This week, the BBC released an episode of Panorama titled ‘Why Are Vet Bills So High?’, which sought to scrutinise the veterinary industry in order to identify reasons for increases in veterinary fees in recent years.
In response, BVNA Senior Vice President Lyndsay Hughes commented:
“BVNA welcomes the need for greater transparency for veterinary clients, which we have fully supported as one of the main parties to the ongoing Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation.
“The recent BBC Panorama documentary therefore presented a valuable opportunity to raise public awareness of how veterinary care has evolved for the benefit of animal welfare and clinical outcomes, and with a wider range of treatment options available. We welcomed the programme’s acknowledgement of the outdated legislative framework, particularly surrounding the lack of regulation of veterinary businesses. However, we felt the BBC’s examination of veterinary practice could have itself provided much greater transparency, and a truer insight into the provision of veterinary services to the pet owning public.
“The veterinary profession is made up of highly skilled, caring and compassionate individuals – whether working in corporately or independently owned practices. Whilst the cost of veterinary fees was the key focus for this episode of Panorama, we were encouraged that the programme largely praised the quality of care provided by individual veterinary professionals. However, we were greatly disappointed that representation of registered veterinary nurses (RVNs) was completely omitted from the broadcast. RVNs are also highly skilled and regulated professionals, pivotal to the delivery of excellent standards of care – both to the patient, and to veterinary clients themselves. It is our view that this lack of acknowledgement of RVNs undermines the realities of veterinary practice, and the level of service and contextualised care that clients can expect.
“We fully understand that complex decisions over a pet’s treatment and associated costs, often during stressful or emotional circumstances, can be challenging for pet owners to navigate. We would always urge clients who may have concerns surrounding the cost of veterinary treatment to speak openly to their vet, who will be experienced in holding these conversations. Client honesty allows for open and appropriate conversations, supporting the delivery of contextualised care. Treatment recommendations will consider not only the patient being presented, but also suitability of each option for the client, considering a variety of lifestyle factors including cost, time commitments, home environment, and the client’s ability to provide ongoing care. This nuance is key to maintaining a trusted relationship between the veterinary team, client and patient (VCPR), and crucially this nuance was not reflected by the BBC’s report. Additional context to the examples discussed during the programme could have provided more insight into the professional time, care and complex decision-making undertaken by veterinary professionals, in turn assisting the pet owner to make challenging treatment decisions, and providing a more accurate representation of the well-functioning VCPR which is established in the vast majority of cases.
“It is also important to remember that individual veterinary professionals encountered by clients are usually not those who are responsible for setting pricing. Abuse has no place in veterinary practice under any circumstances, and BVNA does not condone abuse of the veterinary team in any form, whether in-person or online.
“Panorama did however underline the need for regulatory reform, for which BVNA has been actively campaigning for many years already, alongside the wider veterinary profession. The existing Veterinary Surgeons Act which governs the professions is now sixty years old and is woefully outdated – no longer reflecting the veterinary landscape of today, nor the professionals working within it.
“New legislation would enable greater protection of not only veterinary clients and their pets, but also veterinary professionals. Currently, only individual veterinary surgeons and RVNs are regulated, but not the veterinary businesses in which they work. This is an issue already identified within the CMA investigation’s provisional findings, and which we consider must be urgently addressed by new veterinary legislation. In recent months, BVNA has been working closely alongside the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), plus other veterinary stakeholders, in positive steps towards new legislation. UK Government has recently committed to consulting on Veterinary Surgeons Act reform, which we anticipate will be due to launch early this year. We would strongly encourage all veterinary professionals and pet owners to actively participate in this consultation process.
“We welcome the scrutiny by the CMA of the veterinary sector to ensure it represents a well-functioning market, and BVNA is continuing to engage with the CMA directly as its investigation reaches its final stages. It is our hope that the CMA will add to the calls for much-needed legislative reform; enabling pet owners to feel more empowered to make informed choices surrounding their pet’s treatment, shifting proper levels of accountability towards veterinary businesses, and ultimately resulting in a strengthened VCPR with positive outcomes for animal welfare.
“Above all, the veterinary profession is one that cares – for veterinary clients as much as patients.”
BVNA has been working on behalf of its members to ensure the veterinary nursing voice is represented and heard within these national level discussions. More information can be found on the BVNA website:
Leave a Reply