Following the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) investigations into veterinary drug sales in 2005, there has been the requirement for practices to be more transparent in the pricing and dispensing of veterinary medicines. This has been incorporated into the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Guide to Professional Conduct.
- Veterinary surgeons must supply clients with prescriptions for veterinary medicines where appropriate (in the case of emergencies or hospitalized animals this may not be appropriate).
- A veterinary surgeon can only prescribe a POM-V medicine following a clinical assessment of the animal under their care.
- Itemized invoices showing the price of individual veterinary medicinal products (VMPs), separate from other charges, must be provided.
- Practices must give clients information on medicine prices when requested and display a list of the ten most commonly dispensed VMPs (with prices) during a recent 3-month period.
- Veterinary surgeons should also advise clients of the frequency of, and charges for, check ups to allow further prescriptions to be issued.
- This information should be provided on a large and prominently displayed sign in the waiting room of the practice.
Example – prescription notice