All our practices are accredited by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Practice Standards scheme, so you can be sure that we work to high standards of care and protection for our clients, both human and animal. There are many categories of RCVS accreditation, depending on the type of practice and services offered.
Here at Birch heath Veterinary Clinic, we hold RCVS Small Animal General Practice, which is the scheme most appropriate for us.
We have also achieved ‘OUTSTANDING’ for Client Service – this award is given only to practices which demonstrate high levels of care for their clients.
What are RCVS Core Standards?
For this accreditation, we have shown total compliance with all the legal and health & safety requirements necessary for our work. This means that, among other things, we have:
- Access to 24-hour emergency cover for patients
- Appropriately trained staff (veterinary qualifications and insurance are checked)
- Maintained standards of cleanliness and hygiene
- Ensured clients are given estimates of costs of treatments and consent to procedures undertaken
What is RCVS General Practice accreditation?
These standards are specifically for practices like us because we treat small animal and exotic patients.
As well as complying with RCVS Core Standards around legal and health & safety requirements, emergency cover (and more), we strive for continuous improvement and:
- Have a system for monitoring the outcome of treatments
- Show ongoing commitment to education and training
- Keep premises clean and well maintained
- Have a policy for communicating with clients and looking at feedback
- Have access to laboratory facilities for diagnostic testing