Veterinary premises

Applications

• Complete the online form (Choose "Apply for use of premises as veterinary premises or to conduct a house call practice")
• Fees are payable online using Visa or MasterCard
• Please open the online form to see the documentation you will need to attach to your application. The application process requires you to complete a self assessment document to ensure that uniform minimum standards in veterinary care apply across the state. You will be required to complete different documents depending on the type/s of practice proposed.

If you would like us to post you a hardcopy of the form please phone or email us your postal address. For help phone +61 (0)7 3087 8777 or email vsbqld@daf.qld.gov.au

Minimum standards

The models of veterinary premises are:

• veterinary consulting/examination rooms (no general anaesthetic procedures permitted),
• veterinary surgery/clinic (in terms of premises standards there is no distinction between the designation ‘veterinary surgery’ and ‘veterinary clinic’),
• veterinary hospital/centre (24 hour emergency medical and surgical care provided),
• veterinary house call practice.

The application process requires you to complete a self assessment document to ensure that uniform minimum standards in veterinary care apply across the state. You will be required to complete different documents depending on the type/s of practice proposed. Please open the online form to see the documentation you will need to attach to your application.

When applications are required

You must submit an application to:

• conduct veterinary practice from premises not previously approved as veterinary premises;
• relocate approved veterinary practice premises;
• upgrade approved veterinary premises to a higher level of practice i.e. consulting rooms to surgery/clinic or surgery/clinic to hospital/centre.
• conduct a veterinary house call practice.

Conditions of approval

Conditions are applied to all premises approvals. Standard conditions relate to the right for the Board to inspect premises, continuing compliance with premises standards, change of ownership and designation of premises in business/practice name.

Ownership of premises

Ownership of veterinary premises is not restricted to registered veterinarians but registered veterinarians must be employed to conduct the practice.

Inspections

Routinely a Board inspection will also be conducted in all applications where the premises are intended to be classified as a veterinary hospital, veterinary centre or emergency referral facility.

Routinely a Board inspection will be conducted in all applications where the premises are wholly owned by non-veterinarians including animal welfare groups and the premises are intended for the conduct of general anaesthetic procedures.

Premises can be inspected as the result of any complaint lodged with the Board relating to the standard of practice conducted thereat.

Random inspections of premises are conducted at the Board’s discretion.

Change of practice ownership

A condition applied to all premises is that the Board must be notified of a change of practice ownership i.e. where the approval holder will no longer be an owner. This does not apply in the case of an addition of owners when the approval holder remains an owner.

Continuing Board approval of premises under new ownership will be dependent on receipt by the Board of advice from the purchaser that the premises prior to sale are of a standard at least equivalent to the minimum premises standards applied by the Board. This applies a responsibility to the vendor to maintain the premises to the required standard to ensure sale and provides the purchaser with the guarantee that Board approval for the premises will continue after sale.

On receipt by the Board of the required advice from the purchaser an approval form in the purchaser’s name may be issued.

The conduct of a veterinary practice from premises by a person who is not the approval holder would represent a breach of a condition of approval which may result in cancellation or suspension of the approval.

Conditions apply equally to freehold or leased premises.

The Board may of its own motion conduct a review of veterinary premises that have undergone or are undergoing a change of ownership.

Purchasers of premises given Board approval more than 15 years prior to change of ownership will be required to reapply for premises approval.

Business name

The business name registered with the Office of Fair Trading should satisfy the conditions of the Board approval if continuing approval is to be maintained.

A condition of approval of premises will be that designating words such as 'hospital', 'centre' or 'emergency' must not be used in the name of the premises unless the practice and premises meet the required minimum standards for a veterinary hospital/centre.

A condition of approval of premises will be that evidence of registration of a business name must be provided to the Board within a specified time after Board approval of the premises.

A further condition will be that an approval holder must advise the Board of any proposed change of business name.

The Board may suspend or cancel an approval if it believes on reasonable grounds that the approval holder has not complied with the conditions of approval relating to the business name.

Professional misconduct provisions apply or in the case of a non-veterinarian, offence provisions apply, if such conditions of approval are not complied with.

Failure to apply for Board approval for veterinary premises

Veterinary surgeons—professional misconduct provisions apply. Persons other than veterinary surgeons—offence provisions apply.

Closure of practice premises

An approval holder must notify the Board of cessation of use of premises as veterinary premises.

Current approvals

All premises approval holders are issued with formal notification of Board approval for use of their designated premises as veterinary premises.

Conditions of the approval are detailed on the notification.

Approval notification should be stored for production as evidence of Board approval to allow for change of practice ownership and may be displayed at the premises as an indication to clients that the premises are Board approved premises.

Practices where premises approval dates back more that fifteen years are encouraged to re-apply for approval of the premises in terms of the current minimum standards. The Board however may of its own motion direct that a review be conducted of any previously approved premises.

List of approved veterinary premises

The Board maintains a database of approved veterinary premises for regulatory purposes. The listing of approved premises can be found here.

Signage

Veterinary premises must display the names and the qualifications (as recorded in the register) of the veterinarians who work at the premises. This does not apply for veterinarians working temporarily for 30 days or less.