How to communicate a price increase to veterinary clients

A fee change is harder to explain when the first time a client sees it is on an invoice or at reception. So the plan for telling clients belongs in the same meeting as the pricing decision.

That has always been good practice. Under the CMA Order made on 22 September 2026, parts of it are becoming a compliance matter too. Once the price list rules apply to your practice, listed prices have to be published online and in the practice, and updated before a new price is charged.

This guide covers what the Order changes, how much notice to give, what the client message needs, and how to prepare the team who will be asked about it.

What the CMA Order changes about fee changes

The CMA's final report found that average vet prices rose 63% between 2016 and 2023, compared with 32% CPI inflation over the same period. The remedies that followed are designed to make prices easier for pet owners to see and compare.

The Order requires a defined standard price list. A schedule to the Order sets out which services, products, treatments and procedures it covers. It does not cover every fee a practice charges. But for the items it does cover, changes will now be visible.

For the price list, the Order lists 22 December 2026 for large veterinary businesses and 22 March 2027 for small ones. Compliance applies from the next working day after the relevant date. A large veterinary business is one with 15 or more first opinion practices and/or out-of-hours centers. Our CMA pricing transparency compliance guide sets out the wider preparation sequence.

Three provisions matter most when fees change. Where a practice intends to change the price of anything on its price list, it must update the list before the revised price is charged. The same rule applies to the parasiticide price list and to published health plan information. And the first digital message confirming a consultation booking must include the consultation price and a link to the price list. A consultation fee change therefore means checking any digital booking confirmation templates that quote the consultation price.

A later phase will feed this information into the enhanced RCVS Find a Vet service and approved third-party comparison tools. The submission requirement begins on the later of 22 September 2027 or three months after the RCVS has completed the relevant platform work. Once it applies, covered price changes must also be submitted to the RCVS before the revised price is charged.

Decide the change before you write the message

The reasons for a fee change will be specific to each practice. For some, staffing costs will be part of it. The National Living Wage rose to £12.71 an hour in April 2026 for workers aged 21 and over, which raises the statutory pay floor for eligible staff.

For others, the CMA remedies themselves may feed into the review. The written prescription fee cap may reduce fee income for practices currently charging above it. Separately, easier access to written prescriptions may lead more clients to buy medicines elsewhere, which could affect dispensing income. Practices should model both effects before deciding whether other fees need to change.

Whatever the reason, write it down for each material change in plain language. If the team cannot explain a change clearly, revisit the pricing decision before communicating it. If different services are changing by different amounts, brief the team on the reason for each.

If some commonly used services are not changing, it can be useful to say so in the client message.

How much notice to give

RCVS guidance does not prescribe a standard advance notice period for ordinary treatment fee changes. It treats fees as a matter between practice and client, and expects clients to receive clear information about fees and how they are calculated.

Where practical, tell clients before the change takes effect, so the first communication is not the invoice. The Order sets the minimum for listed items: the published list must be updated before the revised price is charged.

Health plans and Direct Debits need separate checks. Plan contract terms may set their own notice requirements, so confirm these before announcing a plan price change. If the plan is collected by Direct Debit, check the agreed advance notice terms too. Under the Direct Debit Guarantee, changes to the amount, date or frequency are normally notified 10 working days in advance unless another period has been agreed. Under the Order, published health plan information must also be updated before revised plan prices are charged. Clients on an annual plan that renews automatically must get a reminder before it renews.

Where appropriate, tell active clients through the service channels the practice already uses for account and appointment communications, rather than relying only on a website update. Our piece on automated client communications covers how to send this kind of message to the right clients.

What the client message needs

The message can be short. It needs the effective date, the old and new price where relevant, a brief practice-specific reason, a link to the updated price list, and a way to get in touch. A structure like this works for most practices:

From [date], some of our fees will change. Our standard consultation will change from £[x] to £[y]. You can see the updated price list at [link]. We have reviewed our fees to reflect [practice-specific reason]. [Optional: name any relevant service or plan that is not changing.] If you have any questions, please contact the practice on [phone or email].

Keep the explanation concise and relevant to the change. Avoid language that makes the practice sound uncertain about its own pricing. Dr Nick Lloyd and Flo Page of Vetsure make this point in their session on health plans, pricing strategy and CMA preparation, which covers helping teams drop apologetic language around fees.

Brief the team before the message goes out

Reception will usually hear the first questions. Before the message goes out, give the front desk a single page. It should cover the dates, the reasons in plain language, short answers to likely questions, and who can approve an exception. Our guide to veterinary front desk management covers building that kind of preparation into everyday reception work.

Vets and nurses need the same briefing. The website, the receptionist and the clinician should all give the same explanation. Inconsistent answers can undermine confidence in the practice.

Check the practical details at the same time. Booking confirmation templates, reception price notices and anything else that quotes a price should be updated alongside the price list.

When a client raises affordability

A client who is worried about affording care needs a different conversation from one who is querying the new fee. The priority is to discuss clinically appropriate options and likely costs clearly.

RCVS guidance supports discussing a range of reasonable treatment options, their likely charges, and estimates. Where clinically appropriate, that may include alternative treatment pathways or timing, together with realistic estimates. From the later written estimate compliance date, qualifying higher-cost treatment pathways will also require a written estimate under Article 11 of the Order. Our CMA pricing transparency compliance guide covers the threshold and update rules.

A health plan or payment arrangement may help some clients. That depends on the practice's existing payment arrangements and any applicable FCA requirements. RCVS guidance notes that some payment plans can amount to regulated credit agreements.

Discounts are commercially permissible if they are transparent. If staff have discretion to offer discounts or payment arrangements, define that policy in advance rather than improvising at reception.

Before the new fees go live

Update whichever published information the change affects: the main price list, the parasiticide price list and/or health plan information. Do this before the revised listed price is charged. If the consultation price changes, check digital booking confirmation templates as well. Then update in-practice notices, brief reception and clinical staff, and send the client message. If the team can explain the change clearly and consistently, the communication is ready to go.

To see how Lupa OS handles pricing, client messaging and invoicing in one system, book a demo.