Accreditation Standards for Veterinary Facilities in Ontario
Veterinary facility accreditation standards ensure veterinary practices support the delivery of safe, quality veterinary care to the public. Veterinarians and the public can be assured that practices with a Certificate of Accreditation have been inspected and meet facility accreditation standards for the delivery of veterinary medicine in Ontario.
The objectives of the accreditation standards are to:
- Provide assurance that a facility meets the standards of quality and safety that are deemed essential to all facilities
- Ensure all veterinary facilities adhere to a set of approved standards
- Provide a model of facility accreditation that reflects the services and scopes of practice that are relevant to a specific facility and its scope of practice
- Have a flexible and progressive accreditation program that adapts to the evolving nature of practice
How does the facility accreditation model work?
The Facility Director, who is a veterinarian, demonstrates to the College how the practice meets the facility standards that apply to the veterinary services they provide. The new model recognizes there may be numerous ways to meet the standard. All facilities will be required to meet a set of Essential Standards that apply to all scopes of practice and species (e.g., infection control, biosecurity, medical records, etc.). Additional required standards will be specific to the veterinary services provided (i.e., surgery, radiology).
Each practice pays an annual accreditation fee based on their scope of practice. A smaller, limited scope of practice may only need to meet the Essential Standards. A larger, full-service practice will need to meet the Essential Standards and the Additional Scope of Services Standards that would apply to their scope of practice.
Facilities that meet all the standards at the time of inspection receive a five-year Certificate of Accreditation, meaning that the certificate will expire five years after it is issued. Those facilities that do not meet all the standards will have 30 days to demonstrate full compliance to receive a five-year Certificate of Accreditation. If there are still standards that are not met after 30 days, the facility will be referred to the Accreditation Committee for a decision on the Certificate of Accreditation, which may include a condition that it expire at an earlier date than five years. There is an increased annual fee for practices whose certificate expires earlier than five years.
