CMA publishes recommendations for the veterinary industry

It formalises what many of us have regarded as good practice for years with the aim of raising standards across the board.

As is already the case for many vets, your practice will publish price lists for common procedures, an estimate for bills over £500 and produce an itemised receipt.

Corporate practices are also required to disclose who owns them.

We will be obliged to inform you medication can be purchased cheaper elsewhere and the cost of a written prescription to do so will be capped at £21.

Complaints procedures will be formalised with better access to mediation for pet owners.

Vets will find it easier to change out-of-hours providers to enable switching to better or cheaper services.

The 60-year-old Veterinary Surgeons Act (VSA) will be modernised, allowing businesses and not just individual vets to be scrutinised.

All of these changes are well-meant and anything that improves transparency and prevents shock about costs at reception is a good thing.

Modernising the VSA will help to hold predatory businesses to account and everybody deserves redress if care falls short.

Good quality, affordable out-of-hours care is rare and competition here is positive.

However, if vets lose income from selling drugs — the price of which is not pocketed but supplements overheads and the cost of veterinary time — many vets will have to increase the cost of their services to prevent lay-offs, potentially leading to a fall in care for our patients.

While your choices may be clearer, if all are expensive then it doesn’t help.

Every animal deserves fairly-priced, compassionate care and these changes are a start but not the complete solution.

There is no substitute for good communication and mutual trust.

Our columnist Will Trewarman MRCVS is a senior veterinary surgeon at Vale Vets which is based in Kidderminster and Stourport.