Dr Mandisa Greene, RCVS junior vice president.

Changes will come into force in the Summer

Following a five-year-review of the Practice Standards Scheme, the RCVS Council has agreed on a series of changes designed to improve health and safety standards, technology and clinical developments.

The changes, approved earlier this month, also aim to enhance ‘quality improvement’ within veterinary practices. They are a result of a comprehensive review process that involved several working groups, each focussing on particular subject areas. 

There are four brand change categories to the PSS. These are:

 • raising standards across the board, including areas such as patient welfare and the mental health of the practice team;
 • recognising and responding to new technological advances and ways of working
 • new standards reflecting contemporary best practice observed in RCVS-accredited practices, as well as being suggested by the PSG and other advisors
 • bringing the Scheme in-line with legislation and best practice in areas such as health & safety and data management, and the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct.


“There has been a great deal of work in amending and updating these standards and I would like to thank members of the Practice Standards Group, the Standards Committee, the Practice Standards Team and all those external contributors who provided best practice advice in areas such as radiation protection and general health & safety,” said Dr Mandisa Greene, RCVS junior vice-president and PSG Chair.


“While many changes have been made to the standards across the board, we have bolstered some key areas, such as ensuring practices have policies taking into account the mental health and wellbeing of the practice team; that they have processes and policies in place that engender a learning culture and quality improvement; and changes that take into account technological and clinical development in areas such as laser therapy and digital radiography.”


She continued: “We hope that these changes will help to maintain or raise the overall standards of service offered by veterinary practices, including those not currently in the Scheme which, under the Code of Professional Conduct, still need to ensure that they are meeting the PSS Core Standards.”


The changes are due to come into force in the Summer and, in the months ahead of implementation, the College will be communicating with practices to explain the changes and why they are happening. Practices that have already booked accreditation assessments or award visits before the new version going live will not be assessed against the new standards until their next assessment. 


Full details of the changes can be found in the RCVS Council papers at www.rcvs.org.uk/who-we-are/rcvs-council/council-meetings/5-march-2020/