What is a Veterinary Hospital ?
In order to be granted the title “Veterinary Hospital” a surgery must be inspected regularly and meet strict criteria laid down by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and the British Veterinary Hospital Association. These include rules governing the structure and design of the building (e.g. separate kennelling facilities for dogs and cats, suitable flooring, disabled access, emergency power and lighting etc.), the equipment provided (x-ray facilities, endoscopes etc.) and the provision of nursing care for in-patients 24 hours a day. The Walnut Tree Hospital was opened in October 1999 and was the first veterinary surgery in Milton Keynes to be granted hospital status. It is at present the only veterinary premises in, or about Milton Keynes which has passed these very strict standards. This enables us to call ourselves a Veterinary Hospital.
This text is reproduced with the kind permission of the British Veterinary Hospitals Association (BVHA): “BVHA Hospital members have voluntarily agreed to have an intensive examination and inspection of their practices. This inspection is carried out by independent inspectors appointed by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), our governing body. The inspection covers a whole range of issues relating to the care of patients – for example the continuing education of staff, the provision of anaesthetic monitoring and laboratory equipment, the quality of radiographic (X-ray) facilities and the quality of the case records. It also covers the physical aspects of the buildings – for example the provision of isolation facilities to prevent the spread of disease from infectious patients. One of the most important aspects of a Veterinary Hospital is that they have members of staff on the premises 24 hours a day. These members of the veterinary team are specifically responsible for the
