What to Do, What Not to Do, and Why Stepping Back Matters
Receiving a complaint can be one of the more unsettling experiences in veterinary practice.
Even when a veterinarian remains confident in the clinical care provided, reading a client’s allegations in writing can provoke a powerful response. You may feel frustrated by an account that feels inaccurate, anxious about your professional reputation, angry at allegations you perceive as unfair and/or incorrect, or an immediate urge to contact the client to explain what actually happened.
These reactions are understandable. A complaint challenges more than a single clinical decision. It can feel as though professional judgement, integrity and competence are being called into question. For veterinary professionals who place considerable personal value on providing good care, it can be difficult not to experience that criticism personally.
It is also precisely why the period immediately following a complaint requires care.
Once a complaint or potential claim has been referred to the Veterinary Defence Association (VDA), what happens next can affect how successfully the matter is managed. Well-intentioned attempts to explain, apologise or repair the relationship may inadvertently complicate a case that might otherwise have been resolved relatively straightforwardly.
Good case etiquette is therefore not simply an administrative requirement. It protects the integrity of the case while also giving the veterinary professional something particularly valuable at a stressful time: the opportunity to step away from the immediate emotional pressure and allow the matter to be considered objectively.
The Complaint Has Arrived. What Now?
Once a matter has been referred, members should avoid attempting to resolve the substantive complaint independently unless advised otherwise. Instead, gather the relevant information and provide it to the VDA as promptly and completely as possible.
Depending on the circumstances, this may include the complete clinical record, consent documentation, estimates and invoices, diagnostic or laboratory results, emails, WhatsApp messages, a statement of events, and any other relevant communications or documentation.
The veterinary practice team should also know that a complaint has been received and understand who is responsible for handling subsequent communication. This avoids a situation in which different team members inadvertently provide different responses to the same client.
The Urge to Explain
One of the most difficult aspects of receiving a complaint is tolerating the fact that someone else has described events in a way you believe is wrong.
The natural response is to correct the record.
A message beginning:
“I think you have misunderstood what happened…”
can quickly become a lengthy explanation written while the veterinarian is upset, frustrated or under pressure.
When we feel threatened or unfairly criticised, communication can become more defensive than we realise. We may provide more information than necessary, respond to allegations that don’t require a response, use language that reads differently on the page than it sounded in our head, or make statements before we have had an opportunity to review the clinical record carefully.
Digital communication compounds this problem. WhatsApp and email make an immediate response remarkably easy, while simultaneously creating a permanent written record of that response.
This does not mean your account is unimportant. Tell the VDA what happened. Explain the clinical reasoning. Identify statements in the complaint that you believe are inaccurate. Provide the chronology and relevant context, including information that may not be apparent from the complaint itself. Your perspective is essential to managing the case. Your input in a statement allows your opinion to be considered alongside the records and other evidence before a formal response is made.
Protect the Integrity of the Clinical Record
Once a complaint has arisen, the clinical record becomes particularly important.
It can be uncomfortable to discover, after receiving a complaint, that a note is less detailed than you remember the consultation being. The temptation may be to “tidy it up” while the events are still relatively fresh. Do not retrospectively rewrite, alter or delete an original clinical entry in an attempt to make it clearer or more complete.
An incomplete record can be considered in context. A record whose integrity is subsequently brought into question creates a different and potentially much more serious difficulty.
If information genuinely needs to be added, contact the VDA for guidance on the appropriate way to do so. Any subsequent entry should be transparent about when it was made and should never create the impression that it formed part of the original contemporaneous record. Head the additional information as an Addendum and date it with the current date.
Apologies, Refunds and the Desire to Put Things Right
Veterinary professionals are accustomed to solving problems. When a client is unhappy, there can be a strong desire to repair the relationship quickly.
Well-intentioned actions, such as an apology, a refund, a discount, free follow-up treatment or another goodwill gesture, should not be taken without first seeking guidance once a formal complaint or potential claim has arisen.
This does not mean compassion needs to disappear.
There is an important distinction between responding empathetically to someone’s distress and making statements about responsibility or liability. The VDA can help members navigate that distinction and determine whether an apology, refund or other response is appropriate in the circumstances.
The aim is not to make communication cold or defensive. It is to make sure that an understandable desire to put things right does not inadvertently make the situation more difficult.
When the Client Contacts You Directly
Referral to the VDA does not necessarily mean the client will stop contacting the practice.
They may telephone, email, send WhatsApp messages or approach members of staff. Some communications may be reasonable requests for information. Others may be emotional, accusatory or confrontational.
This contact does not require an immediate response.
Where appropriate, a brief acknowledgement may be sufficient:
“Thank you for your message. This matter has been referred to our professional association The Veterinary Defence Association (VDA) and is being handled with their assistance. We have forwarded your communication for their attention. The VDA will contact you soon by email.”
Then refer the communication to the VDA, including all relevant information mentioned above.
Avoid becoming drawn into a point-by-point exchange, particularly through WhatsApp, email or social media. Repeatedly defending the practice’s position rarely improves an already emotionally charged interaction.
Professional restraint is not an admission of fault.
When Confrontation Comes Through the Door
A confrontational email offers an opportunity to pause and consider a response. An angry client standing at reception does not.
This can be particularly difficult for veterinary teams.
If a client arrives unexpectedly and demands an explanation, the priority should be maintaining a calm and safe environment. Staff should avoid discussing the complaint in reception, particularly where other clients may overhear the conversation.
Where appropriate, calmly advise the client that the matter has been referred to the VDA and that the practice will not discuss the complaint in that setting. Keep communication brief, respectful and neutral. Do not attempt to correct every allegation as it is made. If the matter is being handled by the VDA, ask your client to correspond directly with the VDA as they investigate their grievances or concerns.
If behaviour becomes abusive, threatening or creates a concern for the safety of staff, clients or patients, the practice should follow its usual safety procedures, including contacting the police where necessary and pressing their emergency button for their armed response company.
Afterwards, document the interaction factually. Record relevant words or actions, who was present, and what steps were taken. Avoid descriptions based on assumptions about the client’s character, emotional state or motives.
Then inform the VDA.
Look After the Team Around the Case
A complaint rarely affects only the veterinarian named in it. Receptionists, nurses, technicians, practice managers and other colleagues may have communicated with the client or witnessed events. They may also receive subsequent telephone calls, emails, or confrontational behaviour.
A complaint can also create a considerable emotional ripple through a practice. Colleagues may feel protective of the veterinarian involved, angry with the client or anxious that their own actions will be scrutinised.
Manage those reactions professionally. Ensure the team knows who should handle communication relating to the complaint and where correspondence should be directed. Discourage speculation and unnecessary discussion of the case, particularly in areas where conversations may be overheard.
A well-meaning colleague trying to defend the veterinarian with “That’s not what happened” or “The client isn’t telling you the whole story” may inadvertently create further difficulties.
Support the people involved, but keep the management of the complaint structured.
Let the VDA See the Whole Picture
When providing information to the VDA, resist the temptation to decide in advance what is helpful and what is not. Something that appears insignificant in isolation may become important when considered alongside the complaint, clinical record and chronology.
Provide requested information promptly and completely. If there is something in the records or communications that concerns you, include it and explain the context rather than omitting it.
Keep the VDA informed of subsequent developments too. This includes any further contact from the client, requests for records, demands for compensation, threats of regulatory action, public posts about the matter or additional correspondence.
Effective case management depends upon understanding the complete picture.
Why Stepping Back Matters
Allowing the VDA to manage a complaint does not mean that the veterinarian becomes a passive observer in their own case. The member’s involvement remains essential. You know the patient, the consultation, the clinical reasoning and the circumstances in which decisions were made.
The VDA brings a different perspective.
Because we are not standing in the consulting room experiencing the immediate emotional impact of the complaint, we can review the allegations alongside the clinical record, identify the issues that genuinely require a response, advise on communication and documentation, and help coordinate the case as it develops.
Complaints have a tendency to occupy mental space far beyond the time spent actually dealing with them. Veterinarians may replay conversations, question decisions, anticipate worst-case outcomes or feel compelled to monitor every new email or message.
Having the VDA involved provides both professional oversight and a degree of distance.
Let us help carry the weight while you continue to do your job.
Common Pitfalls After a Complaint
Many of the actions that cause difficulty after a complaint begin with entirely understandable intentions.
Be particularly cautious about:
- telephoning the client to “clear things up”;
- replying immediately to an angry message;
- engaging in prolonged WhatsApp or email exchanges;
- offering refunds, discounts or free treatment without first obtaining guidance;
- speculating about what may have happened;
- making promises about the outcome;
- retrospectively altering clinical records;
- deleting potentially relevant messages or documents;
- allowing different members of staff to provide separate explanations;
- delaying the submission of requested information; or
- continuing to respond independently once the VDA is assisting with the matter.
A Final Word from the VDA
A complaint can feel intensely personal.
Veterinary professionals invest years in developing their clinical knowledge and often considerably more than that in building relationships with patients, clients and colleagues. When professional judgement or conduct is questioned, it is therefore unsurprising that the impact can extend beyond the case itself.
You do not have to manage that pressure alone. When a complaint arises, contact the VDA early. Give us the complete picture, keep us informed of developments and allow us to guide the response.
Stop. Step back. Speak to the VDA.