The Council carries out inspections of veterinary premises to ensure the maintenance of Premises
Accreditation Scheme (PAS) Standards. The Council appoints independently contracted Premises
Assessors to carry out premises inspections on its behalf. Premises Assessors are asked to declare
any conflict of interest before an inspection is assigned. When a Certificate of Suitability (COS)
Holder or applicant is notified of the assigned Premises Assessor they are also asked to declare any
conflicts of interest to the Council before the inspection is arranged.

The Council may authorise the inspection of a veterinary premises for any of the following reasons:

A New Premises Application

On application to it in writing by a Registrant and on the submission of the required information and
fees, the Council will authorise an inspection of a new veterinary premises to verify its compliance
with the PAS Standards. An inspection report furnished to the Council by the appointed Premises
Assessor following completion of the inspection will identify any non-compliance with the PAS
Standards.

Routine Re-Visits to Registered Premises

The Council carries out routine re-visit inspections to approximately 25% of registered veterinary
premises annually. This is to ensure that premises registered by the Council are maintaining the
required PAS Standards. In general, the Council will carry out a routine re-visit inspection to every
registered premises at least once every four years. An inspection report furnished by the appointed
Premises Assessor following completion of the inspection will identify any non-compliances with the
PAS Standards for consideration by the Council. Routine re-visit inspections, at the discretion of the
Council, may be either announced or unannounced.

Non-Routine Re-Visits

In any case where the Council considers that it is appropriate, it may authorise a re-visit inspection
to a veterinary premises at any time to ensure compliance with the PAS Standards. An inspection
report furnished by the appointed Premises Assessor following completion of the inspection will
identify any non-compliances with the PAS Standards for consideration by the Council. Non-routine
re-visit inspections, at the discretion of the Council, may either be announced or unannounced.

Issues Addressed Following a Premises Inspection

During a premises inspection the assigned Premises Assessor will provide a list of any non-
compliances identified during the inspection and discuss how to address these non-compliances. The
Premises Assessor will also set a deadline in which each non-compliance needs to be addressed. COS
Applicants/COS Holders are required to submit confirmation, including all documentary evidence
available, to the VCI Executive office when all non-compliances have been addressed. Confirmation
can be submitted by post to the VCI office or by email to pas@vci.ie.

Should you have any queries regarding this, please don’t hesitate to contact the VCI Executive office
by email to pas@vci.ie.