Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 11
11
Accepted
APHA veterinary staff vacancy rates remain high despite a slight recent decrease.
Conclusion
In 2023–24, APHA’s peak vacancy rate for vets was 24% (108 full-time equivalent staff) which had fallen to 20% (99 full-time equivalent staff) in April 2025.13 In correspondence received after the evidence session the Department stated that it has a target of approximately 470 full-time equivalent vet roles within APHA with a current vacancy rate of around 15% (9% excluding jobs under offer).14
Government Response Summary
The department is establishing a government veterinary services working group to create a workforce strategy and will consult on reform of the Veterinary Surgeon’s Act, which will include regulation for Allied Veterinary Professionals and legal protection for the title of Veterinary Nurses.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation Target implementation date: March 2027 2.2 Current vet capacity challenges are being managed through initiatives such as pay 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. 2.3 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. 16 2.4 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.