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The CMA Provisional Report And What It Means For Dispute Resolution In The Veterinary Sector
1 month ago 
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The Veterinary Client Mediation Service (VCMS) has given its reaction to the details of the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) provisional findings into veterinary services for household pets, published in October, and provided some insight and information to help pet owners and veterinary professionals understand what the findings might mean for consumers and vet businesses in the future.
The objective of the CMA investigation into the veterinary services market is to look at ways to make it fairer and to better meet the needs of consumers and their pets. While a large proportion of the CMA’s report – published on 15 October 2025 - focuses on transparency, particularly around costs, dispute resolution and customer redress is included in the provisional report, and there are a number of findings and recommendations.
Addressing some of the report’s key talking points for complaints and dispute resolution in the veterinary industry, Jennie Jones, head of the Veterinary Client Mediation Service (VCMS) said: “Having worked with the CMA team for many months, providing data and insights about our mediation service to inform the investigation, we are heartened to see that the CMA has appreciated the unique nature of the relationship between pet owners and veterinary professionals, and the importance of communication and trust in meeting the needs of all involved.
“The CMA has recommended mandatory participation in mediation to strengthen complaint resolution and build consumer confidence in the veterinary industry. With over 80% of practices already engaging with the VCMS, we see this recommendation as building on the work we have already done to establish the positive impact of independent mediation for both pet owners and veterinary professionals.”
The VCMS was set up in 2017 by the RCVS, which continues to fund the service to ensure it is free at the point of service for consumers. In 2024, the VCMS received more than 3,500 enquiries and resolved over 80% of complaints referred to the service by pet owners. More than 90% of vets and consumers who use it, rate it highly. Where complaints cannot be resolved within the practice, the VCMS believes mandatory engagement will encourage pet owners to access the services of an alternate dispute resolution service, by reassuring them from the outset that their veterinary practice will participate.
Jennie adds: “While our remit so far has focused on highlighting mediation services to vet professionals, there is certainly a job to be done to ensure more consumers understand what support is out there so they can make informed decisions about how they go forward with resolving their complaints. We echo the report’s sentiments around ensuring complaint redress services are delivered by providers offering knowledge and effective approaches, a good understanding of the specific needs of pet owners and veterinary professionals, and support both consumer protection and animal welfare outcomes.
“We have established a knowledgeable team which combines veterinary and consumer complaint resolution experience at VCMS to deliver practical and impactful resolutions and a commitment to share insight to drive continuous improvement in the industry. We already share our complaints insights through our annual reports and CPD programme, and welcome the opportunity to share learnings with pet owners, veterinary professionals and businesses in a way which improves consumer satisfaction and supports the industry to embed positive outcomes from the CMA market investigation.”
The CMA report highlights the importance of practices – even smaller ones – being able to resolve problems in-house first, before seeking mediation. It mentions the RCVS and the VCMS as key stakeholders in supporting small vet businesses to create their own in-house complaint handling processes.
“While the industry takes time to digest what’s in the report and what it means to them, we will continue – as per the recommendations in the report – to provide our services to the RCVS, vet professionals and pet owners. The findings of the report only strengthen our resolve to work with the RCVS to support vet-consumer relations in the sector through expert and empathetic mediation,” concludes Jennie.
You can find the full report here https://www.gov.uk/government/news/major-reforms-would-require-vet-businesses-to-make-fundamental-changes-to-the-way-they-support-pet-owners
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