16/10/2025
Compassion, Conversation & Clarity:
A Vet Nurse’s View on the CMA Provisional Decision
Yestyerdays CMA provisional decision has landed, and with it, a mix of relief, concern, and reflection across the professions and public, along with many professionals who are both pet owners and professionals.
Yes, we really are both.
There’s no denying that many of the recommendations make sense. Price transparency, clear ownership, easy access to prescriptions, open communication around estimates and cremation costs; these are steps that strengthen trust and understanding between pet guardians and veterinary teams. Many practices already strive to uphold these values every day.
But behind the policy documents and bullet points, there are lived realities that rarely fit neatly into headlines or spreadsheets.
I’ve worked across corporates, independents, and charities, and if there’s one thing that unites them all, it’s the shared commitment to doing what’s best for the animals in our care. That intent is often lost in translation, particularly when media coverage focuses only on cost or comparison, without exploring the why behind our actions. In the last 3 years alone, my mortgage, electric, gas, food bills and insurance costs rose dramatically, so did the costs to keep the doors of practices open. Many closed.
We don’t manually restrain pets for X-rays because our teams would be exposed to ionising radiation daily, or because the stress caused could harm the patient. We use sedation not to inflate a bill, but to keep animals and people safe. We don’t reach for cheaper human medicines because our use is governed by the cascade, a strict legal framework ensuring safety, dosage accuracy, and patient welfare. Sometimes, even if we wanted to suggest something, we aren’t legally allowed. It frustrates us too.
And on the topic of medicine pricing, this deserves real conversation.
Online pharmacies can often undercut veterinary practice prices simply because practices can’t buy medication that cheaply in the first place. We’re bound to source through licensed veterinary wholesalers, not online retailers. The cost difference isn’t because we want to charge more; it’s because the supply chain rules are entirely different. It’s worth looking at who owns those online pharmacies……it isn’t Steve down the road. Is that transparent?
Then there’s the call for same-day written prescriptions. In principle, it sounds straightforward and transparency is absolutely something we support. But in reality, generating and signing those prescriptions takes time, clinical review, and careful documentation. Every same-day request pulls a vet or nurse away from patient care, often in the middle of a busy treatment list or emergency. We absolutely want owners to have choice, but we also want to make sure that choice doesn’t come at the expense of care.
These nuances matter. And they can be hard to appreciate unless you’ve stood in a prep room at 2 a.m. with a collapsed patient and limited options, or tried to explain to a worried owner why the kindest, safest course costs more than anyone wishes it did.
So while many of the CMA’s proposals are steps in the right direction, some could unintentionally create new challenges, especially for small, independent, or rural practices already stretched thin. Implementation timelines, administrative demands, and the emotional toll on teams need careful thought. Words carry weight, so if you are going to add to the social noise, consider if it’s constructive. Yes, you may have paid X for your cat's hospital care. When stating that, it might be worth mentioning that a multidisciplinary team worked to provide round-the-clock care in an ICU to bring them back from the brink of death, and you were updated re the cost daily, which you consented to. Or that the corporate vet capped your bill to save the life of your 18-month-old lab whose insurance had lapsed.
Transparency works 2 ways.
What we need now, as professionals, regulators, and pet owners, is compassion and conversation, not conflict.
Transparency is vital, but so is trust. Regulation is necessary, but it must be balanced with realism.
This isn’t a time for blame or defensiveness; it’s a moment for openness.
For listening. For learning. For remembering that every person at the consult table, whether wearing scrubs or holding the lead, wants the same thing: the best care possible for that animal.
Let’s make sure our next steps are guided by that shared purpose.
