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 Harris, Hill and Gibbons Veterinary Group, we hold RCVS Small Animal General Practice accreditation at our Westbury, Trowbridge and Bradford-on-Avon surgeries and RCVS Core Standards at our Warminster branch, which are the schemes most appropriate for us.
In 2018 we were also awarded an RCVS ‘Outstanding’ award for Client Services, showcasing the brilliant client focused stance we have at our practice.
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
