1. I am thinking of opening a veterinary practice. What should I consider in relation to practice names?

As you are a veterinary surgeon, it is not likely to constitute an offence under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 (VSA) for you to use ‘veterinary’ in the company name, ‘…Veterinary Hospital Ltd’. A letter of non-objection (LONO) is therefore likely to be issued.

In relation to ‘…Hospital Ltd’ because this does not include ‘vet’, ‘veterinary’, ‘veterinary surgeon, or ‘veterinary practitioner’, a LONO is not required.

That said, consideration should be given as to whether use of either of these practice names might be misleading under Chapter 23 of the supporting guidance, and where relevant, whether use is (or might later be) contrary to the Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) Rules. 

All practices

Practices should not call themselves a Veterinary Hospital unless they are accredited as such by PSS. This is because to do so implies to the public that the practice holds PSS Veterinary Hospital level accreditation when it does not. In these circumstances, a different name should be used to avoid misleading the public as per the expectations set out in Chapter 23 of the supporting guidance.

Using ‘Hospital’ alone is not automatically contrary to Chapter 23 of the supporting guidance and whether it is or not will depend on the circumstances.  

PSS practices, or those with aspirations to join PSS

Practices within PSS cannot use ‘hospital’ in their name unless they are accredited at Veterinary Hospital level.

As such, if there are future PSS accreditation aspirations or plans to be acquired, it might be prudent to avoid using ‘Hospital’ until such time as PSS Veterinary Hospital level is achieved. If you choose to use ‘Hospital’ and later apply to become accredited at Core or GP level, or you are acquired by a group already in the scheme, you/the group may be required to change the name/re-brand prior to entering the scheme or to remain in the scheme.

Yes, as of September 2024, you can.

Historically, certain company name formats such as those that contained ‘veterinary surgery’, ‘veterinary surgeons’, or full names of individuals were objected to as standard on the basis that they have the potential to be misleading, i.e., a practice could be sold on. Following a review by the Standards Committee in September 2024, it is now the case that a request for a letter of non-objection (LONO) for the purposes of company incorporation will only be refused if use of ‘vet’, ‘veterinary surgeon’, ‘veterinary surgery’ or ‘veterinary practitioner’ in the company name may constitute an offence under the VSA, i.e., because its use implies that a person is on the RCVS register as a veterinary surgeon when they are not.

However, should you sell your company and cease to have any involvement in it, the veterinary surgeon taking over the company should consider whether continuing to use the same company name is misleading under Chapter 23 of the supporting guidance. 

Please see response to FAQ 3 above. Company name formats that include ‘veterinary surgery’ are no longer objected to as standard.

Please see Chapter 23 of the supporting guidance for further information on how to request a LONO and what information to provide.

Please see paragraph 23.33 of Chapter 23 of the supporting guidance which states that veterinary surgeons may only use ‘specialist’ in the name of their practice where there is genuine and meaningful involvement, and oversight, in case management by at least one RCVS specialist in all disciplines where any clinical services are offered under this business name.

If the above applies to your practice team, it is not likely to be misleading under Chapter 23 of the supporting guidance for you to call your practice ‘Specialist Vet Referrals’, however, this might change if your team changes and so we recommend bearing this in mind when finalising the name of your practice and keeping it under review as involvement and oversight of specialists in each discipline changes or fluctuates.

Unfortunately, only veterinary surgeons are permitted to use ‘vet’ in a company name as it implies that the person running or managing the company is on the RCVS register as a veterinary surgeon.

Non-veterinary surgeons who own or manage veterinary practices are however expected to appoint a senior veterinary surgeon, as per Chapter 17 of the supporting guidance, in order to provide appropriate professional direction. This senior veterinary surgeon should have an appropriate level of seniority, for example, a director or head of clinical services.

The appointed senior veterinary surgeon can therefore request a letter of non-objection (LONO) so long as their involvement is ongoing and meaningful, as they will be involved in the running or management of the company. Please see Chapter 23 of the supporting guidance for further information on how the appointed senior veterinary surgeon can request a LONO and what information to provide.

If no such veterinary surgeon has been appointed and/or no veterinary surgeon is involved in the running or management of the company, it is unfortunately likely to constitute an offence under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 (VSA) for you to use ‘vet’ in your company name and so unfortunately, a LONO cannot be issued.

Please also be mindful that a company may commit an offence under the VSA if, after the issuing of a LONO, it continues to use the protected titles but no longer engages a veterinary surgeon to be involved in the running or management of the company.

Only veterinary surgeons are permitted to use ‘vet’ in a company name where the company provides veterinary services as it may imply that the person running or managing the company is on the RCVS register as a veterinary surgeon.

An alternative name such as, ‘Jake’s Animal Physio Limited’ could be considered and no letter of non-objection will be required from the RCVS.

The words, ‘vet’, ‘veterinary’, ‘veterinary surgeon’, and ‘veterinary practitioner’ are sensitive words for the purposes of company incorporation because it is an offence under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 (VSA) for a person not on the RCVS register to take or use these titles to imply that they are.

Companies House therefore require the RCVS to provide a letter of non-objection (LONO) as standard and to consider the context in which the title is to be used.

It is therefore a matter for the RCVS to consider each request on a case-by-case basis, however, where no offence is likely to be committed, because the company is unrelated to the veterinary profession, as in this case, or where it provides only operational services to the veterinary sector (for example, “Veterinary Accountants Ltd”), a LONO is likely to be issued.  

Please see Chapter 23 of the supporting guidance for further information on how to request a LONO and what information to provide.

Please see from paragraph 23.12 of Chapter 23 of the supporting guidance in relation to claims of superiority/comparison which are a matter for the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) under the CAP Code.

Should the ASA make an adverse finding which is attributable to a veterinary surgeon or veterinary nurse, including an appointed senior veterinary surgeon (see Chapter 17 of the supporting guidance), that veterinary surgeon or veterinary nurse has a Code of Conduct obligation to disclose that adverse finding to the RCVS (i.e., to self-report).