How long do veterinarians have to keep records

Should legal action be brought against a registered veterinary practitioner, all documentary evidence would be brought to account. In that case it can be considered that veterinary medical records would be needed in defence. Retention of medical records and diagnostic images Print. Ratification Date: 01 Aug Policy Medical records and diagnostic images remain the property of the veterinarian or practice, not the client, and must be retained for legal reasons.

Background It has been well established by legal precedents that medical records and diagnostic images e. NSW The Regulations in NSW require a veterinarian to keep all records of any consultation, procedure or treatment for at least 3 years from when they were created cl 15 3. South Australia In relation to how long the records should be kept, the Veterinary Practice Act does not specifically identify this. Northern Territory On the subject of maintenance and retention of veterinary medical records, the Code of Conduct prescribed in the Northern Territory Veterinarians Regulations, states as follows: Code of Conduct — Prescribed in Schedule 2 of Veterinarians Regulations Clause 4 2 and 3 of the Code of Conduct include the following provisions on the maintenance of veterinary records: Clause 4 2 A registered veterinarian shall keep case records in relation to each individual animal in his or her care and shall, unless parting with the record for the purposes of the provision of veterinary services by another person or at the written request of the owner, retain the record relating to an animal for a period of not less than 3 years beginning on the day on which he or she last examined or treated the animal.

Clause 4 3 Where records are provided at the written request of an owner in pursuance of subclause 2 , the registered veterinarians shall obtain and retain a receipt signed by the owner in lieu of the record. Queensland The statutory requirement is that case records must be kept by a veterinary surgeon for a minimum of 3 years from the day the last information about the animal is recorded.

Tasmania The Tasmanian Veterinary Surgeons Act at s34 requires that vets keep records for 7 years. Veterinary Surgeons Act No. Records to be kept A veterinary services company, registered veterinary surgeon or registered veterinary specialist must - keep in a form and manner approved by the Board a record of - the name and address of each person for whom he, she or it provides a veterinary service; the nature of the service provided for that person; the date on which that service is provided; the identity of each registered veterinary surgeon or registered veterinary specialist who performed that service; and such other matters if any as the Board considers appropriate or as may be prescribed in the regulations for the purposes of this subsection; and preserve such a record for a period of 7 years.

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This information is intended for guidance; only the courts can give an authoritative interpretation of the law. The guide's 'Key legislation' links may only show the original version of the legislation, although some amending legislation is linked to separately where it is directly related to the content of a guide.

Information on amendments to legislation can be found on each link's 'More Resources' tab. Consumer enquiries from England, Scotland and Wales are handled by the Citizens Advice Consumer Service who can be contacted by telephone on 04 05 Consumer enquiries in Northern Ireland are handled by ConsumerLine who can be contacted by telephone on Call charges may vary.

Business enquiries are dealt with by your local council. Use the Chartered Trading Standards Institute's postcode finder to locate your local trading standards team. Keeping veterinary medicine records A record of all veterinary medicines that have been used to treat food-producing animals must be retained. In the guide Reasons for record keeping What records must be kept and how Disposal of unwanted veterinary medicinal products Record keeping for horses Records of products administered to a food-producing animal under the cascade Specific powers for local authority officers Trading standards Key legislation.

This guidance is for England A record must be kept of the proof-of-purchase of all veterinary medicines bought for food-producing animals, as well as a record of all veterinary medicines administered to such animals. Records must be kept for five years. Animals may be sent for slaughter only after the end of the withdrawal period. Reasons for record keeping There are three reasons for keeping and retaining veterinary medicine records: the record assists in ensuring that animal products for human use are safe and free from veterinary drug residues.

This includes meat and all other products - for example, milk, eggs, honey and wool to provide a record that livestock and other creatures have been treated in a timely and appropriate manner to prevent them being subjected to unnecessary suffering to record that veterinary medicines have been obtained from a legitimate source, that they have been used correctly in accordance with the product licence provisions except where otherwise directed by a veterinary surgeon and any that are not used have been disposed of in an appropriate manner Back to top What records must be kept and how If you are the keeper of food-producing animals, or treat farm animals that will end up as food intended for human consumption, you must keep a record of the proof-of-purchase of all veterinary medicinal products bought for those animals, and a record of any veterinary medicinal products you give them or treat them with.

Proof of purchase must be retained for at least five years. Back to top Disposal of unwanted veterinary medicinal products A keeper who disposes of any or all of the veterinary medicinal products other than by treating an animal must record: the date of disposal the quantity of product involved how and where it was disposed of Most veterinary practices will safely dispose of any unused or expired veterinary medicinal products upon request.

Back to top Record keeping for horses Legislation defines the horse as a food-producing species. Back to top Records of products administered to a food-producing animal under the cascade The 'cascade' provides a legal mechanism allowing veterinary surgeons to use their clinical judgement to prescribe a suitable medicine where no authorised medicine exists more information on the cascade and prescribing unauthorised medicines is available on the GOV.