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- About extra-mural studies (EMS)
- EMS requirements
- Information for vet students
- Information for EMS providers
- Information for vet schools
- Temporary EMS requirements
- Practice by students - regulations
- Health and safety on EMS placements
- EMS contacts and further guidance
- Extra-mural studies fit for the future
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- Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons
- Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Nurses
- Contact the Advice Team
- XL Bully dog ban
- 'Under care' - new guidance
- Advice on Schedule 3
- Controlled Drugs Guidance – A to Z
- Dealing with Difficult Situations webinar recordings
- FAQs – Common medicines pitfalls
- FAQs – Routine veterinary practice and clinical veterinary research
- FAQs – Advertising of practice names
- GDPR – RCVS information and Q&As
Illegal veterinary practice
If you believe that someone is working as a veterinary surgeon when not qualified to do so, or not registered with us, and you have evidence of this, we would like to hear from you.
By law, only people who are qualified and registered are entitled to call themselves veterinary surgeons and practise veterinary medicine in the UK.
The practice of veterinary medicine includes:
- Diagnosing animals
- Offering veterinary advice
- Treating animals
- Prescribing veterinary medicines
This law – the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 – is to help safeguard animal health and welfare, to protect public health, and to maintain trust and confidence in the veterinary profession.
How we can help
If you can provide us with enough evidence that someone is working illegally as a veterinary surgeon, we may be able to help bring a private prosecution against them.
We will focus our resources to target the most serious breaches of the law, where allegations present a serious risk of harm to animal health and welfare, to public health, or to the profession’s reputation.
What you should do
If you have concerns about illegal veterinary practice, please contact us: [email protected] / 020 7202 0789
You should only report to us what you know or have witnessed yourself, not what you may have heard from someone else. The more detail you can provide, the better.
Please note, we may not be able to follow up anonymous reports and, other than in exceptional circumstances, we will not be able to consider matters that are more than six months old.
What we can’t help with
There are a number of situations where we do not have powers to investigate. If you have concerns about any of the following, please click for more information about what to do and who to contact instead.
Threat of imminent serious injury or harm to an animal
If you have concerns about a threat of imminent serious injury or harm to an animal, you should:
Call your local police – view a list of all UK police forces
Or
Depending on where you have witnessed this threat, call the RSPCA, SSPCA, or USPCA
- England & Wales: call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999
- Scotland: call the SSPCA on 03000 999 999
- Northern Ireland the USPCA on 028 3025 1000
Misleading courses/businesses that offer veterinary qualifications
If you have concerns about a misleading course and/or business, you should report these to Trading Standards.
Illegal possession, use and/or supply of veterinary medicines
If you have concerns about the illegal, possession, use and/or supply of controlled drugs, for example, ketamine, methadone:
- In England and Wales: contact your local Association of Police Controlled Drugs Liaison Officers or contact the police.
- In Scotland: contact the police
- In Northern Ireland: contact the police
If you have concerns about the illegal possession, use and/or /supply of other veterinary medicines:
- In England, Wales or Scotland, email the Veterinary Medicines Directorate enforcement team ([email protected])
- In Northern Ireland, contact the Department of Health
Further information
To request a copy of the RCVS Protocol for the Investigation & Private Prosecution of Illegal Practice, please email: [email protected].