The Veterinary Council of Ireland’s Premises Accreditation Scheme has been in place for over 20 years. It initially commenced as a voluntary scheme in 2002 and progressed to a mandatory scheme in January 2007 as required by Part 9 of the Veterinary Practice Act 2005, as amended.

The Council’s Premises Accreditation Scheme (the PAS) is a mandatory scheme introduced to regulate veterinary premises in the State in accordance with Part 9 of the Veterinary Practice Amendment Act 2005, as amended (the Act). Under the PAS, all veterinary premises in the State must be registered and certified by the Council.

Through the PAS, the Council regulates and maintains standards of veterinary premises in the State in the public interest by carrying out premises inspections and by requiring Registered Veterinary Practitioners and Registered Veterinary Nurses to comply with the requirements of the Scheme in their day-to-day practice.

Through the PAS, the Council maintains a register of veterinary premises that are certified for the practice of veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing in the State. Registered veterinary premises certified by the Council have had an inspection of the premises carried out by the Council to verify that it meets all of the required PAS Standards. In order to legally carry out the practice of veterinary medicine or veterinary nursing in the State, Registrants of the Council must associate themselves with a registered veterinary premises.
Members of the public can satisfy themselves that a veterinary premises is registered with the Council by searching the Register of Veterinary Premises.

When a veterinary premises has been registered by the Council, a Certificate of Suitability (COS) with a unique registration number for the premises is issued to the Registrant who made the application. The Registrant is the “COS Holder”.

The COS must be publicly displayed at the veterinary premises, to assure members of the public that the premises has been certified by the Council.

To reflect the different types of veterinary services offered at registered veterinary premises in the State, the Council has established five different classifications of registered veterinary premises as follows:

• Registered Veterinary Office
• Registered Veterinary Clinic
• Registered Veterinary Hospital
• Registered Veterinary Facility
• Registered Mobile Veterinary Unit

Each classification of registered veterinary premises has a unique set of applicable PAS Standards and requirements.

The classification of a registered veterinary premises is assigned on the following basis:

• The PAS Standards met by the premises
• The nature of the veterinary services being offered by the veterinary practice
• Whether or not animals are treated at the premises
• The location of the premises
• The facilities and equipment available at the premises
• The target clientele

The PAS has been reviewed and updated a number of times since its inception to reflect the developments that have occurred in veterinary practice and in veterinary premises and also to reflect Council’s proposals for the future direction of the Premises Accreditation Scheme.

The Council will continue to revise the Premises Accreditation Scheme on an ongoing basis ensuring that it remains fit for purpose in the interest of maintaining proper standards as regards veterinary premises in the State, effective regulation, and the protection of the health, safety, and welfare of animals, the public, and registered persons engaged in the practice of veterinary medicine or veterinary nursing.