‘Perfect storm’ forces charity to limit access

Public access to veterinary care is potentially a greater cause for concern than issues of business competition, according to a senior charity vet.

PDSA veterinary services director Richard Hooker spoke out after his organisation was forced to halt the registration of new clients at some of its sites because of staffing pressures.

Three of the charity’s 49 hospital facilities have now imposed restrictions amid what Mr Hooker described as a “perfect storm” of increasing demand and the impact of the sector’s enduring skills shortage.

Properly considered

But while the sector awaits an announcement from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on whether it plans to further investigate companion animal services, he questioned whether some of its other issues were being properly considered.

Mr Hooker said: “We have got a Government agency looking at competition, but the bigger issue affecting pet owners in my mind at present is the availability of veterinary care.

“One of the factors causing that is the skills shortage so it seems very strange that doesn’t have the same focus.”

At present, new registrations are not being accepted at PDSA’s hospitals in Dundee, Swansea and Wolverhampton, though clients can still join the lists at all its other sites.

‘Hot spot’ areas

Mr Hooker said the affected sites were among several “hot spot” areas and described current levels of demand as “through the roof”, adding that the issues were also impacting some of the group’s preventive work.

He recognised the impact of post-Brexit trends, the growth of pet ownership during the COVID pandemic and the shift in working patterns, which means nearly two-thirds of PDSA’s vets are now part-time, as contributing factors to the present challenges.

But, although official figures showed overall inflation fell to 3.2% in March, Mr Hooker said there had also been an increase in both referrals to its services and in the number of clients who would previously have accessed private practice now seeking the charity’s assistance.

Aftermath

Although the moves have been imposed in the aftermath of new migration rules being implemented, which substantially raised the salaries at which veterinary professionals can be brought to the UK from overseas, he said those measures had not affected the charity’s work directly.

But he did concede that the charitable sector was not immune from the recruitment challenges faced by private practices and stressed that, while work to find potential solutions is continuing, the decision to impose restrictions had not been taken lightly.

He added: “We had to take the decision because we need to make sure we can offer the right service and ensure we’re not overwhelming who’s left.”

He also acknowledged that, while the restrictions are intended to be temporary, they are likely to remain in place for “the next few months”.

Challenges

Mr Hooker’s comments follow recent calls by IVC Evidensia’s UK and Ireland boss, Duncan Phillips, for the CMA process to increase the pressure for Government action to address some of the sector’s ongoing challenges.

One of the areas highlighted was the funding of veterinary education, an issue that was also emphasised to MPs during an EFRA select committee hearing on the day the CMA review report was published last month.

Mr Hooker acknowledged the recent expansion of the sector through new schools and degree programmes but added: “We need help now.”