Paragon Vets becomes first group to receive PSS environmental award

Paragon Vets has become the first veterinary group to be awarded an Outstanding achievement in Environmental Sustainability. The new Environmental Sustainability Award, which came into effect from 1 January 2023, was brought into place to provide accredited practices with an opportunity to demonstrate that they are excelling with their environmental sustainability credentials and have embedded sustainable behaviours into all aspects of their work.

In order to be considered for the award, all practices are expected to meet the Core Standards and General Practice level requirements for the new Environmental Sustainability Module which officially comes into force on 1 June 2023. Within the Core requirements, which must be adhered to by all practices under the Code of Professional Conduct, two new changes have been introduced, including requirements around responsible and accountable use of ectoparaciticides and endoparasiticides, and the need for all practices to have a written environmental sustainability policy.

At General Practice level, for practices who are accredited or seeking accreditation under the Practice Standards Scheme, there are eight further modules being brought into place, with two amendments being brought in on existing requirements. These include having a dedicated sustainability champion and/or team, advising clients to return unused medicines for safe and sustainable disposal, and employing techniques to reduce usage of anaesthetic gas.

Lead PSS Assessor, Dr Alice Duvernois MRCVS, said: “It was really fantastic to be able to visit the Paragon sites along with my fellow assessors. They have shown true dedication and passion when it comes to environmental sustainability and the awards are very well deserved.

“Sometimes, when it comes to sustainability, it can be difficult to know where to start. But it’s the simplest things like creating a wellbeing garden with bat, bird and bug boxes, recycling dog and cat hair for nesting birds, creating informative notice boards for clients, and using recyclable consumables where possible, that an make an enormous difference.

“Paragon has gone above and beyond, but we hope that all practices will take some inspiration from them and start taking steps to becoming more environmentally aware. With the new requirements coming into place in June, this is the perfect time to get inspired and try something new. We’re not expecting people to change the whole essence of their practices overnight, but we all need to make an effort to be more sustainable where we can. We are here to support people to make those small changes and will provide support and guidance where needed.”

For more information and guidance on the new requirements and the award, visit the RCVS Environmental Sustainability Module and Award page, where a recording of a recent webinar covering the new standards is also available to view: