Complaints procedure

How to complain about the Veterinary Medicines Directorate's services.

Before you make a complaint

We can help with complaints about our service, the way we operate, or how an application for a marketing authorisations has been handled.

We cannot help with complaints:

  • about a veterinary surgeon or veterinary nurse. These concerns should be addressed to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). This includes; the conduct of a veterinary surgeon, including animal treatments; pricing of veterinary medicines; and veterinary surgeon fees and charges

  • relating to the customer service aspects of medicine retailers. These can be reported to your Local Authority Trading Standards. Contact details for your local office can be found by searching www.gov.uk

  • relating to the disposal of veterinary medicines, this is an issue for the Environment Agency

  • about government policy that does not fall within the VMD’s remit

How to complain

If you are dissatisfied with our level of service, as stated in our Service Standards email us at postmaster@vmd.gov.uk for the attention of the Chief Operating Officer.

This includes:

  • the way an application for a marketing authorisation assessment has been handled
  • our regulation of post-authorisation services, for example an Inspection
  • any of our Business Support services, such as our IT services or our GOV.UK site

What happens next

If the Chief Operating Officer considers your concerns to be a complaint against the standards of service you can expect from us, we will confirm this within 5 working days of receipt of your email.

We will investigate your complaint and send you a full response within 20 working days. If this is not possible, we will let you know why and tell you when you can expect a full response.

If you’re not fully satisfied with our response

If you are not fully satisfied with the way your complaint has been handled, you can reply asking for your concerns to be escalated to the VMD Chief Executive Officer. They will conduct an internal review to ensure your complaint is thoroughly investigated and will provide you with a full explanation within 20 working days. If this is not possible, then we will write to you to explain why and tell you when you can expect a full response.

You have 28 working days from the date of your previous response to request an internal review. Your request must be in writing and clearly set out why you feel the complaint requires further consideration and provide any relevant information.

If you remain unsatisfied

If you remain unsatisfied with the way in which we have handled your complaint you can write to any Member of Parliament and ask for your complaint to be passed to the Parliamentary and Health Standards Ombudsman.

Your complaint must be made to your MP within 12 months from the day you received a response to our internal review. If the Ombudsman receives a case after this deadline they will only investigate if they consider there are exceptional circumstances to consider.

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