This week, that work took a significant step forward as we represented our members to the CMA in a formal evidence hearing.  

These in-person meetings represent an important opportunity to influence the CMA’s thinking, ensuring the CMA Inquiry Group fully understand the complexities and nuances of the veterinary landscape before it publishes proposed remedies in April.  

At today’s hearing, alongside the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA), British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA), and Federation of Independent Veterinary Practices (FIVP), we laid out the opportunities we believe the investigation offers in delivering much-needed change for both consumers and the veterinary professions.  

We also raised concerns where we see the CMA may be heading off course, with the prospect of serious unintended consequences for consumers, animals and the professions. This is an important moment in the investigation and it’s vital that the CMA gets the next steps right. To misunderstand and misapply its powers not only risks a missed opportunity to refine and improve the sector but could also negatively impact the sustainability of the profession, the ability for vet businesses to succeed and, most importantly, the welfare of animals in our care.   

We highlighted where we see opportunities  

The urgent need for reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act is one area where the CMA is listening. It has recognised that the lack of a modern and flexible regulatory framework is a barrier to a thriving veterinary profession and a well-functioning market.  

A new Veterinary Surgeons’ Act needs to include regulation of veterinary practices and empower RVNs and other allied professionals.  During our hearing, we made clear that reform is also needed to enable the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) to be a more effective regulator, so it can better monitor and enforce both existing and any new legislation. 

The CMA’s acknowledgement of this issue has helped drive action by Government and I’m pleased to say that we’re now working closely with Defra to explore next steps. We’ll have more to share on this in the coming months.  

In the hearing, we also highlighted the work we’ve been doing to support the profession to improve transparency and client choice, as well as how vet teams have used this investigation as an opportunity to reflect on what more they can do to support clients, particularly around pricing and practice ownership. But we acknowledged there is still work to do in relation to referral, out-of-hours and cremation services, prescribing and dispensing veterinary medicines, and quality of services. We also indicated our support for a standardised complaints process for clients. 

We also raised some concerns   

Whilst we recognise the need for change, we were clear with the panel that the profession and the sector need adequate time to adapt.  

We highlighted the profession’s willingness and energy to embrace change, and in many cases practices have already started the process, particularly around transparency of vet fees and practice ownership. But we warned against trying to push through too much change too quickly, especially where this may require changes to business models that have evolved over many decades.  

We also reiterated that as veterinary professionals, we must be allowed to exercise our professional skill and judgement. Delivering veterinary care is complex, and one size does not fit all. To this end, we urged the CMA to recognise the importance of the vet-client-patient-relationship (VCPR), which is vital to good patient outcomes. After all, we are not selling car insurance and comparisons can’t be easily made between ‘suppliers’ - to try to present veterinary care in that way risks undermining the VCPR and presents risks to animal welfare, which as vet teams will always be our priority.   

So far, the CMA has shown willingness to listen and take on board the perspectives of our members and the profession, and whilst we can’t be sure of its final recommendations, we’ve ensured that the CMA is as informed as it can be to make evidence-based decisions. 

We’ll be publishing our full response to the CMA’s recent working papers next week, which you will be able to find on our website alongside all the work we’ve undertaken throughout the investigation on behalf of the profession.