Did you know that the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) provides a form of quality assurance for those who entrust their animals into the care of veterinary surgeons? The RCVS regulates the profession to ensure that members of the public and their animals are able to obtain veterinary services from veterinary surgeons who are… Read more »
Did you know that the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) provides a form of quality assurance for those who entrust their animals into the care of veterinary surgeons?
The RCVS regulates the profession to ensure that members of the public and their animals are able to obtain veterinary services from veterinary surgeons who are properly qualified and conduct themselves in a professional manner.
The title ‘veterinary surgeon’ is protected in law: only those who are registered with the RCVS can use the title.
The RCVS also awards qualifications to, and regulates, veterinary nurses on a Register. All the veterinary nurses in our team have the initials ‘RVN’ after their names.
In addition, the RCVS offers reassurance to pet owners through the Practice Standards Scheme.
The RCVS Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) is a voluntary initiative to accredit veterinary practices in the UK. Approximately 65% of UK veterinary practices are currently accredited by the RCVS.
Through setting standards and carrying out regular assessments, the Scheme aims to promote and maintain the highest standards of veterinary care.
It offers peace of mind to clients of accredited practices and a more informed choice to the animal-owning public.
To become accredited, practices volunteer for rigorous assessment every four years and will have met a range of minimum standards including hygiene, 24-hour emergency cover, staff training, certain types of equipment and cost estimation for procedures.
Practices are also subject to spot-checks between assessments.
The team at Cat’s Whiskers is proud to be accredited as an RCVS General Practice. To achieve this level of accreditation, a veterinary practice must satisfy the Core Standards, plus, amongst other things, must:
- Have a system for monitoring the outcome of treatments
- Show ongoing commitment to education and training of staff
- Keep premises clean and well maintained
- Have a policy for communicating with clients and looking at feedback
- Have access to laboratory facilities for diagnostic testing.
For more information about the PSS: https://animalowners.rcvs.org.uk/accredited-practices/about-the-practice-standards-scheme