About us

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) is an independent body established by Royal Charter in 1844.

We regulate the veterinary professions in the UK by setting, upholding and advancing veterinary standards, and support veterinary professionals to be the best that they can be.

We work to inspire confidence in veterinary care. We do this in the public interest. This means we support the needs of consumers of veterinary services, including those who keep, own or rely on animals, and, via public health, society at large.

Although our statutory role is UK-focused, we have a strong global footprint in terms of members working overseas and international veterinary professionals working in the UK. This gives us international reach, which is important as many of the issues we face – such as diseases, artificial intelligence and societal change – know no borders.

On this page

• What this means for you 
• How we get there 
• What we do
• What we don't do
• Our values 

What this means for you

Our mission is to protect the public interest by ensuring animal health and welfare, and public health, are advanced through thriving, world-class veterinary professions.

How we get there

Our vision is always to be ambitious and compassionate, working collaboratively to build trust and inspire all veterinary professionals to succeed.

What we do

To fulfil our role, we:

• accredit veterinary and veterinary nursing degree courses and training programmes;
• maintain a register of vets and vet nurses who are qualified to practise, set and uphold standards of good professional conduct;
• provide a framework through which vets and vet nurses can develop and thrive;
• help our world-class veterinary professionals be confident in the care they provide;
• award Fellowships, Certificates and Specialist and Advanced Practitioner statuses, and share knowledge, embrace innovation and support better ways of working.

What we don’t do

There are some important roles that are the responsibility of other organisations.

For example, we don't:

• represent the interests of veterinary professionals;
• insure or legally defend vets and vet nurses; or
• provide animal healthcare advice.

Our values

We have updated our values since our last strategic plan, which now include 'Collaboration' to support our strategic aim of being 'stronger together’. Importantly, we now thread our previous value of 'Inclusion and diversity' through all of our work in a more integrated fashion, reflecting the way we approach equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Our values are: 

Compassion

We will be thoughtful, respectful, listening and understanding. We will also support our teams, so they have the space, energy and time to respond compassionately. 

Collaboration

We will work with stakeholders to ensure the best outcomes and hold space to debate what matters. We will be curious about a diverse range of perspectives and seek to understand all points of view.

Clarity 

We will seek simplicity, be clear and consistent. We will be straight-talking, and aim to manage expectations about what is possible, acknowledging that outcomes can’t always please everyone. 

Courage

For the sake of animal health and welfare, public health and veterinary standards, we will be forward-thinking, act with integrity, boldly seek opportunities for appropriate change, and hold the line where we need to, even when that may be challenging.  

Find out more

See How we work for more about our role and responsibilities.

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