The 21 CMA Veterinary Remedies: A Complete Guide for Practice Owners

In September 2024, the Competition and Markets Authority published its final report into the veterinary sector. The findings were damning. The CMA concluded that pet owners in the UK are overpaying for veterinary services, that corporate consolidation has reduced competition, and that a lack of transparency makes it almost impossible for consumers to compare prices or switch providers.

The result: 21 mandatory remedies that every veterinary practice in the UK must implement. This is not optional guidance. These are binding requirements with enforcement mechanisms, and the deadlines begin in September 2026.

What the CMA found

The investigation ran for 18 months and examined thousands of data points. The core findings were:

• Price opacity. Most practices do not publish prices. Pet owners cannot compare costs before committing to a consultation. Many discover the total only after treatment is complete.
• Corporate consolidation. Six corporate groups now own approximately 60% of UK veterinary practices. Many of these practices retain their original names, so pet owners do not know they are part of a larger chain.
• Medication margins. Practices charge significant markups on medications that can be obtained more cheaply from online pharmacies, and many pet owners do not know they have the right to a written prescription.
• Switching barriers. Accessing clinical records to switch practices is difficult. Some practices charge for records transfers. There is no standard format.
• Insurance conflicts. Some corporate groups own both veterinary practices and pet insurance businesses, creating potential conflicts of interest in treatment recommendations and pricing.

The 21 remedies

The remedies fall into five categories: pricing transparency, prescription rights, clinical records, complaints, and corporate ownership disclosure. Here is every remedy in plain English.

Pricing transparency (Remedies 1-7)

• Remedy 1: Publish a standard price listEvery practice must publish a list of prices for the 10 most common consultations and procedures, available in the waiting room and on the practice website.
• Remedy 2: Provide written estimates before treatmentBefore any treatment that will cost more than 100, the practice must provide a written estimate. The estimate must include itemised costs for procedures, medications, and consumables.
• Remedy 3: Itemise invoicesAll invoices must separate the cost of the consultation, each procedure, each medication, and any consumables. Bundled pricing that obscures individual costs is no longer acceptable.
• Remedy 4: Display prescription rights prominentlyPractices must display a notice in the waiting room and on their website informing pet owners of their right to a written prescription for any medication.
• Remedy 5: Cap prescription feesPrescription fees must be reasonable and reflective of actual administrative cost. The RCVS will issue guidance on maximum fee levels.
• Remedy 6: No refusal of prescriptionsPractices must not refuse or discourage written prescriptions. Staff must not disparage external pharmacies or imply that medications obtained elsewhere are inferior.
• Remedy 7: Out-of-hours pricing transparencyOut-of-hours fees must be clearly communicated before the pet owner agrees to a consultation. This includes triage fees, emergency consultation fees, and any facility fees.

Clinical records and switching (Remedies 8-12)

• Remedy 8: Free clinical records transferPractices must transfer clinical records to a new practice at no charge within 7 working days of a written request.
• Remedy 9: Standard records formatThe RCVS will define a standard clinical records format. All practices must be capable of exporting records in this format by the compliance deadline.
• Remedy 10: Digital records access for ownersPet owners must be able to request a copy of their animal's complete clinical record. This must be provided free of charge.
• Remedy 11: Vaccination history portabilityVaccination records must be provided in a format that other practices and kennels/catteries can verify, including batch numbers and manufacturer details.
• Remedy 12: No retention of records as leveragePractices must not withhold records, delay transfers, or use records access as a tool to discourage switching.

Complaints and accountability (Remedies 13-16)

• Remedy 13: Published complaints procedureEvery practice must publish a clear complaints procedure on its website and in the waiting room, including expected response times.
• Remedy 14: Signpost the Veterinary Client Mediation ServicePractices must inform complainants of the right to escalate to the VCMS if the complaint is not resolved internally.
• Remedy 15: Annual complaints reportingPractices must report annual complaint volumes and outcomes to the RCVS. Aggregate data will be published.
• Remedy 16: Clinical outcomes trackingPractices must begin tracking clinical outcomes for common procedures (surgical complication rates, post-operative mortality, readmission rates).

Corporate ownership disclosure (Remedies 17-19)

• Remedy 17: Disclose corporate ownershipEvery practice must clearly state its ownership on its website and in the waiting room. If the practice is part of a corporate group, the group must be named.
• Remedy 18: Disclose insurance affiliationsIf the practice or its parent company has a financial relationship with a pet insurance provider, this must be disclosed to pet owners before any insurance-related discussion.
• Remedy 19: Disclose referral relationshipsFinancial arrangements with referral practices must be disclosed. If the practice receives fees for referrals or refers exclusively to practices within its corporate group, pet owners must be told.

Regulatory and enforcement (Remedies 20-21)

• Remedy 20: RCVS enhanced enforcement powersThe CMA recommends that RCVS be given enhanced powers to enforce compliance with these remedies, including the ability to impose financial penalties.
• Remedy 21: CMA compliance monitoringThe CMA will conduct a compliance review 18 months after the remedy implementation deadline to assess uptake and effectiveness.

What you need to do now

If you own or manage a veterinary practice, here is the practical preparation list:

1. Audit your current pricing. Can you produce an itemised price list for your 10 most common procedures today? If not, start building one.
2. Review your estimate process. Do you provide written estimates before treatment? Do those estimates itemise medications separately from procedures?
3. Check your prescription workflow. When a client asks for a written prescription, how long does it take? Is there any friction in the process?
4. Test your records transfer. Ask a colleague at another practice to request a records transfer. How long does it take? What format do you send?
5. Publish your complaints procedure. If you do not have one, write one. If you have one, check it names the VCMS as an escalation route.
6. Disclose your ownership. Add a clear ownership statement to your website and waiting room.

Most of this is documentation work. Price lists, estimate templates, complaints procedures, disclosure statements: these are documents that need creating, maintaining, and keeping current. That is exactly the category of work that falls between the cracks of your practice management system.