This week we welcomed the news that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) have published an initial review on fees in the veterinary industry and wanted to share our thoughts on the report and its findings.
Most importantly we believe that this is a positive thing for our industry and will bring about a transparency that is, in our opinion, long overdue.
At Loch Leven Equine Practice we are proud to be one of the few independent equine practices left in Scotland, and the only family-run independent private equine practice with surgical facilities. Being locally owned and retaining our independence means we can make decisions based on what is right for our clients, our patients, our team and the local community.
It has always been important to us to retain our key core values and keep our equine and human clients at the very heart of what we do – but what does this report mean for you and your horse?
The review should result in more transparency around which practices are independent and which practices are owned by a corporate, including any referral services you may be offered.
Our current regulatory framework is in the words of the CMA ‘outdated and no longer fit for purpose’. At the moment the RCVS can only regulate vets and nurses and not the business owners. This needs to change and should in future mean business owners and corporate entities can be held accountable.
Perhaps the biggest and most important change for pet owners is around transparency of prices, the provision of up-front costs and estimates to allow owners to make informed decisions around the treatment and care of their pet, and the ability to access drugs at a reasonable price.
Those of you that know us at LLEP know that we do whatever we can to reduce your costs and remove that element of stress for you at a time when all you want is for your horse to be ok.
Here’s how we try to help reduce costs for our clients at LLEP
- We run money-saving initiatives such as the Healthy Horse Club, Flexi-Visits and free call outs for four or more dentals
- We introduced our Healthy Horse Club many years ago to allow our clients to save money and spread the costs of routine horse care. The HHC also now includes UNLIMITED written prescriptions should your horse need long term medication, allowing you to price check and source it from an online pharmacy
- We are very happy to provide quotes for any non-routine work undertaken and will look at how we can improve this further
- We routinely issue prescriptions for patients needing long-term medication because it means our clients can access cheaper drugs.
- We believe in transparency which is why our routine prices are available on our website, and any that are not we are happy to provide a quote for
- We always care for our patients on an individual basis. We understand that what may be the right treatment option for one horse may not be right for another. As owners you know your horse better than anyone and we will always discuss all the options with you and support you in your decisions for treatment
- You can be assured of an experienced equine-only vet from our practice 24 hours a day. Should your horse need surgery or further investigations our experienced and caring team are able to provide this for you, limiting the need for referral elsewhere and allowing us to continue looking after our own patients
Please be kind…
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that all vets, vet nurses and support teams, no matter where they work enter the industry to make a difference to the animals in their care. Most of them have little control over the business decisions that are made so please be kind and trust that they are doing their very best for you.
We are as always very happy to discuss any of the above, you can pop in and see us if you are passing, the kettle is always on, or please call us on 01577 841010 and ask to speak to Liz or Hugh, who are delighted to help.
