The Competition and Markets Authority's Order on veterinary services was made in September 2026, and it turns a lot of front-desk habits into legal requirements. Practices must publish standard price lists, put prices into digital booking confirmations, offer written prescriptions at capped fees, and run a written complaints process with mediation. Most of these land on reception first, because that is where owners ask "how much?"
What did the CMA decide, and when does it apply?
The CMA published its final decision in March 2026 and the Veterinary Services Market Investigation Order 2026 in September 2026, which makes the remedies legally binding (CMA guidance for veterinary businesses; CMA Order 2026). The report found average vet prices rose 63% between 2016 and 2023, against general inflation of 32% over the same period (CMA final report summary).
Deadlines depend on size. The CMA treats businesses with 15 or more first opinion practices (FOPs) as larger, and those with fewer as smaller. Smaller businesses generally get longer.
| Remedy | What it means for reception | Larger (15+ FOPs) | Smaller |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard price list | Prices published online and in the waiting area | 3 months | 6 months |
| Out-of-hours and service information | OOH provider, phone numbers and hours published | 3 months | 6 months |
| Complaints process and mediation | Written process, complaint log, timed responses | 6 months | 6 months |
| Prescription fee caps | £21 first item, £12.50 each additional | 6 months | 12 months |
| Written estimates (£500+) and itemised bills | Vets give estimates; bills itemised | 9 months | 12 months |
| Telling owners about written prescriptions | Written materials and verbal prompts | 9 months | 12 months |
Timings run from when the Order was made, according to the CMA's guidance. Ownership transparency for groups has 6 months for all.
What changes for price questions on the phone?
Every FOP must publish a standard price list covering a defined set of services if you offer them: first and repeat consultations, out-of-hours consultations, nurse consultations, vaccinations, microchipping, neutering, routine dentistry, common diagnostics and surgery, prescription and dispensing fees, euthanasia and cremation, and more. Prices must include VAT, sit no more than one click from your homepage, and be displayed in the reception or waiting area (CMA guidance).
Once your prices are public, owners will quote them back to you. That has two consequences for the phone:
- The answer on the phone must match the list. If reception quotes a consultation fee that differs from the website, the owner has written proof of the discrepancy.
- Price questions get easier, not harder. "How much is a booster?" now has one correct answer that anyone answering the phone can give.
What reception should not do is estimate the cost of treatment. Written estimates are a vet's job: the CMA requires one when a recommended treatment pathway is reasonably likely to cost £500 or more including VAT, with a written update if the estimate is likely to rise by 20% or £500, whichever is lower.
Do booking confirmations need prices?
Yes, if they are digital. The CMA's guidance says that when booking an appointment, any digital communication confirming the booking should contain price information for the consultation fee and any pre-booked standard treatments, plus a direct link to the price list on the website (CMA guidance).
That covers texts, emails and WhatsApp confirmations, whoever or whatever sends them. Check every template your practice management system, booking tool or messaging service sends, and add:
- The consultation fee for the booked appointment type
- The price of any pre-booked standard treatment (for example a vaccination)
- A direct link to your price list page
What changes for prescriptions?
Owners will start ringing to ask for written prescriptions, because practices must tell them they can request one and that medicines may be cheaper elsewhere. The CMA caps the fee at £21 including VAT for the first medicine prescribed in a consultation and £12.50 for each additional medicine in the same consultation. A written prescription must be given in hard copy by the end of the consultation or digitally within 48 hours (CMA guidance).
Reception needs a simple, consistent answer for "Can I have a prescription instead?" and a clear process for passing requests to a vet.
What changes for complaints?
Every FOP needs a written in-house complaint process, published on its website, and a complaint log. The CMA's minimum standard is to try to resolve complaints in the normal course of business, for example during a phone call. If that is not possible within 5 working days, it becomes an actionable complaint that must be acknowledged in writing within 5 working days, with a full response within 8 weeks. If it is still unresolved and the owner wishes, the practice must take part in mediation (CMA guidance).
Because the clock starts with the first contact, a complaint made on the phone counts. Reception needs a way to record it with the date, so the 5-day point is not missed.
And the phones themselves?
None of this reduces the number of calls. If anything, published prices, prescription rights and a formal complaints route give owners more reasons to ring, and those calls arrive while the team is consulting. Back in 2017, a British Veterinary Association survey found that 98% of vets felt under pressure at some time from clients to waive fees or accept late payment, and that support staff such as receptionists often bear the brunt of threatening behaviour (BVA, 2017). Clear, published answers help reception stay out of arguments about price.
Remi can take some of the routine load: it answers the practice phone and WhatsApp at any hour, books and reschedules appointments, takes detailed messages for the team, and puts urgent calls through to the vet you choose. It never gives veterinary advice. You can see how an AI receptionist set up for vet practices handles bookings and urgent calls alongside your team.
Reception checklist for the CMA Order
- Phone answers on price match the published price list exactly
- Booking confirmation templates include consult fee, pre-booked treatment price and price list link
- Out-of-hours provider, numbers and hours published and correct
- Standard answer for written prescription requests, and a hand-off process to the vet
- Treatment cost questions passed to the vet, not estimated at the desk
- Complaints logged with the date of first contact, including phone complaints
- Staff briefed on what the practice's deadlines are, based on your size
The short version
The CMA Order made in September 2026 requires vet practices to publish standard prices, include prices and a price-list link in digital booking confirmations, cap written prescription fees at £21 and £12.50, give written estimates for treatment likely to cost £500 or more, and run a written complaints process with mediation. Smaller businesses (under 15 FOPs) generally have 6 to 12 months, larger ones 3 to 9 months. For reception, the job is consistency: quote the published price, send compliant confirmations, pass clinical cost questions to the vet, and log every complaint from the first call.