Two vacancies have arisen for veterinary surgeons to join the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons' Veterinary Nurses Council.
The positions, which are open to veterinary surgeons not currently serving on RCVS Council, would be particularly well suited to those veterinary surgeons who have an interest in the nursing profession and some experience of working with nurses. However, applicants need not necessarily be politically involved with the profession at this point.
VN Council Chairman Liz Branscombe said: "Veterinary nurses play a vital role in the practice team and, with the opening of the non-statutory Register in 2007, the VN profession is now recognising its responsibilities in terms of maintaining professional standards, skills and competence.
"Now, more than ever, it is important that vets from all sectors of the profession take the time to get involved with the regulation and development of the role of the veterinary nurse."
Applications are invited from all veterinary surgeons, although those with some experience of working with veterinary nurses would be most relevant.
The four-year posts will require an annual time commitment of approximately six to ten days.
For an application pack, please contact Annette Amato, Deputy Head of Veterinary Nursing, on 020 7202 0713 or a.amato@rcvs.org.uk. The deadline for the receipt by RCVS of completed application packs is 30 April 2011.
All entrants to the survey will also be able to enter a draw to win a £50 Amazon voucher.
Jenny Langridge (pictured), Editor of Veterinary Woman, said: “This is our third annual survey and we are seeking the opinions of both Veterinary Woman readers and the wider professions to highlight the key issues affecting women in the veterinary sector.
"We’re not just asking questions, we’re offering veterinary professionals a chance to take part in an ongoing conversation about the very real issues that women face in the veterinary workplace.
"The more diverse the information we can collate about these topics, the more we can work towards achieving changes that help for women to thrive in the professions.”
All data and responses will remain strictly anonymous.
https://bit.ly/vet-woman-readership-survey
Every year, the RCVS invites members of the veterinary profession to apply to join the RCVS Fellowship.
Becoming a member of the Fellowship is a recognition of an individual’s contribution to the professions and their commitment to advancing the scientific achievements of the veterinary sector.
Everyone that applies to join the Fellowship needs to demonstrate the impact they have had throughout their career on the veterinary professions.
The Fellowship Credentials Panel is responsible for reviewing and scoring Fellowship applications and making recommendations for who should be approved.
Angharad Belcher, Director for Advancement of the Professions, said: “Being part of our Fellowship Credentials Panel is a great opportunity to see the huge amount of dedication to the profession that prospective Fellows have shown throughout their careers, and to then celebrate their achievements when they are successfully welcomed to the Fellowship later in the year”.
To apply to join the Fellowship Credentials Panel, download and complete the application form (https://www.rcvs.org.uk/fellowship/credentials-panel-recruitment-2022/), then email it to Ceri Chick, Senior Leadership Officer at c.chick@rcvs.org.uk with a CV by 5pm on 28 February 2022.
Bayer Animal Health, maker of Advantage, has produced a new animation to educate pet owners about fleas.
The three minute animation, which is available on YouTube (below), is also available from Bayer for practices to play in the waiting room.
For a copy of the animation, contact your local Bayer Animal Health Territory Manager. More information is also available at http://www.advantagespoton.co.uk/.
The British Veterinary Association is asking members to put themselves forward as candidates in the upcoming elections for BVA Council.
In eight of the 12 regions BVA is seeking regional representatives who are willing to gather and represent the views of their peers as part of the BVA's policy-making process.
Nominations opened on 4 November in Northern Ireland, Wales, North-East, North-West, Yorkshire & Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, and London and will run for six weeks (until Friday 13 December).
The remaining four regions (Scotland, South-East, South-West, and East of England) will be up for election in 2015 to allow for a level of continuity on BVA Council.
BVA President Robin Hargreaves said: "BVA Council is the overarching policy-making body at BVA and its success depends in large part on the fantastic work of our regional representatives who ensure that every member of our association has the ability to feed in their views and ideas.
"We're looking for people who enjoy getting involved in current issues and who will work hard to put forward the views of their colleagues and to disseminate information out to the wider membership."
Application packs, including an information sheet, role description, and application form, are available to download from the BVA website www.bva.co.uk/council
Candidates in each of the eight regions will be announced shortly after the closing date. The election process will be run by the Electoral Reform Services on behalf of BVA and all members within a region will be eligible to vote. The election will run from Monday 13 January until Friday 21 February. Winning candidates will take up their role at the April Council meeting.
If you’re a show-jumping vet, you might like to take part in the first-ever international veterinary-only riders competition – held in the beautiful region of Lure at the foot of the Vosges in France.
The French association of veterinary riders (AFVC) invites all veterinary riders to contend for the First World Veterinary Equestrian Show Jumping Cup, to be held from July 3 to 6, 2008.
The event is open to all qualified veterinarians and veterinary students, who may participate with or without their own horse.
The event will include four show-jumping competitions (one per day), while the social programme consists of a Gala evening (Friday), a dinner-dance (Saturday, sponsored by Merial) and a Sunday lunch (major sponsor of the event: Equistro / Vétoquinol).
The veterinary show-jumping event will coincide with France’s 6th Grand National show-jumping competition, also held in Lure.
For further information, please contact: David Smart DVM, david.smart@vetoquinol.com or your local Vétoquinol representative.
XLVets, the collaborative group of 45 independent small animal practices, has announced the launch of 'Scratch Below the Surface', a campaign to raise awareness of skin conditions amongst pet owners.
As part of the campaign, practices within the group - which aims to establish itself as a nationwide 'quality mark' for independent care - will be offering skin check clinics for owners who are concerned that their pet may be suffering from a dermatology issue.
Paul Sands, BSc, BMedVet, CertVD, MRCVS, veterinary dermatologist from Scarsdale Veterinary Group, explained the rationale for focusing on skin conditions: "Skin conditions in dogs and cats have many underlying causes and may require a range of treatments and long-term management strategies to keep a pet healthy and itch-free. Summer can be a particularly bad time for sensitive pets as pollens and other allergens are at their highest in the warmer months.
"The Scratch Below the Surface initiative aims to help pet owners recognise the signs of skin conditions in their pets and encourage them to talk to their vet about preventive measures to carry out at home, such as flea and tick control. They will also receive support from their veterinary team in planning long-term management strategies for pets with ongoing skin conditions."
Practices in the group will also be collecting data about the types of dermatology conditions seen, geographical variances, and common and unusual cases.
XLVets says it will be producing case studies, blogs and articles, designed to benefit practices both within the XLVets group and the wider veterinary community.
To find out more about the campaign, visit: www.xlvets-pets.co.uk.
To find out more about joining the XLVets group, telephone 01228 711788.
The Royal Veterinary College has launched the Pet Diabetes App - designed to bring diabetes management in animals into the 21st century and help ongoing research into the condition.
The free app - which was designed by Dr Stijn Niessen, a Senior Lecturer in Internal Medicine and pet diabetes expert at the RVC - allows owners to help control their pet's condition by recording the factors that indicate success or failure in diabetes management.
The veterinary care team can then fine-tune treatment according to the data recorded by the owner, thereby avoiding complications associated with low and high blood sugars, as well as the costs associated with such complications.
Stijn says he had two main objectives in designing the new app. Firstly to allow owners of diabetic pets to get actively involved in the medical management of their beloved pet. Secondly to gather strictly anonymous data about diabetic pets to enable further research and development into better treatment options.
The Diabetes Log feature of the app allows users to record and then share various essential parameters with their veterinary surgeon. They include clinical signs like weight, appetite, thirst and urination changes, as well as urine and blood sugar values (for those owners who perform home blood or urine glucose testing).
The app also features:
The Diabetes App is now available for free download onto smartphones and tablets, from Android (http://bit.ly/1q3jCV5) and iPhone App stores (http://apple.co/203OoK2).
The App was developed with the support of the Rumba Foundation which helps pioneer clinical care for companion animals. You can support the work of the Rumba Foundation here: www.justgiving.com/therumbafoundation”
Under the Petplan Portfolio Rewards scheme, each time a practice generates a full policy (including clients continuing cover from IVC /4 week free policies) they earn Portfolio Rewards credits.
A practice issuing Immediate Veterinary Cover (IVC) ordinarily earns 150 credits when the client continues their cover onto a full policy but, during this promotion, a full policy generated by an IVC will earn 300 credits, equivalent to £12.
Credits can then be exchanged against a range of products, from essential veterinary equipment and specialised literature to a variety of indulgences including chocolates and bottles of wine, leisure activities or team nights out.
Head of Sales & Partnerships at Petplan, James Barnes said: "Petplan is the UK’s no 1 pet insurance provider and our unique relationship with the veterinary profession remains an important part of our success so we wanted to do something extra to thank practices for their efforts promoting Petplan insurance to their clients during 2016. We know many practices like to exchange their Portfolio Rewards at Christmas so this promotion gives practices the chance to boost their account before the festive season."
For further information about the scheme or working with Petplan, visit petplanvet.co.uk.
One set of guidelines deals with intoxication from pyrethrins commonly found in flea control products or ant powders, whilst the other covers macrocyclic lactone poisoning which most often occurs due to accidental ingestion of large animal anthelmintic products.
Both intoxications are commonly associated with severe neurological symptoms.
Will Peel, Product Manager at TVM UK said: "Our guidelines have proved very useful to veterinary staff and we have received requests from vets to add new guidelines for antiparasiticide intoxications. Our focus is on helping veterinary staff provide the best possible care for their patients so we hope that these new guidelines will prove beneficial."
The guidelines can be downloaded free from https://www.tvm-uk.com/vet-resource-library.
Veterinary surgeon Andrew Reeder, Director of the Stonehenge Veterinary Hospital, in Durrington, near Salisbury, was the lucky winner of a Sony Pocket e-Reader in the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons' prize draw at the London Vet Show in November.
The competition was mounted to launch an online quiz to test members' knowledge of the Guide to Professional Conduct. All those who completed the quiz on the RCVS stand at the event were entered into a prize draw: the RCVS would like to stress that it was a random draw, in spite of the serendipity of Andrew's surname!
"This is brilliant, I so rarely win anything!" said Andrew. "I'd recommend that all RCVS members should have a go at the quiz - it's quick, easy to complete and certainly makes you think."
Over 600 people have tackled the quiz so far. Those who fancy testing their knowledge of the Guide should visit www.rcvs.org.uk/guidequiz. The quiz is anonymous, but the College will be collating data to help focus future communications activities and see where extra guidance may be required. On completion of the quiz, it is possible to review answers and view the relevant section of the online Guide.
According to the NFU, last year farm animals worth an estimated £2.4 million pounds were severely injured or killed by dog attacks last year.
Obtaining forensic samples after an attack can be difficult because so often they happen in remote places and rural police can't always attend quickly enough to get a sample.
Dr. Nick Dawnay from Liverpool John Moores University therefore developed Early Evidence Kits to enable samples to be collected by vets, famers and police from the crime scene immediately.
Following a successful proof of concept in Wales, the research team is now trialling the kits in ten regions of England and Wales, with support from IVC Evidensia farm practices.
Over the next twelve months the trial will refine best practices for collecting forensic samples from livestock attack scenes.
David Martin, Group Head of Animal Welfare at IVC Evidensia said: “This project marks an exciting step forward in collecting and analysing canine DNA from livestock.
"It offers police and farmers a means to hold irresponsible dog owners culpable for the damage and losses caused by their pets.”
“As a profession we can support this research by ensuring samples are taken from as many cases within the relevant force areas as possible so that the team at John Moores gets sufficient material to be able to complete this project as soon as possible.
"All IVC Evidensia farm practices in the participating regions are being encouraged to use the kits and we want to ensure all farm practices in those regions know about this important project.”
It is hoped new legislation for England and Wales will be brought in to give police officers the power to take a DNA sample from a suspected dog to compare to canine DNA left at an attack scene.
Dave Allen, North Wales Police and NPCC Livestock Offence Working Group Secretary said: “These kits are an exciting development and can be utilised for an issue that causes major concern to our UK rural communities”.
Veterinary practices are now being encouraged help raise awareness of the project, particularly to encourage farmers to take part and use the kits to collect evidence in the following regions:
https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/about-us/news/articles/2024/5/17/forensic-science-to-help-farmers-foil-sheep-attacks
The association says that its research has found that 94% of companion animal vets say they have clients who feed a raw diet, 42% who feed meat-free diets and 29% who feed insect-protein in place of meat.
However, 6 in 10 vets are unsure how many of the cats and dogs they see are fed meat-free diets.
In a new policy position, the BVA is now urging vets to talk to all cat and dog owners about what they feed their pet, and record nutritional histories and any resulting issues on their practice systems.
BVA President Anna Judson said: “We know that owners of cats and dogs are increasingly drawn to pet diets that reflect their own personal values and lifestyle choices, and this is leading to a surge in alternative approaches to pet food.
"We support owners making informed choices about what to feed their pets, but they must be aware that these choices play a pivotal role in the health of the animal and can also have a wider impact on human health and environmental sustainability.
“One of the key issues in these conversations is the lack of long-term, evidence-based research.
"If vet teams are to maintain our position as the ‘trusted voice’ in these conversations, it’s vital that we ask the right questions and also record as much data as possible so that we can understand the long-term impact of some of these newer diets.”
The BVA says its new policy position is not trying to dictate the ‘best’ diet for individual pets but to support pet owners in meeting their pets’ nutritional needs as well as meeting their own lifestyle choices.
The BVA is also recommending changes to veterinary education to include a new emphasis on the importance of nutrition in day one competencies for vets and nurses, and improved awareness of the need for supportive conversations with animal owners.
To support the profession, the BVA says it will create a new public facing resource and lobby for better labelling of pet food and better labelling and traceability of the animal by-products that represent one of the major sources of protein in many cat and dog foods.
Anna added: “The issues around pet food are complex and with so much information available to pet owners from breeders, friends, online forums and other sources, we want to support all members of the vet team to feel fully confident in guiding their clients through dietary decisions.
"We hope that these recommendations and our upcoming resources will improve the information available to both clients and vets, supporting owners to make healthy, informed choices for their pets.”
https://www.bva.co.uk/take-action/our-policies/diet-choices-for-cats-and-dogs
The leaflets are designed to be used as part of the veterinary consultation and provide information to help owners understand what is involved in the examination, including the reasons for the procedure, the preparation required, any associated risks, and what happens during and after the examination.
They are available in a PDF format which can be printed and stamped with the veterinary practice details or emailed to clients.
Philip Lhermette, Principal of Elands Veterinary Clinic, specialist in minimally invasive surgery and Past President of the BSAVA said: “Minimally invasive surgery is becoming commonplace in general veterinary practice and is much sought after by clients, especially for routine procedures such as bitch spays.
"It is important that clients are properly informed of all the risks and benefits of a minimally invasive procedure and these leaflets provide the first opinion practitioner with an ideal means of providing such information in a succinct and easily understood format."
The new leaflets are available via the BSAVA Library here: https://www.bsavalibrary.com/content/cilgroupprocedures.
Access to the entire range of client information leaflets (including canine and feline behaviour, exotic pets, and medicines) is available for an annual subscription of £40.
BSAVA members have access to these leaflets as part of their membership benefits.
If you have any suggestions for further client information leaflets, email: publications@bsava.com.
Dechra Pharmaceuticals has signed an agreement with Piedmont Pharmaceuticals LLC which gives Dechra exclusive worldwide rights to the sale and distribution of veterinary products which use Piedmont's proprietary soft chew platform to deliver the active ingredient.
The agreement will allow Dechra to conduct studies necessary to achieve regulatory filings and government approvals within the US, Europe and other key countries.
According to Dechra, Piedmont's soft chew formulation is a unique delivery technology which overcomes the traditional problems in formulating a broad range of active drug compounds in a highly palatable chewy treat for both cats and dogs.
Ian Page, CEO of Dechra Pharmaceuticals PLC, said: "We are very excited about licensing this unique delivery technology, which will be the first soft chew product with this new patent pending technology in the veterinary market. The agreement will provide Dechra with the opportunity to expand our presence in the companion animal market with a truly differentiated product."Roland Johnson, Chairman and CEO of Piedmont Pharmaceuticals, said: "This is our initial development partnership for our soft chew technology and we welcome the opportunity to license our technology to Dechra. Our goal is to provide pet owners the added benefit of a tasty treat at medicine time, creating a fun and rewarding interaction, while improving compliance with the vet prescribed treatment regimen."
Fort Dodge Animal Health has announced it is working with the authorities to put measures in place to make its West Nile Virus vaccine, licensed in the United States, available to the European equine market. These measures will ensure a vaccine is readily available in the event of an outbreak in the UK.
This news comes as the Zooprophylactic Institute of Teramo, the Italian National Reference Centre for Exotic Diseases, has confirmed an outbreak of WNV among horses in stables in the northern province of Ferrara. About 20 horses are believed to have been affected.
Fort Dodge was the first company to develop and fully license a vaccine to protect horses against this potentially deadly disease. An inactivated whole virus vaccine, it was the only vaccine available in the United States at the height of the 2002 outbreak, which affected 15,000 horses. The U.S. Department of Agriculture credited the vaccine with contributing to the 70 per cent decline in U.S. equine West Nile cases since the height of the outbreak. WNV is now considered endemic in all areas of North America.
"As this latest outbreak of WNV in Italy highlights, the disease presents an increasing threat to the equestrian sector in Europe," says Helen Barnes, EMEA Equine Business Manager for Fort Dodge. "With little current natural immunity among the equine population, the consequences of a major outbreak could be devastating."
"Until now, horse owners in Europe have perhaps believed WNV is not a disease they should be concerned with but the outbreak in Ferrara came out of the blue, and at a time when a human case of WNV was also reported in the same province. This situation of both human and equine cases being reported is identical to that seen in the outbreaks in the United States. It's a stark reminder of the challenge this disease poses, particularly as environmental factors, such as global warming and heavy rains threaten to create mass breeding grounds for mosquitoes," says Barnes.
"Our experience with WNV in the United States has given us an exceptional understanding of the disease and the importance of vaccination. We now look forward to working in partnership with the European governments, the EU Commission and the veterinary community across Europe to help build understanding and knowledge of this dangerous emerging disease threat."
The BSAVA has launched the BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Radiography and Radiology with a new introductory text aimed at veterinary students, nurses and new graduates.
The Association says confident radiographic interpretation presents a considerable challenge and the BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Radiography and Radiology provides a comprehensive review of the approach to radiological interpretation, the range of variants and the key fundamental principles and their application to common diseases.
The manual features high quality radiographic reproductions demonstrating normal anatomy and key aspects of interpretation, as well as illustrations showing patient positioning and the practical approach that is the hallmark of the BSAVA manuals.
The book contains the following contents:
An extra feature is the CD, which contains all the radiographic images from the manual, so that readers can view the many images at an enlarged size.
The manual is available from October and can be ordered from www.bsava.com.
White Cross Vets, a group with 11 surgeries in the Midlands and the North of England, has picked up two Veterinary Marketing Association awards at an event usually dominated entirely by big pharma.
The group was joint winner of Public Relations Award, alongside Bayer Animal Health.
White Cross Marketing Manager Justin Phillips also walked off with the Young Marketeer of the Year award, fighting off competition from Elizabeth Rawlings from Dechra and Beverly Hammond from Animalcare Ltd.
The practice group won the PR Award for a campaign in which it managed to generate a massive amount of media coverage for the business primarily by spotting a good opportunity, and acting quickly to make the most of it.
The story began last July, when a man spotted an exotic-looking bird walking around Guisely, near Leeds. When he tried to capture the bird, it told him to 'bugger off'. Undeterred, he picked it up and took it to White Cross Vets. Once the vets had examined the bird to make sure it was in good health, White Cross instructed its PR agency to begin a media campaign to reunite the animal with its owner. The resultant story generated over £145,000 worth of branded coverage in local and national media, including the Daily Mirror, Metro, the Yorkshire Post and ITV.
By contrast, Bayer Animal Health's winning campaign, which ingeniously used LED lights strapped to snails to bring the lungworm story to life, was nevertheless the product of month's of planning and what would have been a considerable budget.
The judges felt both entries were impressive in completely different ways, so a draw was the only option.
Picture shows, left to right: Heidi Bruckland (Pegasus), Emma Swain (Pegasus), Helen Moore (Markettiers4DC), Marcus Edingloh (Bayer), Luke Hopkins (Pegasus), Caroline Braidwood (Bayer); Jane Manning (Splash); Tim Harrison (White Cross Vets); Justin Phillips (White Cross Vets)
Dechra Veterinary Products has launched a webcast about feline hyperthyoidism, given by Tim Williams MA VetMB MRCVS from the Feline Research Group at the Royal Veterinary College.
During the ten minute webcast, entitled: 'The highs and lows of feline hyperthyroidism', Tim presents new evidence that overdosing hyperthyroid patients can lead to iatrogenic hypothyroidism, making them more likely to develop azotaemia and consequently have a shorter survival time. He also discusses the diagnosis and potential consequences of iatrogenic hypothyroidism based on recent research conducted at the Feline Research Group, and provides a summary of suggested treatment protocols. Tim said: "I hope the webcast helps veterinary staff optimise their treatment of hyperthyroid cats in practice and avoid a one size fits all approach".
Dechra says that research from 400 first opinion practices has shown that hyperthyroidism is the most commonly diagnosed feline endocrinopathy, with an annual incidence of 6% in cats over nine years old.
Tim's webcast is the latest in a series of online educational materials on endocrinology launched by Dechra as part of its Dechra Academy training suite.The webcast is available at http://www.dechra.co.uk/hyperthyroidism
The guidance has been in place since March to help practices continue to provide the public with veterinary services whilst safeguarding the health of their teams and clients.
The RCVS Council Covid-19 Taskforce reviewed the situation on 30th July and decided to extend the guidance after taking into account the pandemic’s progress, the latest government guidance, the headline results from a survey of practice experience of remote consulting, and 'other data from a number of veterinary practices'.
The Taskforce says it also considered the need to continue to provide practices with flexibility in the face of possible local or national lockdowns, the need for inclusivity of those practice teams members and clients who may still be shielding, the likelihood of quarantine of members of the team due to travel and/or Test and Trace and the fact that no major safety issues had been identified as part of the RCVS-commissioned survey into the immediate impact of the temporary guidance.
RCVS President Mandisa Greene, who chairs the Taskforce, said: “Whilst lockdown measures have been eased and matters have improved, we are far from being back to business as usual and the threat of returning to more severe lockdown measures, whether locally or nationally, is still very much alive."
The updated flowchart, along with all the College’s coronavirus guidance for the professions, is available at: www.rcvs.org.uk/coronavirus.
BEVA Congress 2021 will now take place from September 4th-7th 2021.
The decision to cancel Congress 2020 was taken by BEVA Council and the Congress programme committee because of the unpredictable circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tim Mair, President of BEVA said: “The overriding factor in our decision-making process was to protect everyone attending Congress. We are chartering unknown territory at the moment and the additional planning requirements needed to run a large event like BEVA Congress with social distancing measures in place will take time.
“We intend for September 2021 to mark an exciting, fresh start for the profession following the harrowing experiences of 2020. It should be safe for our international speakers and delegates to attend by then, getting us all back on track with networking and world-class CPD to inspire us for the new post Covid-19 world.”
Tickets for BEVA Congress 2021 will be available later this year, more information from: www.bevacongress.org.
The Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS) is putting out a last call to take part in the SPVS Salaries Survey 2015, open to everybody working in the veterinary profession.
The long-standing survey provides a benchmark for veterinary surgeons, nurses and support staff to see trends in pay and conditions. Designed to provide a complete picture of remuneration levels, the survey covers basic earnings, bonuses, dividends, overtime and benefits such as accommodation, car allowances, private medical insurance and pensions. It also includes questions on employment contracts, hours worked, out of hours and weekend working.
Peter Brown, SPVS Treasurer and author of the Salaries Survey said: “I have been compiling the survey results for a number of years but it never fails to enlighten me as to what is happening in the profession. I know it is also the go to reference guide when practices are recruiting to help ensure they are offering competitive salary packages.
“Participation in the survey is open to all and the more practices that take part, the more accurate and useful the information will be so we would urge everyone working in the veterinary profession to take a few minutes to complete the survey. It can be done online and the information is completely anonymous.”
To complete the survey online, visit www.spvs.org.uk or, for a printed version, telephone 01926 410545. The survey is open until 30 November 2015.
The RCVS has been recognised as one of the best places to work in the country by the Great Place To Work Institute, which carries out comprehensive annual surveys of staff engagement with a wide variety of small, medium and large businesses and organisations.
The College was ranked number 30th out of 50 in the medium (50 to 499 employees) category, after 91% of the staff gave a positive answer to the question: "Taking everything into account, I would say this is a great place to work", compared to 52% agreeing with this statement in 2013.
Nick Stace, RCVS Chief Executive, said: "The fact that we have been ranked as one of the best places to work in the country demonstrates the great strides made by the College over the past three years and recognises the resolve of staff and Council to improve our working practices, how we communicate with each other and overall well-being.
"It is also a testament to the importance of two-way communication - of giving staff the opportunity and freedom to come up with ideas and having a senior team that is willing to listen to and implement these where appropriate.
"I would also like to thank members of RCVS Council in particular as they have been very supportive of our efforts to improve staff engagement and recognise that a more motivated and happy workforce at the College will be reflected in the quality of service offered to members of the profession."
Following the award, an interview with Nick also appears in Great Workplaces, a magazine produced by Great Place to Work which is included as a supplement in the Sunday Telegraph this weekend.
Further details about steps taken by the College to improve staff engagement can be found on Nick's blog: nickstaceblogs.org
Zoetis Business Consulting has released figures showing that Profit Solver, its financial analysis tool, has delivered an average EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) growth of 36% for the 28 UK practices that have used the new service since its launch.
Profit Solver was first launched in the USA, where the company says more than 300 practices have now benefited from the service.
Zoetis says that traditionally, veterinary practices have set their prices by simply adding a set mark-up, without knowing which services make a profit or loss and without understanding exactly how overall practice profit is being generated.
Profit Solver instead uses the practice’s own data to calculate the exact cost for the 130 most commonly performed veterinary services, representing 90% of the revenue generated by the practice. It then combines labour, inventory and equipment costs with time-and-motion studies for each service, and assesses the variance between cost and price to reveal profit or loss.
By using a collection of cost data, which staff perform which part of the procedure, how long the procedure takes and what equipment and materials are used, Profit Solver calculates the correct pricing to both cover costs and deliver a pre-determined profit margin.
Implementing Profit Solver is done with a Zoetis business consultant who guides the practice through the process, from data collection to examining the time-and-motion studies. They discuss the level of profitability the practice needs to deliver and help analyse prices to achieve this goal whilst preserving the price-point of highly competitive services and covering all the practice’s costs.
Ian Camm, Group Director of B&W Equine Vets in Gloucestershire heard about Profit Solver from a vet in a neighbouring practice who was impressed with how it had helped his business. Ian discussed Profit Solver with his Zoetis account manager and booked an appointment with Zoetis Business Consultant Anthea Pike who has helped him implement the software across B&W Equine Group.
He said: "Initially I was concerned that Profit Solver would suggest we put prices up where we felt that we would not be able to - people shop around for their veterinary services these days and many services are very price sensitive. The first stage in the process addressed this by looking at our figures, calculating the cost price for each procedure and then, by comparing with our fees charged, identified where we were losing money. The big question was whether we would be comfortable to increase our fees on loss-making procedures. The beauty of the system was that by looking at a large number of procedures which were done frequently, very small increases in fee would total to a significant improvement in the bottom line.
"The software has made us recognise where the real costs are and how to address these areas accordingly, for example we have identified that current stud packages are not profitable. One of the problems in arriving at true costs is the difficulty in accurately allocating time to various procedures when several different vets are involved or an expensive scanner is used, which can have a significant impact on the results. It’s early days, but I can already see the difference that Profit Solver could make to our bottom line and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it providing the practice is prepared to make changes in light of the results. We are looking at improving our bottom line by a six figure sum over a 12 month period with what we hope, will be hardly noticeable price rises.”
For further information visit www.zoetis.co.uk/businessconsulting.
The company says there will be experts on hand to answer 'highly anticipated' questions about the new something.
In addition, Royal Canin Weight Management Specialists will be on the stand to help veterinary professionals tackle the number of overweight and obese cats and dogs in the UK.
The company says it'll be providing guidance and training opportunities for veterinary surgeons and vet nurses seeking support on obese and overweight pets, helping them to carry out thorough assessments and implement tailor-made treatment programmes.
As part of its continued support of the Guide Dogs charity, visitors to the stand will also be able to have a go at reading special kibble braille signs and get tips on making veterinary services more accessible.