Legislation related to owning and running a veterinary business
by Brian Faulkner, Vetpreneur
Practice management
By Brian Faulkner, BSc (Hons), BVM&S, CertGP(SAM), CertGP(BPS), MBA, MSc(Psych), FRCVS, Veterinary Clinician, Business Consultant and co-founder of Vetprenuer
All businesses must comply with any legislation that applies to them. Some Acts, Regulations & Guidance, such Employment Law and Health & Safety law, are compulsory for all types of businesses, whilst others are only relevant according to what the company does. As the owner and, or manager of a veterinary business, you need to be aware of the laws and regulations related to setting up and running your business. This can appear overwhelming and Vetpreneurs are often concerned that they will miss a key area of legislation.
In this third in a series of four videos, created and presented by Vetpreneur, the membership organisation for those who wish to set-up, launch and grow their veterinary practice, Brian discusses how to categorise and review the various areas of legislation that you need to be aware of.
Keep reading for a quick overview of what is included in the video.
Brian begins by breaking down the three key types of legal documents you’ll encounter:
Acts: Statutory legislationAn act is a statutory legislation passed by parliament which becomes a law that citizens or organisations must abide by.
Regulations: Acts appliedWhereas regulations offer more definition and detail required to apply the principles contained within an act, and those are often listed in much more specific obligations.
Guidance: Specific codesWhile specific codes of conduct aren’t written in law, they offer guidance as to the preferred method by which to handle a certain situation to ensure that all stakeholders are treated fairly. So the most common example is the ACAS code of practice, and this sets out the principles for handling disciplinary and grievance situations in the workplace.
To make this complex area easier to navigate, Brian goes on to categorises the legislation into the four core themes of running a veterinary practice:
Clinical matters – covering regulations related to treatment, medication, and professional standards.
Client matters – including client confidentiality, informed consent, and record keeping.
Financial matters – such as tax compliance, invoicing, and business accounting.
Team-related activities – from employment law to workplace safety and staff wellbeing.
Plus, there is a fifth area: Business and premises ownership, which covers legal obligations tied to the physical premises and the overall operation of your practice.
This clear framework helps Vetpreneurs identify the key legal areas to focus on, reducing the risk of oversight and building confidence in their business journey.
Watch the video to discover more
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