Veterinary Services

Meet your veterinary practice regulatory duties

If your practice is RCVS-registered, supplies veterinary medicines, handles controlled drugs, disposes of clinical waste or uses X-ray equipment, you carry specific regulatory duties on top of the universal workplace foundation. This guide covers each regime and what you need to do.

UK-wide
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UK-wide

Related guides in Compliance & Legal

Veterinary practice is a regulated profession. On top of the universal workplace health and safety, fire, insurance, equality and data protection duties, your practice must hold the right professional registrations, comply with medicines controls, manage waste lawfully, and — depending on your activities — meet controlled-drugs and ionising-radiation requirements. Five regulators share oversight.

A. RCVS registration

Practising veterinary surgery is restricted to persons on the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) register. Unregistered practice is a criminal offence under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966. RCVS operates UK-wide. Registrants pay an annual retention fee and must follow the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct, which covers standards of clinical care, professional behaviour, client communication and record-keeping. The RCVS Practice Standards Scheme is a voluntary practice accreditation, not a statutory licence — but it demonstrates compliance with recognised standards.

B. Veterinary medicines

The Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 govern the prescribing, supply, dispensing, record-keeping and pharmacovigilance of veterinary medicinal products. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) operates UK-wide. Premises supplying veterinary medicines must be registered or approved with VMD as appropriate. Prescription-only medicines may be administered to animals only by, or under the direction of, a veterinary surgeon. Medicine records must be kept — for food-producing animals, normally for five years — and withdrawal periods must be observed before produce enters the food chain. Adverse reactions must be reported to VMD.

C. Clinical waste

Veterinary practices generate clinical and hazardous waste — sharps, pharmaceutical waste, infectious waste and anatomical waste. You must classify, segregate, store and consign waste through registered waste carriers under the duty of care in section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, using consignment notes for hazardous waste. The Environment Agency regulates in England. Natural Resources Wales (NRW) regulates in Wales. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) regulates in Scotland under the Special Waste Regulations. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) regulates in Northern Ireland under the Hazardous Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005.

D. Controlled drugs

If your practice stocks Schedule 2 or Schedule 3 controlled drugs — for example ketamine, opioid analgesics such as buprenorphine and methadone, or pentobarbital for euthanasia — you must comply with the safe-custody, register and destruction requirements of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001. The Home Office oversees the controlled-drugs regime UK-wide. You must keep a controlled-drugs register recording every receipt and supply, store Schedule 2 drugs (and any Schedule 3 drugs subject to safe custody, such as buprenorphine) in a locked controlled-drugs cabinet meeting the Safe Custody Regulations, and arrange witnessed destruction of expired or unwanted stock. Not every veterinary practice stocks controlled drugs — this section applies only to those that do.

E. Ionising radiations (X-ray)

If your practice operates diagnostic X-ray or other ionising-radiation equipment, you must comply with the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017. You must notify or register the work with HSE, appoint a radiation protection adviser (RPA) and a radiation protection supervisor (RPS), draw up local rules, designate controlled and supervised areas around the X-ray equipment, and monitor personal doses for classified workers. In Northern Ireland the Ionising Radiations Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2017 apply. This section applies only to practices with imaging equipment.

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    What to do next

    Complete the veterinary compliance checklist to confirm you have met every obligation that applies to your practice.

Official sources

Authoritative guidance for veterinary practice regulatory duties.