Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Accepted
Produce a veterinary workforce strategy to effectively address APHA's vet vacancies
Recommendation
Not enough is being done to tackle the high level of vet vacancies within APHA, which limits its ability to respond to an outbreak. APHA struggles to recruit and retain sufficient vets. APHA’s vet vacancy rate fluctuates– it was 20% in April 2025, but it had fallen to 15% in September 2025. The reasons for difficulties recruiting and retaining government vets are not unique to APHA, or the UK. Major factors include: mental health issues relating to activities such as culling animals; pay and conditions; and 2 working hours. APHA has introduced several strategies to improve the situation such as specialist pay provisions and mental health support, but recognises it needs to do more to attract and retain vets. The Department is considering updating the Veterinary Surgeons Act to enable other professionals, such as trained veterinary nurses, to undertake work under vet supervision. recommendation APHA should in the next year produce a veterinary workforce strategy to address vet vacancies. This should set out its understanding of the underlying issues, and how it will make most effective use of tools/ solutions including: using other technical staff; learning from previous schemes; and how other countries are approaching this issue.
Government Response Summary
The government is establishing a government veterinary services working group to create a workforce strategy and will consult on reforms to the Veterinary Surgeon’s Act. It also provided specific milestones for digital transformation, including a customer contact form by spring 2026 and a customer portal by 2026-27.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation allowances for vets. These allowances are used by certain departments to support recruitment and retention within the Civil Service, including APHA. The Home Office underwent a regulatory reform programme last year, recruiting a small cadre of temporary inspectors loaned from Other Government Department veterinary teams to temporarily fill vacancies –a model that will be looked at in the Defra/AHPA led workforce strategy. The department is establishing a government veterinary services working group to create a workforce strategy in line with this recommendation. The strategy will support the vet profession particularly in government and ultimately the delivery against animal health and welfare objectives. It aims to build cross-departmental collaboration around veterinary recruitment and retention. In addition, and as announced in the 2025 Autumn Budget, the department will consult on reform of the Veterinary Surgeon’s Act. Proposed reforms will bolster veterinary workforce capacity by widening the professional team, through the introduction of regulation for Allied Veterinary Professionals and legal protection for the title of Veterinary Nurses which will also allow vets to focus on more specialist tasks and provide better understanding for both the profession and the public of the veterinary profession. million over the six years. The programme provides APHA with a clear plan for transforming end-to-end disease and pest management processes and systems. 4.3 This programme of work enables innovation, using automation, self-service and modern digital tools to streamline and standardise APHA’s services and improve efficiency of delivery and statutory duties such as inspections. 4.4 DSF Programme focus in 2025-26 is on building core capabilities and will pivot to commence end- to-end services from 2026-27. Due to complete by spring 2026, a digital customer contact form is being designed and developed, which will replace approximately 36 external APHA mailboxes, and enable the collation of customer data insights whilst improving customer contact. 4.5 From spring 2026 APHA will have a strategic platform for endemic and exotic licencing capability. 4.6 From summer 2026 APHA will commence workforce management and in field data capture for a priority animal inspection service. 4.7 From autumn 2026 APHA will commence risk-based determination of disease movement licence applications. 4.8 In the 2026-27 development of a customer-facing portal will commence, which will allow customers to update and maintain their data and view licence application status. 4.9 Progress toward these milestones is dependent on future funding arrangements, and additional funding may be required.