The RCVS has apologised after an internal data configuration issue resulted in some veterinary professionals’ location information and practice contact details being displayed incorrectly on its Find a Vet service.
The issue affected information shown on the website between 29 July and 25 August 2026. The RCVS says it was caused by the way data had been configured within its digital systems, rather than a cyberattack or external security breach.
For 8,928 of the more than 68,000 people on the RCVS Registers, Find a Vet displayed a single line from the individual’s correspondence address rather than their registered location.
For most of those affected, the information shown was simply their county. In a smaller number of cases, a town, city, or country was displayed instead.
The RCVS has stressed that full personal addresses were not published.
A separate issue affected around 789 of the more than 4,500 practice listings on Find a Vet. In these cases, an alternative telephone number or individual email address that had been supplied to the RCVS for contacting the practice was temporarily displayed instead of the practice’s main contact details.
Most of the email addresses used business domains, but 124 appeared to be personal addresses using domains such as Gmail or Hotmail.
No bank or payment information was involved.
The RCVS became aware of the problem on 25 August and removed the location field from individual records while it investigated.
Practice listings were also reconfigured so they displayed only business contact information.
Following its investigation, the College contacted affected individuals on 10 September to explain what had happened and apologise. It has also notified the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
In its statement, the RCVS said: “We are very sorry that this has happened, and for any concern or inconvenience we have caused.”
Those contacted have been told that they do not need to take any action as a result of the incident.
The RCVS says it is carrying out additional testing of its internal systems before restoring the location information on individual Find a Vet records.
At the time of writing, the Find a Vet service continues to carry a notice explaining that some information is temporarily unavailable while technical updates are completed.
Find a Vet is used by animal owners to search for registered veterinary professionals and practices, as well as to check whether a practice participates in the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme.
The service is also set to take on a more prominent role following the Competition and Markets Authority’s investigation into veterinary services. Under the CMA reforms, Find a Vet is expected to provide owners with additional information about veterinary businesses, including pricing and ownership information.
The incident therefore comes as both the amount of information held within the service and its importance to pet owners are set to increase.