Accreditation of Vet Hospitals

All veterinary hospitals in SA must be accredited.  Accreditation can be through the Veterinary Surgeons Board of SA (VSBSA), or the Australian Small Animal Veterinary Association (ASAVA).  You should contact the ASAVA if you wish to apply for accreditation under their auspices.  (Hospitals with ASAVA accreditation are listed in SA as veterinary hospitals but are not required to undergo VSBSA accreditation).  To accredit with the VSBSA, you need to complete the application form (download Hosp Application current) for Hospital Status.  The premises will be inspected to ensure they meet the Standards for Veterinary Hospitals.  Every hospital is reinspected every three years to maintain hospital accreditation.

Hospital Standards

There is a public expectation that a Veterinary Hospital will offer a higher standard of service than that which is offered by a normal veterinary practice.   The Board encourages the development of veterinary hospitals in SA - they provide a high standard of service, with extended hours of service and quality care to patients. 

A Veterinary Hospital is an establishment where veterinary services are available at all times, and where full facilities are provided for examination, diagnosis, prophylaxis, medical treatment and surgery of animals. It provides where necessary, housing and nursing care up to a 24-hour per day basis for medical and surgical cases. 

Standards for Veterinary Hospitals

Change of ownership

Accreditation process

To be granted hospital status, the owners of the practice must make application on the appropriate form, have the premises inspected by a person appointed by the Board at a time convenient to both parties, and have the report approved by the Board. The inspector's report may recommend approval subject to minor changes. Once these have been acted upon, and the appropriate fee submitted, ($682.00 includes GST and inspection fee), along with a signed agreement to abide by the Standards, the Registrar will recommend to the Board approval of hospital status and issue a Certificate of Accreditation.

To maintain hospital status the premises must be inspected every three years, and / or approximately six months after a change of ownership.

The fee for subsequent inspections has been set at $517.00 (inc GST). Owners will be given at least 2 weeks notice of inspection.

Owners providing proof of current Australian Small Animal Veterinary Association Accreditation will not require inspection of premises. Such hospitals will automatically be added to the Veterinary Surgeons Board list of accredited veterinary hospitals in South Australia.

Further information can be obtained from the VSBSA document , Accreditation of Veterinary Hospitals which can be downloaded as a PDF file  Hospital Accreditation Policy  The document provides further information about the process of accreditation approved by the Board in September 2007.  

The agreement that must be signed at inspection is available to download.

Enquiries
All enquiries should be directed to the Registrar