Hospital inspections are
carried out by the RCVS, the contact point there is Eleanor Ferguson, phone
0207 222 2001.
For established Veterinary Hospitals inspections are
carried out every four years. For all new Veterinary Hospitals the first main
re-inspection is carried out after two years, only then is the normal four year
inspection cycle started.
For new practices a “pre-trading”
inspection can be carried out. This inspection is carried out prior to the
completion of work, so allowances will be made for cabinetry not being
installed etc. However the inspector must be convinced, by your plans,
equipment on site, invoices and delivery schedules etc that the practice will
meet veterinary hospital standards upon completion. This pre-trading inspection
will allow the practice to commence trading from day one as a veterinary
hospital (if successful). Obviously this has implications as far as producing
signage, stationery, letterheads etc. A second inspection is then carried out
within six months of the pre-trading inspection. The practice must pass this
inspection or all use of the name “Veterinary Hospital” will have to
cease immediately.
The RCVS gives hospitals plenty of notice of the
inspection and sends a form to be completed and returned to them. The RCVS then
allocates an inspector to carry out the inspection. The veterinary hospital can
request a different inspector, but the RCVS has usually already taken care to
make sure that the inspector is not involved in a competitor practice.
The Inspector will then contact the hospital directly to arrange a mutually
convenient date for the inspection. Usually allow half a day for the
inspection. Different inspectors approach the inspection in different ways,
however it is common to do the paperwork first and then to carry out the
physical inspection. There is a considerable amount of paperwork to be checked.
It makes the inspector’s life a lot easier if you have organised your
paperwork in the same order as that required by the RCVS. Cups of coffee and
biscuits (preferably chocolate) help ease the process.
The
Inspector’s report is submitted to the RCVS Advisory Committee. The
Advisory Committee meets six times a year. It is the decision of the Advisory
Committee as to whether a Hospital is approved or not. Practices may be passed
as a Veterinary Hospital subject to certain conditions within set time frames.
Depending upon the requirements the Hospital may be required to certify that
the work has been undertaken (perhaps supporting this with photographic
evidence), or a re-inspection may be required.
On confirmation of
Veterinary Hospital status a certificate is issued by the RCVS.
BVHA is convinced that it is important to encourage a consistent
approach to inspections. To this end it has helped the RCVS establish "training
days" for the inspectors. The first of these was held at the Royal Veterinary
College where the inspectors assessed both the Equine and Small Animal
Hospitals. The results of the individual inspections were compared and
discussed. BVHA has also helped to prepare a further training day where a
"virtual" inspection is to be held, using various images of a range of
veterinary premises. It is hoped that discussion of problem areas will create a
uniform approach.
BVHA has also encouraged the RCVS to establish an
email loop so that the inspectors can discuss contentious issues as they arise,
to further encourage a consistent approach. The email loop also acts to provide
feedback to the inspectors from the Advisory Committee regarding the
inspections they have submitted.
BVHA has also produced a feedback form
for veterinary hospitals to complete after they have been inspected. These
forms are returned to the BVHA Secretariat and made anonymous. These returns
allow the BVHA to determine if there is significant variation between
inspectors and to see if there are areas that require further training.
Click
here to download a form.
The RCVS
introduced their three tier Practice Standards Scheme in January 2005. The
Veterinary Hospital standard has been incorporated into this scheme as Tier
Three.
Click here to download a copy of the Standard and
here
for a copy of the rules of the scheme. Please note that although all efforts
are made to ensure that this copy is up to date, the definitive version of the
Standard at any time is the one to be found on the
RCVS web
site.
|
|
