Looking after the veterinary profession

Complaints & the RCVS

Complaints Against Vets - Facts & Figures

  • In 2011, 17,387 vets were practising in the UK; 747 complaints were received by the RCVS, which held 12 Disciplinary Committee (DC) hearings. 
  • Misconduct has to be serious for a complaint to progress to DC. 
  • Ordinarily, negligence is not within the RCVS's jurisdiction, although if it is serious, or repeated, it may, in appropriate cases, be considered under the Performance Protocol.
  • Last year, complaints that did not potentially involve an issue of serious professional misconduct took 2.8 weeks on average to close. 
  • At present, the College prosecutes complaints and the DC hears them.  Under new legal arrangements presently being sought, the DC will be separated from the College.  

Source: Vet Record September 29, 2012      

The Role of the RCVS as a Regulator

What it's for

RCVS logoThe Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) is the regulatory body for veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses in the UK and acts as the interface between the public and the profession.

Basically, the College’s role is to ensure that the public and their animals receive a good, honest and competent service from the veterinary profession.

How it does it

This is achieved by:

  • Maintaining standards of veterinary education

  • Dealing with issues of professional misconduct

  • Maintaining the Register of veterinary surgeons eligible to practise in the UK

  • Protecting the role and title of ‘Veterinary Surgeon'

These are responsibilities set out under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966. The Act also specifies the circumstances in which procedures can be delegated to veterinary nurses and others.

The "Royal College" role

The RCVS also has a ‘Royal College’ role, by virtue of its Royal Charter of 1844. This allows it to offer postgraduate veterinary and veterinary nursing qualifications.

Find out more about RCVS regulation

For information about current activities, read RCVS News online.

The best way to make sure you stay up-to-date about what’s going on at the College is to sign up to its free e-newsletter.

Setting standards and offering advice

One of the College’s roles is to maintain standards of professional conduct within the veterinary profession and for those veterinary nurses who join the non-statutory VN Register.  In order to maintain standards, veterinary surgeons and registered veterinary nurses have their own Guides to Professional Conduct to follow.

Striking off?

The first thing that springs to many minds in relation to regulation is ‘striking off’. Yet the process of regulation starts with setting standards and offering advice, and very rarely leads to this most severe sanction.

Gordon Hockey, Head of Legal Services/Registrar at the RCVS advises:  "Although the best known sanction available to the Disciplinary Committee is to remove a vet from the Register, it can also suspend a veterinary surgeon's name for a period of time, after which that vet is automatically restored, or reprimand a veterinary surgeon, depending on the particular factors of the case.  The line between professional misconduct and negligence is not always a clear one, but, in general terms, a single mistake, even one that means the death of a much loved pet, or financially valuable animal, is not usually a matter for the DC.  Similarly, the 'Code of Professional Conduct' and it supporting guidance offer a benchmark, not a rule book, and a single breach of the code, unless extremely serious, is unlikely to result in a DC hearing."  

Advice Notes

The College also issues Advice Notes on particular issues – from the definition of ‘negligence’ through to the use of artificial insemination in dogs. The list of Advice Notes is updated several times a year.

If you can’t find the answer to your query in the relevant Guide or the Advice Notes, you can contact the College’s Advice Line on 020 7202 0729 or profcon@rcvs.org.uk.

RCVS Disciplinary Matters - Your Response 

The RCVS handles disciplinary hearings against veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses.  

If a complaint is made against you, it is really important to reply to the initial letter from the RCVS promptly and carefully - you are usually required to reply within 14 days.  If you don't do this, this may in itself be a disciplinary matter.  However, you may be able to ask RCVS for more time if, for example, you want to check some facts with a colleague who is away.  We suggest the following order of action:

1. Contact your professional indemnity insurer

Your professional indemnity insurer may also cover you in the event of RCVS disciplinary action.  If so, it is important to contact them at the earliest opportunity and take their advice as to the wording of your response.

The Veterinary Defence Society Ltd do provide such cover. If you haven't got this cover you may need to get your own legal advice.

2. Do your homework

Go to the RCVS Website and do your homework. Look at:

3. Reply promptly and thoughtfully

Your response may be presented in evidence at any subsequent hearing so think it through carefully.  An ill-thought-out and incautiously worded response sent in haste may get you into deeper water.  

  • Set out the facts as objectively as you can and avoid any criticism of the client.
  • It may help to show a colleague your response before you send it or to sleep on it if you are feeling rattled by it.
  • You could also ask them to write to the RCVS to give their account of events, or at least tell the RCVS their name.  
  • The RCVS are also likely to contact your employer as part of the fact-finding process.    
  • If you want to add information, for example, to clinical records, don't amend the record itself.  Instead set this information out on a celary separate appendix or in a letter to the RCVS, or if appropriate as an addition to the clinical records with the date that this additional information was added.  
  • It is usually best to disclose the response to the client so that the client doesn't think you are hiding anything - clients can often obtain undisclosed information after the complaint is closed by making a subject access request to the RCVS.  However, letters marked 'in confidence' which disclose, for example, information about your own health, may be kept confidential.      

4.  Talk to the RCVS Case Manager

The RCVS case manager who is dealing with your complaint can explain the procedure, how long the complaint may take to be resolved and whether there have been any previous similar cases and if so what the outcome was in those cases. 

The RCVS Health & Performance Protocols

The RCVS Health Protocol introduced in 2010 and the RCVS Performance Protocol introduced in 2012 mean that not all serious complaints have to be sent to the Disciplinary Committee if there is no public interest in doing so.  

Instead medical treatment can be sought for medical problems and those with performance issues which could result in removal from the Register can seek help, if appropriate, rather than be referred to the Disciplinary Committee.  

Similarly, although few complaints are received about elderly practitioners, it may be that voluntary removal and retirement is an option in some cases.  

You should talk to your insurance provider and the RCVS if you think any of these apply.

The RCVS Complaints Procedure

The RCVS's complaints procedure seeks to make sure that only those fit to practise as veterinary surgeons are allowed to do so.

What sort of complaint?

The College can only respond to complaints about a named individual that fall within the scope of its jurisdiction. In common with other regulatory bodies, the College’s powers are limited to cases in which it is alleged that a member is guilty of serious professional misconduct or has been convicted of a criminal offence, i.e. where there is evidence of impaired fitness to practise.

The College is not able to adjudicate on allegations of professional negligence – see Advice Note 2.

What happens in the RCVS disciplinary process?

The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 provides for a Preliminary Investigation Committee to oversee the investigation of complaints and this Committee may pass a complaint to the Disciplinary Committee for a formal and public hearing if appropriate.

The majority of complaints do not result in a formal hearing and in such cases the RCVS sets out its view of the matter to the veterinary surgeon and complainant. If there are any areas of concern, advice may be given to the veterinary surgeon concerned.

  • Complaint form received and checked.  Complaints may come from owners, but may also come from other veterinary surgeons or members of of a practice team.
  • The complaint is assessed to see if serious professional misconduct may be involved.  This involves legally qualified staff, with support from veterinary surgeons.  The vet complained about may be contacted. The complaint may be closed or it may continue.  
  • The complaint is investigated and evaluated to see if a case could be arguable.  This stage is directed by the Preliminary Investigation Committee (PIC), and includes veterinary surgeons.  The vet complained about will be contacted, and their employer is likely to be.  The complaint may be closed, and advice can be given to the vet, or it may be sent to the Disciplinary Committee (DC) for a hearing.
  • DC hearing is held in public.  The Committee must find the facts of the case, decide whether these amount to serious professional misconduct, and consider aggravating and mitigating factors.  
  • If the DC finds misconduct to be sufficiently serious, it can order a veterinary surgeon to be reprimanded, suspended from the Register, or struck off.  It can also dismiss cases against veterinary surgeons.         

Find out more

Detailed information about the complaints process, including the form that complainants are asked to complete, can be viewed on RCVS on-line and on the Complaints and Disciplinary Matters page of the Guide to Professional Conduct.

Should you have any questions about the process or would like to discuss a complaint you believe has been levelled against you, please contact the College on profcon@rcvs.org.uk or 020 7202 0789.

See also:
Handling Complaints by Clients
Stress, Anxiety & Depression
Legal Issues
Employment
Vets & Debt

Need Some Emotional Support?

When the VBF commissioned focus groups in 2010 to evaluate this website, the fear of the RCVS felt by ordinary veterinary surgeons was a noticeable finding. If you are distressed by the allegations made against you or you think you may need confidential help with addictive and mental health issues – here are some support systems for you.

Vet Helpline – 07659 811 118

Vet Helpline provides empathetic discussion of problems with someone who has experience of the veterinary profession. If you wish, it is possible to arrange for you to have regular contact with one nominated person at Vet Helpline who will be available to offer support to you while you go through the RCVS complaints procedure – local call rates apply, 24hr rapid response answer phone.

The Veterinary Surgeons' Health Support Programme – 07946 634220

The Veterinary Surgeons’ Health Support Programme offers completely confidential professional treatment and advice on alcohol, drugs, eating disorders and other addictive and mental health issues.

Email: vshsp@vetlife.org.uk

The Samaritans – 08457 90 90 90

The Samaritans are available 24 hours a day to provide confidential emotional support for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which may lead to suicide.
Email: jo@samaritans.org

Contact the RCVS

For general enquiries, please contact:

Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
Belgravia House
62-64 Horseferry Road
London SW1P 2AF
Tel: 020 7222 2001
Fax: 020 7222 2004
Email: admin@rcvs.org.uk

A list of departmental contacts for specific enquiries can be found on www.rcvs.org.uk/contact