Veterinary Practice Premises Register
Since April 1 2009, all veterinary practice premises from which medicines are supplied need to be registered. This is to enable the government to fulfil its obligations under European law to maintain and improve traceability of, and accountability for, veterinary medicines.
The RCVS agreed to collect data for the register on behalf of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD).
There is an annual fee of £40 per premises, although for those accredited under the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme (PSS), this is paid from the scheme's annual fees.
Registration is only one part of the equation: the purpose of the register is to enable inspections to be carried out to check compliance with the Veterinary Medicines Regulations (VMRs).
Routine PSS inspections will assess the compliance of RCVS-accredited practices. The VMD will carry out inspections of those premises not accredited under the PSS, initially within four years and thereafter on a risk-assessed basis. The VMD inspections will carry a charge of £250.
Sanctions will be applied to premises that do not meet inspection criteria, ranging from improvement notices through to seizure of medicines.
Practices also need to keep a record of other places where medicines are stored, so these can be considered during an inspection – such as vets' homes or cars, or perhaps charity premises from which veterinary work is carried out and where medicines are stored.
If you would like to register premises, contact the RCVS registration department on 020 7202 0744/07 or email premisesregister@rcvs.org.uk.
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