Yes, you can. We do ask practices to respond to complaints or concerns in accordance with their own complaint process. If, however, you have concluded the process and the Client remains dissatisfied, then we are here to offer an independent mediation process. The involvement of an impartial mediator may help communication, understanding and ultimately find a resolution.

Please do remember Data Protection Regulations and do not share your client’s personal data with the VCMS without their permission. We can discuss complaint anonymously and on an in principle basis. As a practice you may want to provide a client with contact details for the VCMS so they can be guided to our service rather than seeking their own escalation pathway. Information guides are available online.

Please note, we cannot give legal advice and would always recommend that you contact your indemnity insurer or representative body if the complaint involves allegations of misconduct or criticises standards of veterinary care provided.

Take a look at our blog item here for the answer: Estimates: What Are They and What Do They Mean to Animal Owners?

Mediation with the VCMS is conducted as a ‘shuttle’ conversation.

The resolution manager will speak with the parties separately. We generally speak with the owner first so we can understand why the complaint is continuing and why they feel the matter has not been resolved via your response to their complaint.

This allows us to focus our time with the practice team on the live issues which are driving and escalating the complaint.

Having spoken with you both and gained an understanding of the cause and trigger of the complaint, we can move to explore options to resolve and bring matters to a conclusion.

You will not have to speak directly with the owner, and you will be asked if there are any aspects of the conversation which you do not want the resolution manager to share with the other party.

An impartial and non-judgmental resolution manager will listen, understand the impact of the complaint on both the practice team and then owner, and help you to assess the pros and cons of proposals to try and help reach a conclusion.

Mediation is not to be feared. It is a telephone conversation to explore the complaint from your perspective. There is no right or wrong and with an 87% resolution rate, it is worth a go!

If an owner has contacted the VCMS, it is clear that they remain unhappy and motivated to pursue their complaint further.

As a practice, you may have provided a full and clear explanation or response to the issues raised, however the owner has either misinterpreted, misunderstood or not accepted the response. You and the owner have therefore reached an impasse. At that stage, an owner will either take no further action but remain aggrieved or they will escalate the complaint.

Mediation can focus on why the response has not resolved matters for the owner. The process will try to help the resolution manager and in turn, the practice, to understand the remaining issues and to deal with any misinterpretation.

If an owner refuses to accept the explanation, mediation can explore why and using mediation techniques, we can start to re-gain trust and perspective so that owners can consider the response and make a more informed decision.

The process will also involve a ‘weighing up’ of the risks and benefits of escalating the complaint further. The VCMS will not provide advice to either party, but we will help parties to understand what is involved in escalating a complaint beyond mediation, and help a more informed and balanced decision to be made.

Discussing the complaint with an impartial and non-judgmental resolution manager can reveal some previously undisclosed triggers or issues – i.e. an owner sharing how a comment was interpreted or misunderstood. These issues can then be addressed, allowing the complaint to then move forward.

If mediation concludes without an agreement, then either party is free to take any escalation action appropriate – civil claim, raising a concern with the RCVS or, on the part of the practice, start debt recovery action.

Some complaints are about fee avoidance, and establishing this early is important. If a fee remains outstanding, it is important for a practice to find out why.

If the client does not share any dissatisfaction with the practice at the time of treatment/attendance at the practice, and subsequently raises an issue when debt recovery action is taken, then a practice will argue that the complaint is linked more to avoiding payment than a genuine issue.

There are occasions when the concerns raised are genuine but the client has been burying their head in the sand, or has been too upset to raise the issue. In mediation via the VCMS, we will seek to establish this early on.

It is also fair to say that clients who trust the practice and are happy with the care provided, will pay.

If the concerns raised are then explored and then resolved or dropped by the client, agreements can be reached to pay the outstanding fees.

If mediation is unsuccessful, the practice can pursue debt recovery action. Under the court rules, parties must show they have tried alternative dispute resolution (ADR), and the VCMS will meet that requirement.

The VCMS process tries to be a time efficient as possible. When an owner refers their complaint to the VCMS, we will approach the practice and ask for copy records and correspondence so we have a good understanding of the background ahead of the mediation calls.

The mediation will then be booked in with a resolution manager for a 45-minute call. We ask that the parties prepare for the mediation by reflecting on the complaint and considering possible proposals to be explored. There is no formal or pre-mediation process.

On the day of the mediation, we ask that the person participating in the call has the authority to make a decision on behalf of the practice. Having spoken with both parties separately, the resolution manager will explore ways in which the complaint could be resolved.

The aim is to finalise a resolution on that day. If a resolution is agreed, this is likely to be confirmed in a written Mediation Agreement which you will both be asked to sign before any resolution is implemented.

We would therefore estimate that direct contact time will be no more than 1-1.5 hours. This is far less than the time involved in responding to a request for information from the RCVS Professional Conduct Team if the complainant refers their complaint to the RCVS, or preparing formal responses or statements, and attending court in a civil claim. With an 87% resolution rate, it is worth a go!

Mediation is a non-judgmental process. The VCMS does not ‘investigate’ complaints and will not be assessing who is right and wrong.

Many complaints involve an owner’s criticism of the veterinary care provided, but when explored in detail, are really about communication and trust.

Very few complaints referred to the VCMS resolve on the basis of a practice accepting there were failings in the care provided.

In the main, resolutions are found when misunderstandings are explained, explanations are accepted, practices’ acknowledge the impact of a situation, service or communication on an owner and the underlying reason for a complaint can be addressed.

The emotional factors in complaints can also be explored and addressed in mediation. An owner’s emotions can make resolving a complaint more difficult, and if an impartial resolution manager can help manage the interaction and move the complaint along, this can help in finding a resolution.

A third party to hear and acknowledge the emotional impact and drivers of a complaint can be incredibly powerful and reveal issues which have triggered or been a barrier to resolving a complaint.

Mediation is not about whether you will compromise, but looks at what is constructive, will resolve the issues raised and bring the complaint to a conclusion.

If as a practice, you feel that you have done everything you can for a client and their animal, and have responded to their complaint in full, the complaint is continuing and unresolved.

If mediation can bring matters to a conclusion and find out why the complaint is ongoing, then it is effective and worth a go.

Handling complaints can be incredibly stressful. Complaints are feedback and when looking at the situation calmly, we would all value this feedback and the opportunity to reflect and improve. In most situations, the complaint is raised and resolved in the practice, and the client leaves the process satisfied. If dialogue remains constructive, a practice and the client work together to resolve the issues. When complaints escalate, they can become more emotive or have a more significant impact on our own wellbeing and health. The VCMS process is non-judgmental and focuses on a complaint as a practice/client conflict. Mediation is not about who is right or wrong, and does not investigate the circumstances of a complaint. The practice can decide who should represent the practice in the mediation, but is a supportive and collaborative process. Any member of the practice team can contact the Resolution Manager assigned to mediate the complaint or the Mediation Co-ordinator who progresses the complaint through the VCMS process. The Resolution Manager or Co-ordinator can answer any questions you may have and provide reassurance.

In VCMS mediation, the client and the practice representative are not involved in the same telephone call. The Resolution Manager will speak to each party separately, and then use a shuttle approach to explore proposals and reach a resolution. Communication will take place via the VCMS rather the directly, which can bring space and some helpful distance between those involved so we can explore the complaint, regain a clearer perspective and find a way forward.

If you feel a complaint, or any aspect of practice life is impacting on your wellbeing or health, then please discuss this with one of the VCMS Team. This will remain confidential and not shared in the mediation process. We would also signpost the fantastic work of the VetLife charity if you would prefer to talk to someone anonymously. They can help if you find it hard to close the complaint in your own mind or if it is affecting your life at home or in practice. The VCMS team approach mediation as sympathetic and impartial facilitators, and will work with both parties to ensure mediation is part of a solution.