Vets among most trusted professionals, survey finds
Ninety-four per cent of respondents to the RCVS survey said they either completely trusted or generally trusted veterinary surgeons.
Veterinary surgeons are among the most trusted professionals in the UK, according to new research.
A survey of 2,000 UK adults by the RCVS asked questions about satisfaction with the service they and their pets had received from vets, levels of trust in the profession, and if the service provided by vets represented value for money.
The vast majority of people (94 per cent) said they either completely trusted or generally trusted veterinary surgeons (24 per cent and 60 per cent respectively). The figure puts veterinary surgeons third place in the league of most trusted professionals, coming above general practitioners and dentists, but below opticians and pharmacists.
“These results clearly demonstrate that there is a great deal of good will towards the veterinary profession and the work they do in treating the nation’s animals and serving their communities,” explained RCVS president Dr Niall Connell. “The basis of all good relationships is trust, and it is fantastic to see that our clients continue overwhelmingly to trust our knowledge and expertise and remain very happy with the service we provide them.”
The survey also found that the majority of respondents were satisfied with the service they received, with an overall satisfaction rate of 80 per cent. This puts veterinary surgeons at number four in terms of satisfaction rates - below opticians, pharmacists and dentists, but above general practitioners and accountants.
With regards to value for money, 32 per cent of respondents felt that vets represented excellent (eight per cent) or good (24 per cent) value for money, with 38 per cent believing veterinary fees were fair. Some 29 per cent of respondents thought that veterinary surgeons and their services provided poor (21 per cent) or very poor (eight per cent) value for money.
Dr Connell continued: “The picture on value for money is clearly a bit more mixed, although clearly 70 per cent of the respondents recognise that we at least charge fair fees in terms of our time and expertise. There is, of course, always more work that we can do in order to help the public understand veterinary costs and fees and promote the value of veterinary care, as demonstrated by last year’s joint Pets Need Vets social media campaign with BVA, in which we highlighted the benefits to pet owners of being registered with a vet.”
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
