The RCVS Code of Professional Conduct says veterinary surgeons in practice must take steps to provide 24-hour emergency first aid and pain relief.Note 1: general information and sources Its supporting guidance adds that they need not provide it personally, but when they cannot, they must make sure clients are directed to another appropriate service, and that clients should be given full details of the arrangement, including telephone numbers. So whatever answers your practice number after you close has to send callers to the right place, with current details.
Numbers in brackets are paragraphs of chapter 3 of the RCVS supporting guidance. Our own product, Prime Assist, is covered separately at the end.
What does the RCVS Code require out of hours?
Paragraph 1.4 of the Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons says: “Veterinary surgeons in practice must take steps to provide 24-hour emergency first aid and pain relief to animals according to their skills and the specific situation.” Chapter 3 of the supporting guidance explains what that means.
Vets need not personally provide the service or stay constantly on duty, but they are “required to ensure that when off duty, or when otherwise unable to provide the service, clients are directed to another appropriate service” (3.4). Shared arrangements between local practices or a dedicated emergency service clinic are examples (3.5), and these arrangements “should be made before an emergency arises and the terms confirmed in writing” (3.6).
Two paragraphs bear on the phone. When anyone contacts a vet with concerns that an animal needs emergency attention, “the veterinary surgeon should decide and advise whether attention is required immediately, or can reasonably be delayed” (3.10). And vets and veterinary nurses should ensure support staff do not “suggest a diagnosis or clinical opinion”, are advised to pass on any request for urgent attention to a vet, and are trained to recognise when a client needs to speak directly to a vet (3.12).
What should clients be told?
Vets should give clients full details of their 24-hour emergency cover and make them publicly available, on the practice website or by other public means. The details should include relevant telephone numbers, location details, when the out-of-hours service is available, the nature of the service and the likely initial costs (3.23).
Clients should get these details at the start of the relationship, with regular reminders as appropriate, and “full updates as promptly as possible” if they change (3.24). The guidance asks for all possible means, from leaflets and posters to vaccination record cards (3.25), with special consideration for clients registered as disabled who may have difficulty travelling (3.26). Out-of-hours services are generally more expensive (3.54), but “immediate first aid and pain relief should not be delayed while financial arrangements are agreed” (3.55).
What if another provider covers your nights and weekends?
A practice that outsources its cover should make full information about the service publicly available: “It is not acceptable for such veterinary surgeons to state that they provide 24-hour emergency cover (or words to that effect) without providing full information about the service” (3.27). It should make reasonable enquiries about the adequacy of the provider’s service at the outset, and review it regularly (3.30). Clients should be expected to travel only reasonable distances, and what is reasonable is influenced by local conditions (3.33).
What should the phone message or answering arrangement make clear?
Chapter 3 does not mention phone messages, voicemail or answering services. But a client ringing after closing needs the 3.23 details there and then. A clear message or answering arrangement says:
- that the practice is closed, and when it reopens
- who provides emergency cover now, and the number to ring
- where that service is, since owners are responsible for transporting their animals, including in emergencies (3.21)
- when that service is available, and that fees are likely to be higher out of hours (3.54)
- what callers who are not your clients should do. Another practice’s client may be redirected to that practice or its emergency provider, but first aid and pain relief should still be provided if the owner cannot contact their usual practice, or has none (3.45, 3.46).
Where do out-of-hours call arrangements go wrong?
An out-of-date number. The provider or its number changes, and the message, website and leaflets are updated at different times. The RCVS page for owners asks owners to store the emergency number on their phone, so an old number can stay in use long after it changes.
Voicemail that only takes a message. A recording that asks the caller to leave a message for the morning does not direct them to another service, which is what 3.4 asks for.
A number read once, quickly. A caller with a distressed animal may not manage to write it down.
A divert set by hand. It can be forgotten at a lunchtime closure, a weekend or a bank holiday.
Hours that do not meet. If the practice closes before the provider’s cover starts, callers in between are directed nowhere.
What should a practice check in any answering arrangement?
The same checks apply whether calls go to your team, a recorded message, an answering service or an AI receptionist. None of these is the emergency cover itself: its job is to direct callers to that cover (3.4).
- Ring your own number on a weekday evening, a weekend and a bank holiday, as a worried client would.
- Check that the number, location and hours match your website, leaflets and your provider’s own details (3.23).
- Agree who changes the message when your arrangement changes, and how quickly (3.24).
- Ask who receives a call about an animal that needs urgent attention, and check that nothing on the line suggests a diagnosis (3.12).
- Check what callers who are not your clients are told (3.45, 3.46).
- Read the written agreement with your provider, and note when you last reviewed it (3.6, 3.30).
- Ask for a record of each out-of-hours call, so you can see what callers were told.