RCVS publishes response to CMA working papers
RCVS believes that mandatory practice regulation is needed to protect consumers.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has released its response to the working papers published by the Competition and Markets’ Authority (CMA) in February.
The regulator has criticised CMA’s decision to investigate the veterinary sector as ‘household services’, rather than treating it as a health and social care provider.
In its response, RCVS describes the veterinary sector as ‘multifaceted’, rather than a commodity market. It explains that, as a regulator, it is responsible for maintaining the standards of a number of complex professions.
RCVS says that its role and remit as ‘more closely comparable’ to regulators of solicitors, architects and human healthcare professionals. It believes that it can not be compared to regulators with statutory duties beyond the education, registration, standards and discipline of professionals.
The regulator has also warned CMA against making decisions solely in the interests of the consumer.
It references a number of other factors involved in veterinary decisions, relating to public health, animal health, animal welfare and environmental health. RCVS says that, in its own standards, it allows veterinary professionals autonomy while ‘safeguarding the public interest’.
RCVS highlights key differences between the NHS and the provision of veterinary services. It warns that, with the range of services offered freely on the NHS, pet owners often remain unaware of the actual prices of human treatments.
As a result, veterinary care can be considered as a ‘quasi-public service’. Without meaningful comparators, RCVS warns that consumers will often find prices to be ‘very high’.
It argues that many consumers consider 24-hour emergency services to be a national necessity. Provided by private practitioners, it can be costly for practices to manage this sustainably.
RCVS maintains its position that mandatory practice regulation is the most effective way for it to protect consumers. It is continuing its campaign for this to be implemented through legislative reform and, in the meantime, has expressed willing to work with the CMA on short-term remedies.
However, RCVS enforces that these remedies should be ‘proportionate, enforceable and effective across all veterinary settings’, with consideration of the unintended consequences they might have on veterinary costs.
RCVS’ full response to the CMA’s working papers can be found here.
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