The short answer
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published its final decision on 24 March 2026, confirming legally binding changes to how UK vet practices operate. A CMA Order covering all practices is expected by end of September 2026. For independent practices, the compliance burden is lighter than for large corporate groups – and the transparency requirements are likely to work in your favour.
The CMA has been investigating the UK veterinary services market since September 2023. After two years of evidence-gathering, provisional decisions and consultation – the final decision is now confirmed.
This article explains what the final decision contains, what changes are confirmed, when the changes take effect, and what independent practice managers should do now.
What is the CMA veterinary market investigation?
The CMA market investigation into veterinary services for household pets is one of the largest reviews of the UK vet sector in decades. It was launched in September 2023 following widespread concerns about rising prices, lack of transparency, and the rapid consolidation of the market into a small number of large corporate groups.
The investigation covered first opinion practices (the local practices where most pet owners take their animals), out-of-hours services, referral centres, pet care plans, veterinary medicines, and cremation services.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Market size | Pet owners spent over £6.7 billion on veterinary services in 2024 |
| Price increases | Average vet prices rose 63% between 2016 and 2023, compared to 32% general inflation |
| Corporate ownership | Over 60% of practices are now owned by six large corporate groups (LVGs) |
| Consumer detriment | Estimated at £1 billion over five years |
| Investigation opened | September 2023 |
| Final decision published | 24 March 2026 |
| CMA Order expected | End of September 2026 |
What problems did the CMA identify?
The CMA identified three core problems in the market.
1. Lack of information for pet owners
Pet owners do not have the information they need to compare practices, understand treatment costs, or make informed decisions about medicines. Specific findings include:
- In 2025, over 40% of practices still displayed no prices on their websites — despite improvement since the investigation began.
- Less than half of pet owners (43%) received any price information before their most recent non-routine treatment.
- Only 26% of pet owners whose pet had ongoing prescriptions bought medicines from an online pharmacy, despite medicines typically being 50 to 60% cheaper online.
- Only 47% of LVG customers knew their practice was part of a large group.
2. Barriers to acting on information
Even where information is available, structural barriers prevent pet owners from acting on it. High prescription fees, delays in obtaining written prescriptions, and restrictive out-of-hours contracts all limit effective competition.
3. An outdated regulatory framework
The RCVS regulates individual veterinary professionals but not veterinary businesses. With over 60% of practices now owned by non-vet corporations, the CMA concluded this framework is no longer fit for purpose. A new Veterinary Surgeons Act has been recommended to government as an urgent priority.
What are the confirmed CMA remedies?
The CMA has confirmed a package of remedies that will be implemented through a legally binding Order. These apply to all veterinary practices, with some obligations specific to large groups.
1. Price transparency
- All practices must publish a standardised price list on their website and in practice. The list covers: consultations, out-of-hours consultations, vaccinations, written prescription fees, neutering, microchipping, routine dentistry, common scans and diagnostic tests, surgical procedures, parasiticide products, and euthanasia and cremation costs.
- Written estimates must be provided for any treatment likely to cost £500 or more (including VAT).
- Itemised bills must be provided for all treatments and services.
2. Prescriptions and medicines
- Clients must be explicitly told that written prescriptions are available and that medicines may be significantly cheaper if purchased from an online pharmacy.
- Written prescriptions must be issued promptly: in paper form before the client leaves the practice, or by email within 48 hours.
- Where an own-brand medicine is prescribed, vets must tell clients there is a clinically equivalent alternative available from third-party retailers.
3. Prescription fee caps – confirmed final figures
- First medicine prescribed within a consultation: maximum £21 (including VAT)
- Each additional medicine within the same consultation: maximum £12.50 (including VAT)
- Both caps will be adjusted annually for inflation.
Context: current prescription fees range from approximately £10 to over £30, with some practices charging significantly more. The CMA capped fees to prevent practices from raising charges to deter clients from buying online.
4. Ownership disclosure
All practices – including first opinion practices, referral centres, online pharmacies, out-of-hours providers, diagnostic laboratories and pet crematoria, must clearly display whether they are part of a group and who owns or controls the business. This applies to signage, premises and online.
5. Pet care plans
Practices offering pet care plans must set out the prices of individual components, the total plan price, and how any advertised savings have been calculated. This allows clients to judge whether a plan offers genuine value.
6. Cremations
All practices must offer a communal cremation option (in addition to individual cremations). The prices of communal cremations, individual cremations, and any optional add-ons must be clearly set out at the point of this decision.
7. Complaints
All practices must have a written complaints process meeting specified minimum criteria. Where a complaint cannot be resolved in-house, the practice must offer mediation if the client requests it.
8. Out-of-hours contracts
Out-of-hours providers are prohibited from imposing notice periods of more than 12 months in contracts with first opinion practices. This makes it easier for practices to switch to a better provider or move out-of-hours provision in-house.
9. Written staff policies
Practices must have written policies and processes ensuring that vets and veterinary nurses are able to act in accordance with RCVS codes of professional conduct. This includes giving clients independent and impartial advice on treatment options, costs and referrals, free from commercial pressure.
When do the CMA changes take effect?
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 24 March 2026 | CMA final decision published – this is the legally binding conclusion of the investigation |
| End of July 2026 | RCVS levy Order expected – funds the RCVS monitoring and Find a Vet expansion |
| End of September 2026 | Main CMA Order expected – the full remedies package becomes law |
| Late 2026 onwards | Compliance period begins -independent single-site practices get longer than large groups |
Important: no immediate changes required
The final decision is published, but no Order is currently in force. You do not need to make any changes today.
However, the CMA explicitly encourages practices to start preparing now. Practices that already publish prices, provide written estimates, and have documented complaints processes will have very little to do when the Order lands.
What does the CMA final decision mean for independent practices specifically?
The CMA investigation has been widely discussed as a burden on the veterinary sector. For well-run independent practices, the picture is more nuanced – and in several respects, the final decision actively favours you.
Practices with fewer than 15 sites are not required to provide annual confirmation of compliance to the RCVS -this covers around 70% of all veterinary businesses.
Your pricing advantage becomes visible
The CMA found that the five large corporate groups charge 18.3% more on average than independent practices for consultations, treatments and medicines. For at least three of those groups, acquiring independent practices led to an average price increase of 9% within four years.
Mandatory price publication means this premium will no longer be invisible. Pet owners using the RCVS Find a Vet comparison tool will be able to see pricing directly alongside ownership information.
Client satisfaction data supports you
The CMA’s own pet owner survey found clear differences in satisfaction between independent and corporate practices:
| Measure | Independents vs large groups |
|---|---|
| Cost satisfaction score | 47% net satisfaction (independents) vs 26% (large groups) |
| Quality of service | 83% net satisfaction (independents) vs 76% (large groups) |
| Information and advice | 78% net satisfaction (independents) vs 68% (large groups) |
Of the 21% of pet owners who said practice ownership mattered when choosing a vet, 68% preferred independent practices. With ownership now mandatory to disclose and searchable on the RCVS website, that preference has somewhere to go.
Independence becomes a searchable category
The RCVS Find a Vet website will be expanded to allow clients to compare practices by price, ownership type, and – eventually – customer satisfaction data. For independent practices, this creates an explicit searchable identity that did not exist before.
5 things independent practice managers should do now
- Audit your price list against the confirmed requirements
The CMA’s confirmed price list is broader than many practices currently publish. Work through each category: consultations, out-of-hours consultations, vaccinations, written prescription fees, neutering, microchipping, routine dentistry, common scans, diagnostic tests, surgical procedures, parasiticides, euthanasia and cremation. Identify what you can publish now, even in ranges where exact costs vary. - Review your prescription fees
The confirmed cap is £21 for the first medicine prescribed in a consultation, and £12.50 for each additional medicine within the same consultation. If you currently charge more than £21, plan that adjustment now. If you charge less, you are already compliant on this point. Either way, your team needs to know they are required to proactively tell clients that prescriptions are available and that medicines may be cheaper online. - Formalise your complaints process
Write up your complaints handling process if it is currently informal. It needs to: explain to clients how to make a complaint, set out what they can expect from the process, and include a pathway to mediation if the complaint cannot be resolved in-house. It does not need to be long. It needs to be documented and accessible. - Establish written staff policies and training records
The CMA specifically requires written policies ensuring staff can give clients impartial advice on treatment options, costs and prescriptions. If you do not have these documented, that is where to start. Assign training on client communications and cost conversations, and track completion. A documented evidence trail matters more than the content of any individual training session. - Make your independence visible before the RCVS tool goes live
Update your website, Google Business Profile, social media pages, and in-practice signage to clearly identify you as an independently owned practice. Do not wait for the Order. The moment the RCVS Find a Vet comparison tool goes live, clients will be filtering by ownership type. Make sure you appear correctly when they do.
FAQs
How Agilio Software helps independent practices prepare
The CMA Order will require vet practices to have documented processes, trained staff, and evidenceable compliance across several areas. Agilio’s products are built specifically for independent UK veterinary practices and connect HR, training, and scheduling in one platform.
iLearn: staff training and compliance evidence
iLearn offers over 100 CPD and compliance courses covering every role in practice, including dedicated modules on client communication skills, cost conversations, clinical independence, complaints handling, HR compliance, and data protection. Managers can assign training, track completion, and build a documented evidence trail – directly relevant to the CMA’s requirement for written policies and trained staff.
Relevant courses include: communication skills for client-facing roles, breaking bad news and difficult cost conversations, core standards in veterinary client care, dealing with challenging situations at reception, and HR fundamentals for veterinary practices.
iTeam: HR documentation and policy management
iTeam provides centralised, secure storage for employment contracts, HR policies, compliance documents, and absence records. As the CMA Order requires practices to maintain written policies on clinical independence and staff conduct, having these accessible and auditable in one system is a practical necessity.
iTeam Rota: scheduling and workforce management
iTeam Rota is a veterinary-specific rota and scheduling tool that ensures practices are properly staffed, on-call arrangements are managed fairly, and every client interaction is with a well-briefed team member. Consistent staffing reduces the operational pressure that can lead to shortcuts in client communication.
Book a free demo
See how iLearn, iTeam, and iTeam Rota work together for independent practices.
Sources
- CMA final decision: Veterinary services for household pets, 24 March 2026. gov.uk/cma-cases/veterinary-services-market-for-pets-review
- CMA: Understanding the CMA’s provisional decision in its vets market investigation, October 2025. gov.uk/guidance/understanding-the-cmas-provisional-decision-in-its-vets-market-investigation
- Defra: Consultation on reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, January 2026.
