View all veterinary jobs
The documents, provided to VetSurgeon by a whistleblower from within IVC, reveal the company's plans to stop issuing prescriptions and replace them with a new Pre-Scription service.
IVC Pre-Scriptions will include:
VetSurgeon understands that Pre-Scriptions will be charged at £85.68
The whistleblower also shared a draft public price list which the company is said to be preparing in anticipation of the CMA’s proposed requirement for practices to publish pricing information online.
The leaked price list includes entries for first consultations, repeat consultations, out-of-hours consultations, nurse consultations, nail clipping, anal gland expression, microchipping, animal health certificates, primary and booster vaccinations, kennel cough vaccination, pet care plans, prescription and dispensing fees, dental work, neutering procedures, physiotherapy, laser therapy, diagnostic imaging, blood tests, euthanasia and cremation.
At first glance, many of the prices shown in the draft appear surprisingly low.
Among the figures listed are:
First consultation: £5
Repeat consultation: £4
Nurse consultation: £3
Nail clipping: £1
Anal gland expression: £2
Microchipping: £2
Booster vaccination: £2
MRI scan (per body part): £7
CT scan (per body part): £6
VetSurgeon contacted Intrepid Veterinary Care for comment.
Company spokesperson Dr Flora Olip MRCVS said the group was “committed to embracing the spirit of transparency while continuing to innovate in client experience”.
She said: “The proposed CMA remedies create an important opportunity for veterinary businesses to present pricing clearly and consistently. We believe pet owners deserve not only transparent pricing, but also choice.
“The Pre-Scription offer is not a prescription fee.
"It is a wider premium service built around documentation, presentation and client convenience, within which a prescription may be provided.”
The leaked document also included indicative pricing for procedures not listed on the CMA-mandated price list, including TPLO surgery, which is listed at 'fixed cost price' of £4,475,000.26.
I never said the corporates have caused all the problems, but they have contributed to the degradation of the profession. They have essentially turned vets into sales people. I was frequently told to "sell it better" when I queried the price rises. They encourage over treatment of pets and standards of care have definitely declined. The corporate managers I worked with had no concerns regarding if vets were clinically competent. As long as as they were bringing money in they were not concerned about quality of care.
I agree the corporates are not going anywhere. But let's be real, they are there to make money. Private equity firms will never put animal welfare first. They want profits first. This is why we need tighter regulations on them. This is why I don't like your articles because they suggest the CMA are doing something wrong when in reality this has all been a long time coming. The RCVS and BVA should never have allowed the corporates to have free reign like this. Therefore, we need to have proper regulations to stop them charging whatever they want.
The corporates have eroded public trust due to rapidly increasing prices. This leads to the public blaming vets, leading to poor mental health of vets. I experienced this as do many other vets. The real tragedy is young vets who spent years studying for this career and then end up leaving (or worse). This is why I think this joke is distasteful because a lot of people and animals are suffering.
Just because you may have had an easier ride in the profession does not mean everyone is having the same experience.
Emma Creasey Hi Emma, honestly, there are few things in life I don't think are fair game! But on a serious note, I do think it's unfair to blame all the profession's woes on corporate groups. Saying that vets are working in difficult conditions created by corporates makes it sound like they're sending them down the mines. I think that in reality, the problems faced by the profession - essentially cost - probably shows that it is over-servicing its clients. In other words, providing an extraordinarily high level of care that people can no longer afford (or think is rational to spend on a dog). Lots of things driving this, including vets' own professional desire to do the best for the animals in front of them, educational standards, increasingly high regulatory standards (which is one of the reasons I push back against any more regulatory burden), and society's changing relationship with risk. Sure the data seems to suggest that corporatisation has been inflationary too (certainly no obvious signs of it being deflationary), but that is only one factor in a much more complex picture. Either way, it seems to me that the corporates are here to stay, and if there were a way to be more united, that would be better than the alternative!
I was in two minds about that one for fear of giving the game away early. But hey, I doubt many would have got past the framed photo!
Very good Arlo, had me going for a moment....!
Oh, it's so close to reality....
Well done Arlo - definitely up there with "The Diseases of Brunus Edwardii" (or am I showing my age?).
Do you think it's wise to make jokes about this subject, given how much it affects pet owners, pets and vets who are forced to work in the difficult conditions created by corporate groups?
Sadly I’m sure CMA would think this price list is appropriate.
Brilliant Arlo! Love the velvet folder touch
What on earth is even going on here!!!!!