Vets ‘trusted’ by public, but opinion split on fees

A new survey has highlighted a significant split in public perception of whether vet fees are fair and justified.

Almost one-third of clients questioned in the survey said they believed vets provided “poor or very poor” value for money.

However, the survey of 2,000 members of the public – commissioned by the RCVS – also showed roughly another third thought vets represented “excellent or good” value, with the remaining third suggesting the profession charged fair fees.

Views on value

In terms of value for money, 32% of the respondents felt veterinary surgeons represented excellent (8%) or good (24%) value for money, with 38% thinking veterinary fees were fair.

Some 29% of respondents thought veterinary surgeons and their services provided poor (21%) or very poor (8%) value for money.

These findings were similar to those of a 2015 survey.

Trust

In terms of trust, the survey found a very high proportion of the public (94%) either completely trusted or generally trusted (34% and 60%, respectively) veterinary surgeons.

This put veterinary surgeons at number three in the league table of most trusted professions – below opticians and pharmacists, but above general practitioners and dentists.