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Service Standards

Below are specific Service Standards relating to the following areas;

Practice Standards Scheme

We aim to:

  • Notify you 3 months before an inspection is due
  • Send you notification of the outcome of your visit within 6 weeks of the date of your inspection, or within 8 weeks if it is referred to the Practice Standards Review Group
  • Respond to your evidence within 2 weeks of it being received
  • Issue your accreditation pack within 7 days of compliance being confirmed

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Raising a concern

We aim to:

  • Provide clear, well-informed and concise information about the process of raising a concern, both for those who may do so, and for those about whom a concern might be raised
  • Acknowledge all concerns within 2 working days of receipt
  • Appoint a named individual who will assess the concern and telephone the person raising the concern within 2 weeks
    • Consider concerns at Stage 1 (Assessment and Investigation) within 4 months
    • Consider cases at Stage 2 (Preliminary Investigation Committee) within 7 months (simple cases) or 12 months (complex cases)
    • Consider cases at Stage 3 (Disciplinary Committee) within 10 months (simple cases) or 15 months (complex cases)

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Registration - Overseas applicants

We aim to:

  • Provide you with well-informed, clear information regarding your registration application early in the process
  • Confirm acknowledgement of your application within 1 week of receiving your documentation and advise you of the next steps
  • Keep you informed on any updates to your application
  • Complete your application process and confirm your registration appointment within 4 weeks of receiving all your documentation

In return we ask you, our registrants, to:

  • Contact us as soon as possible to avoid any delays to your working start date
  • Read all the supporting communication and documents supplied to you to ensure that you understand the registration process and timescales

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Registration - UK graduates

We aim to:

  • Ensure you have at least 6 weeks to complete your application to register
  • Provide an appointed person to assist you with any queries regarding your application to register
  • Provide you with well-informed and helpful information regarding your registration, the RCVS and the profession
  • Provide you with confirmation of your application to register within 3 days of submitting your application form and paying your fee

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Registration - Veterinary nurses

UK applicants

We aim to:

  • Acknowledge receipt of registration applications within 3 days
  • Process registrations within 4 weeks of receiving a completed application form, record of training and payment
  • Notify students of any omissions or anomalies in their applications within 2 weeks of receipt
  • Invite further education students to apply for registration within 7 days of receiving their name on a pass list and higher education students 6 weeks before graduation

Overseas applicants

We aim to:

  • Acknowledge receipt of applications within 3 days
  • Process applications within 6 to 8 weeks of receipt of a correctly-completed application
  • Notify applicants of any omissions or anomalies in their applications within 2 weeks of receipt

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