March 10th 2020

Contacting the VCMS

The VCMS, funded by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, is a telephone service that assists both members of the public and profession to resolve disputes through mediation to achieve a mutually beneficial outcome for both parties. As such, the VCMS is free to use at the point of service. 

The VCMS is a mediation service, so we do not judge, take sides or penalise either party. We remain impartial to find a resolution. As a mediation process, the VCMS seeks to resolve your complaint fairly and quickly. The VCMS helps the veterinary practice and animal owner agree a resolution. We then ask the practice and the client to put the agreed resolution in place. 

The solution may be an apology, a refund, an offer of further treatment, a discretionary payment, an explanation of what has happened and why or that no further action on the part of the practice is required.

Please note, the VCMS team will not ask either party to send any payment via our service. 

We will:

  • Listen to you to establish a clear picture of the complaint
  • Identify the key issues of your concerns and what you are hoping to achieve by pursuing the complaint
  • Obtain all the relevant information from the practice
  • Talk to you and the practice to discuss possible solutions to resolve the complaint
  • Help implement and conclude the complaint so both parties can move on
  • At all stages of the process, we will keep you informed of what is going on
  • Importantly, we will also ask you how we have done and listen to your feedback to continuously improve our service.

Please contact our teams through our official email (enquiries@vetmediation.co.uk) or call 0345 040 5834.

October 15th 2025

CMA Publish the Provisional Findings in their Market Investigation into Veterinary Care for Household Pets 15 October 2025

Following the CMA’s publication of the Provisional Findings of the Market Investigation into veterinary care for household pets, the Veterinary Client Mediation Service (VCMS) is now reviewing the CMA’s proposed remedies and will feed into…
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September 2nd 2025

VCMS Launches Lunchtime Webinar Series on Handling Client Complaints

The VCMS will be running a series of free lunchtime webinars this autumn to help equip veterinary professionals with the skills they need to handle common complaints and client disputes with confidence.
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September 1st 2025

Veterinary Client Mediation Service Releases 2023-24 Insight Report

The Veterinary Client Mediation Service has published the annual report of activity and insight from 2024. Funded by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and free at the point of service for consumers, the VCMS…
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