James Herriot’s former practice Skeldale Veterinary Hospital has been awarded Hospital Status and Emergency Care accreditation by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) under its Practice Standards Scheme.
The prestigious accreditation is awarded to veterinary practices following an inspection by a Practice Standards Scheme Assessor and indicates that the practice operates to the highest UK standards in terms of its premises, equipment and team. The scheme aims to maintain and improve clinical standards by monitoring performance and the outcome of treatments.
Skeldale Veterinary Hospital, now part of the Medivet Group, expanded earlier this year, opening a branch in nearby Ripon. It also achieved the Gold Standard in the Cat Friendly Clinic programme run by the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM), the veterinary division of International Cat Care, a charity focused on raising standards of care for cats. Cat Friendly Clinic rates practices as Bronze, Silver or Gold in terms of the “cat-friendliness” of the environment they offer.
As part of its preparation for the award, Skeldale Veterinary Hospital introduced a dedicated “Cat Advocate”. Their role is to ensure that all cat-friendly standards are adhered to and to support cat owners during visits to the practice to minimise stress to patients and owners.
Commenting on the award of RCVS Hospital Status and its other achievements this year, Dr Sarah Beckerlegge, partner and veterinary surgeon, said: “While we are proud of our heritage and James Herriot, we’ve come a long way since then. As part of the Medivet family we are looking to the future and pushing ourselves to provide ever higher standards of care to our patients.
“We were thrilled to receive Gold Standard accreditation under the Cat Friendly Clinic programme – and earning Hospital and Emergency Care accreditation from the RCVS on top of this was a fantastic way to end 2021. Our whole team has worked so hard to achieve this recognition and we thank them all for their dedication and commitment – especially during a year made more difficult by the pandemic.
“We also thank our clients and their wonderful animals and we look forward to continuing to serve them in the months ahead.”
