15 Jan 2026
Senior figures have pleaded for clients to be open about their circumstances following the BBC documentary this week.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Image: William / Adobe Stock
A BBC documentary examining the costs of veterinary care missed the chance to show the reality of the sector’s services to the public, according to the BVNA.
The group is the latest to voice its unease about this week’s Panorama programme, which focused on the cost of veterinary care and some of the current reform proposals facing the sector.
Senior vice-president Lyndsey Hughes said it had been encouraged by the programme’s portrayal of public views on care quality.
But in a lengthy statement released today (14 January) she said the group was also “greatly disappointed” by the omission of nurses from it.
She said: “RVNs are also highly skilled and regulated professionals, pivotal to the delivery of excellent standards of care – both to the patient, and to veterinary clients themselves.
“It is our view that this lack of acknowledgement of RVNs undermines the realities of veterinary practice, and the level of service and contextualised care that clients can expect.”
The programme’s focus on care costs and alleged aspects of some veterinary practice operations have already prompted warnings about the need to address gaps in the sector’s regulation and client expectations.
But Mrs Hughes also pleaded for clients to be open with their vets about their financial circumstance to help facilitate the provision of appropriate contextualised care, arguing the complexities of those issues was not reflected in the programme.
She added: “Above all, the veterinary profession is one that cares – for veterinary clients as much as patients.”
Elsewhere, the Federation of Independent Veterinary Practices’ chair, Rita Dingwall, said she was disappointed at what she saw as the limited recognition of the clinics it represents.
She said: “While open discussion around fees and transparency is important, it is equally important that such debates reflect the full picture.
“Throughout the CMA investigation, everyone in the veterinary sector, including vets, vet nurses and the wider practice team, has received unwarranted abuse from clients and criticism in the national press.
“We are disappointed that Panorama has not done enough to give those on the frontline of animal healthcare the credit they deserve.”
The BBC has said the programme was made in line with its editorial guidelines.
