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Accreditation and Awards
The Royal Veterinary College’s Equine Referral Hospital has been designated as 'Outstanding' by the Practice Standards Scheme (PSS), a voluntary quality assurance system designed to promote the highest standards of veterinary care.
The PSS was established by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), which regulates the veterinary and veterinary nursing professions in the UK. The PSS steering committee is chaired by a representative of the RCVS and composed of representatives from all of the major veterinary and veterinary nursing organisations in the UK.
The PSS Awards require everyone in the clinical team to be working and thinking to the highest possible standards, and for a hospital or practice to have a strong culture of continuous improvement. Assessment is based on a review of processes and documentation and also interviews with team members to assess how these processes are implemented.
The Equine Referral Hospital has been assessed for 'Client Services', In-patient Services', 'Team and Professional Responsibility' and 'Diagnostic Service', and the Equine practice for 'Ambulatory Service' in 2019.
The Client Service Award is given to practices who demonstrate high levels of care for their clients. This award comprises only one module, Client Experience, encompassing practical and behavioural steps that practices can take to improve Client Service.
This award allows practices to demonstrate excellence in the service they provide to patients staying within the practice. So, for example, it assesses factors such as facilities, out-of-hours service provision and maintaining an aseptic surgical environment.
The Team and Professional Responsibility Award allows practices to demonstrate they have systems in place to make sure that the welfare and safety of staff is paramount, and that their knowledge and training is kept up-to-date.
The Diagnostic Service Award recognises the practice’s services in terms of the use diagnostic of techniques, such as radiography and ultrasound, and the training and safety measures in place for these.
The Ambulatory Service Award recognises how the quality of the practice is reflected in the ambulatory services it offers to clients and patients. For example, it recognises further qualifications and training, recognising and treating pain appropriately and maintaining hygiene and safety in practice vehicles.
Veterinary hospitals and practices that are successful in the PSS are also designated as RCVS Accredited Practices