22 Apr 2025
Independent practice leaders and union officials hope the current review of veterinary services could bring about major change in the wake of a new BBC investigation.
James Westgate
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Image: William / Adobe Stock
Union leaders have warned the veterinary sector is in “desperate need” of change following fresh allegations over some of its operations.
Independent practice representatives have urged regulators to help clinicians “do what they do best” as they develop their reform ideas in the wake of the BBC’s File on 4 investigation.
But a major care provider claimed the programme had tried to “conflate” different care settings, despite the BVA president conceding the sector needed to better explain the differences.
The 15 April broadcast featured the findings of a survey by the British Veterinary Union (BVU), a branch of Unite, which found 73% of participating members believed their own practices’ fees were too high.
One participant described substantial fee increases introduced after their practice was bought out by the CVS Group.
The group told Vet Times the site had been acquired during a period of high inflation and cost pressures linked to factors including energy and medicine prices.
Meanwhile, several other survey respondents also made allegations about the actions of one major care provider, IVC Evidensia, which it strenuously denied, describing the programme as “misleading” and claiming it had “sought to conflate first opinion clinics, specialist referrals and out of hours care”.
The group added: “Despite significant background information and detailed refutation, the BBC has decided to malign a profession dedicated to caring for animals.”
But Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Our membership has painted a bleak picture of the soaring costs of vet care. There is a desperate need for reform.”
Meanwhile, speaking to BBC 5 Live, BVA president Elizabeth Mullineaux argued it was “our fault as professionals” if the difference between different care settings was not widely understood by the public.
Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) inquiry leaders have repeatedly stressed their concerns are not about the professionalism of individual clinicians, but the business models.
The authority rejected remedy ideas put forward by major corporate groups, including IVC and CVS, when it confirmed its intention to press ahead with the investigation last May.
The BVU is calling for the inquiry to recommend establishment of an independent regulator and veterinary ombudsman that would examine complaints against businesses rather than individual clinicians.
The Federation of Independent Veterinary Practices (FIVP) welcomed the BBC’s coverage of what it termed “unethical” policies.
Business development manager Ian Wolstenholme said: “FIVP hopes that the forthcoming CMA findings will tackle practices like those addressed in the documentary, allowing veterinary professionals to do what they do best – caring for their patients.”
