Veterinary mediator backs CMA recommendation for complaints

A veterinary conciliation group has backed regulators’ calls for practices to be required to engage in external complaint mediation processes.

The idea is among the provisional remedy ideas put forward by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), on which a consultation process is due to end later this week.

Although it received thousands of enquiries last year alone, officials from the Veterinary Client Mediation Service (VCMS) said that more still needed to be done to raise public awareness of its work.

Build on work

But they argued the authority’s plans would build on its work to address and resolve disputes between practices and their clients – if they are implemented.

Service head Jennie Jones said: “The findings of the report only strengthen our resolve to work with the RCVS to support vet-consumer relations in the sector through expert and empathetic mediation.”

The VCMS was among several industry stakeholders that were said to be broadly supportive of the mediation idea in the CMA’s provisional decision report, published last month.

Its current recommendation would require businesses that run first opinion practices to engage “in good faith” with mediation where that is sought by pet owners and once internal complaints procedures have been exhausted.

‘The right balance’

The report argued that the approach struck “the right balance” between encouraging local complaint resolution and ensuring the availability of “robust avenues” to settle issues without resorting to litigation.

It concluded existing mechanisms were unlikely to deliver significant change for pet owners and there was “no clear route” for clients to seek redress other than bringing formal legal proceedings.

But it also acknowledged that several representative organisations had expressed reservations about the proposals, while the RCVS, which funds the VCMS, insisted a voluntary system was suitable in most cases.

Not suitable

Although most large veterinary groups were said to have backed the measure, Pets at Home, which owns Vets for Pets, argued that some complaints were not suitable for mediation.

Meanwhile, some independent providers voiced concerns about potential misuse of the service and the burdens placed on individual clinicians by unwarranted complaints, though others considered VCMS to be “a helpful and useful resource”.

The service said it received more than 3,500 individual enquiries last year and resolved more than 80% of the complaints that were referred to it.

‘Rated highly’

It also claimed its work was “rated highly” by more than 90% of clinicians and consumers who use it, and argued mandatory engagement would help to reassure the public.

Mrs Jones added: “While our remit so far has focused on highlighting mediation services to vet professionals, there is certainly a job to be done to ensure more consumers understand what support is out there, so they can make informed decisions about how they go forward with resolving their complaints.”

The remedy consultation remains open until Friday (14 November).