Consultancy services

Scenario

Jonathan owns a beef and dairy farm in Cheshire.

Ade, a veterinary surgeon based in Somerset, attends the farm on an annual basis to provide consultancy advice and prescribes medicines for the farm as needed between their visits.

Things to think about...

Under the new guidance, any veterinary surgeon who has production animals (in this case cattle) under their care must be able to visit the premises on a 24/7 basis.

They should also be prepared to carry out any necessary investigations and should provide this service within an appropriate timeframe depending on the potential needs of the species which have been brought under their care, which could be immediately.

In light of this, Ade should not continue to prescribe medicines for Jonathan’s animals unless he can engage another veterinary service provider within Jonathan’s proximity to provide the required 24/7 care on his behalf.

If Ade decides to do this, he will need to actively make these arrangements – it is not enough for Jonathan’s cattle to be registered with another practice.

He will also need to ensure that the agreement is made in advance before further veterinary services are offered to Jonathan and confirmed in writing as part of the conditions of service Jonathan agrees.

Veterinary surgeons are obliged to respond to reasonable requests from their regulator, and in the event of a complaint, Ade may be asked to produce evidence of the arrangement with another veterinary practice.