Facility accreditation is an important part of the College’s quality practice program, ensuring veterinary facilities provide a professional environment and contain the essential equipment required for patient care. All veterinary facilities must meet the requirements described in the Accreditation Standards for Veterinary Facilities in Ontario. 

The College Council is seeking feedback on proposed updates to the Accreditation Standards for Veterinary Facilities in Ontario. These updates include:

• The addition of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) principles as a component of facility accreditation standards, and
• Revisions to the current accreditation standards intended to enhance clarity, usability, and alignment with current regulations.

What are the Proposed Changes?

1.    Antimicrobial Stewardship 

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is a core professional and public health priority that promotes the judicious use of antimicrobials to mitigate antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Essential Standards – Pharmaceutical Management (New Requirement)

College Council recommends facilities have a written policy on antimicrobial stewardship that demonstrates commitment to and accountability for prescribing antimicrobials responsibly. 

A written policy on AMS may include:

• Designating a veterinary team member as AMS lead with appropriate knowledge or training. 
• Access to current, evidence based antimicrobial prescribing resources. 
• Suggested protocols for antimicrobial use in common clinical conditions. 
• Client education materials supporting appropriate antimicrobial use. 
• Ongoing team education on AMR, disease prevention, and husbandry practices that reduce antimicrobial need.

Related Guideline Recommendations:

Essential Standards - Medical Records: College Council proposes guidance for facilities to include their rationale for prescribing an antimicrobial in medical records. This will not be a requirement, but it will be a suggestion to include in patient records.

Essential Standards - Biosecurity and Biomedical Waste Management: College Council proposes a facility includes protocols to identify and manage cases involving antimicrobial-resistant organisms in their written policy on managing infectious cases and overall infection control. This will not be a requirement , but it will be a suggestion to include in their written policy. 

Why are antimicrobial stewardship principles added as a component of facility accreditation standards?

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant and growing public health risk. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is a quality assurance approach to ensure the responsible use of antimicrobials and mitigating the development of resistant organisms.

In Ontario, the implementation of AMS in veterinary medicine is guided by the One Health framework, which recognizes the interconnected health of humans, animals, and the environment. Strengthening stewardship practices reduces the risk of antimicrobial resistant bacteria which is a global concern impacting the health of animals and humans.

2.    Revisions to Existing Accreditation Standards

The proposed revisions do not change the intent or structure of the accreditation standards. Instead, they clarify specific requirements, separate certain requirements that were previously combined, and introduce a new requirement related to drug delivery to align with current regulatory expectations. Other than the proposed changes indicated, the accreditation standards remain the same.

The proposed changes include:

Essential Standards – Facility Services and Equipment

A.    Facility Structure – Reception Area

Clarifies the requirement for a reception area in veterinary hospitals and offices, ensuring there is an appropriate client intake space that prevents unsupervised access to clinical areas while allowing flexibility in facility design.

Essential Standards – Professional Practice

Facility Director Licence Requirements

Updates wording to align with regulations governing restricted licences and confirms veterinarians with supervision conditions are not eligible to serve as facility directors.

Public Display of Accreditation Information

Separates the existing requirement into two distinct standards.

• Public display of the facility’s certificate of accreditation.
• Public display of the facility director’s name and contact information.

Essential Standards - Pharmaceutical Management

Clarifies and separates existing requirements for drug inventory management

• Monthly audits and logs for controlled drugs.
• Inventory management systems and regular audits for non-controlled drugs.

Drug Shipping and Delivery (New Requirement)

Introduces new requirements for facilities that ship or mail drugs to clients.  These measures support regulatory compliance, traceability, and protection against diversion or tampering:

• Use of delivery methods with tracking and signature confirmation.
• Systems to ensure drug integrity during shipping, including appropriate packaging and temperature control.

Additional Scope of Practice Services - Surgical Mobile for Companion Animals

Revises the requirement for companion animal surgical mobile units to clarify expectations for separating surgical activities from other facility operations and reducing contamination risk where surgeries are performed outside of the traditional in-facility surgical suite.

Why are revisions being proposed for the existing accreditation standards?

The current accreditation standards, implemented in Fall 2023, have been successfully adopted across accredited facilities. Feedback from inspections, inspectors and facility directors indicates the standards are performing as intended. However, College staff identified opportunities to improve clarity, strengthen terminology and address minor operational issues observed since implementation.

What is the overarching framework of the accreditation standards?

The accreditation standards framework focuses on an outcome-based approach. Each standard has a requirement(s), a statement indicating what a facility must have to meet the standard. In many places, guidelines describe the usual means to achieve the accreditation requirement. In other words, every facility must show that it has met the accreditation standard by following the guideline provided or using an alternative means that is equally effective in servicing the public interest.

Proposed changes to the Accreditation Standards for Veterinary Facilities in Ontario

The consultation is open until June 26, 2026