The introduction of the new Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing has seen an increase in numbers of both students and training practices, according to statistics released today by the RCVS.
Since January, the RCVS has approved over 30 more Training and Auxiliary Training Practices, bringing to a total of 1,559 the number of practices approved for veterinary nurse (VN) training. Scope for practices to train student VNs is increased through the emphasis on Auxiliary Training Practices (aTPs), an option for practices without the full facilities or caseload needed for student training. Students at aTPs complete their in-practice training at other aTPs or full Training Practices. Of the 31 new practices approved since January for student training, eight are aTPs.
The number of VN students enrolling with the RCVS has also increased, with almost double the number enrolling in January 2011, compared with January 2010. There were a total of 1,168 student enrolments in the 12 months from 1 February 2010, compared with 1,121 enrolments in the same period from 1 February 2009.
Libby Earle, Head of the RCVS Veterinary Nursing Department said: "The Level 3 Diploma has been in place for little more than six months, yet VN student numbers are already up. This bodes well for the supply of qualified, competent registered veterinary nurses demanded by veterinary practices, and for those keen to enter the veterinary nursing profession."
The qualification was introduced when the government abolished the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) system last summer, forcing a change in the vocational qualifications for VNs. The resulting Level 3 Diploma is designed to better meet the needs of practices, colleges, and students themselves.
Vet Futures, the joint initiative by the RCVS and the BVA to help the profession prepare for and shape its own future, has revealed the results of a survey which found that 59% of veterinary surgeons are optimistic about the future of the profession. 600 vets took part in the survey, which explored vets' attitudes towards their profession, and asked them to prioritise the key issues and rank some of the major threats and opportunities for the profession.Reducing stress was the single most important goal for the future, with 19% of respondents choosing it from a long list of options.The BVA and the RCVS say that priority goals for veterinary surgeons varied according to different areas of work and seniority in the profession. However, an overriding and uniting theme from the findings was the pursuit of recognition for the role vets play across the board. Vets' perception of the veterinary contribution to non-clinical roles, such as research, food supply and security, and public health, is high, but they don't believe the general public values these roles.Four of the respondents' top five goals for 2030 related to recognition:
Looking at how vets are respected and valued by society, Vet Futures points to its national ICM opinion poll of more than 2,000 members of the public which found that 94% of the general public trusts the veterinary profession generally or completely.
In terms of their own careers, 59% of vets said they felt that they had met or exceeded their expectations, leaving 41% saying their careers had only met some expectations (38%) or not met any (3%). Amongst this large minority of dissatisfied vets the reasons for their responses included: few opportunities for progression, pay, and working hours.The survey also asked vets to rank threats and opportunities for the profession and found that respondents considered the three greatest opportunities to be:
BVA President John Blackwell said: "It's heartening to see that, at the moment, the veterinary glass is half full for many. But we know that younger vets are disproportionately represented amongst those who are feeling less positive about their own careers, which is a real concern for future generations. There is clearly work to be done, through Vet Futures, for the profession to think innovatively in order to tackle some of their concerns around career progression, pay and working hours, as well as stress."The good news is that, through the Vet Futures UK-wide roadshow and our online engagement, we have been hearing new and interesting ideas for the future. We want to hear from as many vets, vet nurses and others who have a stake in the future of the profession and I would encourage people to get involved through our 'Veterinary Vision' essay competition or via the Vet Futures website."RCVS President Stuart Reid added: "There is a lot for the veterinary profession to be proud of but the Vet Futures survey shows that vets are concerned the general public doesn't understand or value the variety of roles we undertake outside clinical practice."We have also heard through our guest blog that vets working outside of practice sometimes feel that they are treated as second-class vets. "Through the Vet Futures project RCVS and BVA aim to address the lack of public awareness about the variety of roles undertaken by members of the profession, as well as increase understanding and access to these varied career opportunities amongst the profession. "We want to enable all veterinary surgeons to not only feel optimistic, but confident in their future."
The RCVS ERP provides an ethics review mechanism for researchers who are based in practice and don't have access to this process through university and industry connections.
The subcommittee has representation across a range of areas of veterinary expertise, including veterinary nursing, and also includes lay researchers and scientists.
Since its formation as a trial service in 2016, the ERP has reviewed more than 530 research proposals on behalf of the College.
Nicola said: “I am honoured to be offered this position.
"Having been a member of RCVS ERP for the past three years and undertaking a similar role as the Chair of the Clinical Research Ethical Review Board at the Royal Veterinary College, I felt that I had the right expertise to take on the role
“It is vitally important that all research, regardless of where it is undertaken, undergoes ethical review to ensure that robust results are produced especially when they have the potential to influence clinical practice, and so I really welcome the work the ERP has been undertaking.
“As chair of the ERP I hope to build on the success of my predecessor and continue to support those working in clinical practice that is not associated with a university to undertake valuable research and add to the body of evidence that supports our clinical decision-making.”
www.rcvs.org.uk/ethics
The RCVS has asked 6,700 veterinary surgeons to submit their CPD records for 2012-2014 as part of its second annual CPD audit.
The news came at more or less the same time that VetSurgeon.org announced that it is developing a new feature to make it easy for veterinary surgeons to document time they spend on the website towards their CPD requirement.
Under the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons, members of the profession must undertake at least 105 hours of CPD over a rolling three-year period, averaging 35 hours per year.
Those being audited include 5,568 vets who failed to confirm whether or not they complied with the CPD requirement in this year’s annual renewal process; 488 vets who failed to respond to last year’s audit and did not confirm their compliance this year; 43 pre-2012 graduates who have not yet completed the Professional Development Phase; and 184 veterinary surgeons who specifically declared they were not compliant during this year’s annual renewal process.
In addition to these, a random sample of 400 veterinary surgeons who did declare they were compliant this year will be asked to share their records.
For last year’s audit, the College wrote to 3,975 veterinary surgeons, of whom 82% were found to be compliant. However, 910 veterinary surgeons did not respond to the request at all.
Gordon Hockey, RCVS Registrar, said: “The purpose of the exercise is not only to gauge levels of compliance, but also to gain a greater understanding of why some people are unable to meet the requirement. Therefore, we will be asking those who are still non-compliant to provide us with an explanation as to why, and to submit a learning and development plan outlining the steps they will take to become compliant.
“Since 2012, the Code of Professional Conduct has made it very clear that, as professionals, veterinary surgeons have an obligation to maintain and improve their skills and experience so as to provide a better service to their patients and clients.
“Last year’s audit proved that the majority of the profession do take CPD seriously and do engage with it over-and-above what is required, but a small minority do not. It is important to remind this small minority that persistent failure to comply with CPD requirements, or to respond to requests from the College, may result in them being reported to the Preliminary Investigation Committee.”
Christine Warman, Head of Education at the RCVS, added: “This audit is also an opportunity to remind people that we are not prescriptive when it comes to CPD and that it is not the case that we only count attendance at courses as learning and development.
“Broadly, any activities that you undertake to further your competence and provide tangible learning that can be put to use in your professional life, can be classed as CPD. For example, this could include private reading, webinars, clinical audit activities, mentoring, work-based observation and many more activities besides.
“What we ask is that you record and document these activities, reflecting on what you learnt and how it will affect your practice.”
Veterinary surgeons who are being asked to submit their records can do so by allowing the RCVS to access their online Professional Development Record (PDR) or to send in their CPD record card via email or post. The deadline for responding is Friday 13 November.
Those who wish to sign up to the free, online PDR can do so by visiting www.rcvs-pdr.org.uk. More information about what constitutes CPD and the Code of Professional Conduct requirements can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/cpd.
The RCVS has extended the deadline for nominations for the RCVS Queen's Medal to 31 January, to allow time for the nominations paperwork to be completed on return from the Christmas and New Year break.
RCVS CEO Nick Stace said: "We received more enquiries about the Queen's Medal over the Christmas period but appreciated that people might welcome a little extra time in the new year to complete and submit their nominations. We're certainly keen to allow anyone who wishes to make a nomination for this very special award the chance to do so."
The Queen's Medal, launched at the House of Lords last November, is a new Honour that will be awarded to a veterinary surgeon for a lifetime of outstanding contributions to the profession and who has dedicated their career to working above and beyond the call of duty in the fields of veterinary medicine or science, or related areas.
It is the most prestigious Honour that the RCVS can bestow, and will be awarded at RCVS Day in London in July.
Full details about the nominations process are available on the RCVS website (www.rcvs.org.uk/Queensmedal). Nominations should be received by the RCVS no later than 5pm on Friday, 31 January 2014.
Ms Gurrin faced two charges, the first being that she had issued prescriptions for Roaccutane tables, indicating they were for the treatment of an animal when they were in fact for a human.
The second charge was that Dr Gurrin’s conduct in relation to the first charge was dishonest and/or misleading, and took place in circumstances where Dr Gurrin was not professionally qualified to write a prescription for a human.
Ms Gurrin admitted the allegation in its entirety and the Committee therefore found it proved.
The College submitted that Dr Gurrin breached fundamental tenets of the Code of Professional Conduct and acted dishonestly and, as such, that the admitted facts amounted to disgraceful conduct.
The Committee accepted that Dr Gurrin’s conduct involved dishonesty, but took into account the context: that Dr Gurrin was seeking to help in continuing a course of medication that she understood to have been properly prescribed by a specialist physician.
Mitigating factors included the lack of artifice or sophistication in the drawing of the prescription and its presentation to the pharmacist, in that Ms Gurrin didn't invent an animal name or species, or any kind of elaboration or backstory when challenged by the pharmacist on the prescription.
In addition, there was no financial or other personal gain, it was a single isolated incident, it was a spur of the moment decision without reflection, no harm was caused or risked to any animal, Ms Gurrin had a long and previously unblemished career and lastly she showed insight into the offence.
The committee also took into account the character testimonials which showed Ms Gurrin not only to be an exceptional vet, but a dedicated professional who had nurtured a very strong team, and someone who is held in extraordinarily high regard by both her clients and colleagues.
There were no aggravating factors.
The Committee considered that the case was too serious to take no further action, but that there was no ongoing danger to the public or risk to animal health.
Kathryn Peaty, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee has reached the conclusion that it is appropriate to impose a reprimand and a warning in this case.
"It would serve no purpose to impose a more severe sanction of a suspension and deprive Dr Gurrin’s clients of her valuable service and to deprive Dr Gurrin of the opportunity to practise for however short a time.
"The Committee considered that it is right to recognise that this misconduct was an aberration in a fine career, which is not characteristic of this veterinary surgeon and which happened when she was off her guard and in circumstances when she was mistakenly trying to help another in what she thought was a safe way.
“The Committee therefore decided, in the particular circumstance of this case, to impose a reprimand and warning on the basis that it would be proportionate in order to maintain public confidence in the profession and declare and uphold proper standards of conduct and behaviour.”
The RCVS has launched the new Practice Standards Scheme (PSS), which is now open for applications for both practice accreditations and the new system of PSS awards.
Speaking after today’s launch at the London Vet Show, which over 200 veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and practice managers attended, Practice Standards Group chair Jacqui Molyneux, said: "The new Scheme is all about offering a pathway to improvement for practices of all shapes and sizes that want to aspire to excellence, and then highlighting these achievements to the animal-owning public in a way that is clear and easy to understand.
"Over half of all veterinary practice premises in the UK are already RCVS-accredited, which is fantastic for a voluntary scheme, but we’d really like to help more practices to get on board. I hope that the improvements and exciting new benefits that we’ve developed will make the Scheme even more rewarding for existing members, and encourage more people to join."
The College says that the main changes to the scheme have been based on feedback from the profession and input from the Practice Standards Group (PSG), with the dual aims of making it more accessible for those practices which aren’t yet PSS members, and even more rewarding for those who are already accredited.
Whilst retaining the existing accreditation levels across small animal, equine and farm animal practices (current RCVS-accredited practices will be automatically transferred to the new Scheme), a new modular structure helps to make the Scheme more flexible and ensure all types of veterinary practice – from ambulatory services to veterinary hospitals – can join. This structure also recognises the contributions of the whole practice team, helping to raise standards across the board.
Once accredited, practices can now apply for a range of optional awards that focus on outcomes and behaviours in specific areas, such as ‘In-patient Service’, ‘Team and Professional Responsibility’ and ‘Client Service’. Designated at either ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’, these awards should help clients understand where a practice excels, and what skills and services are on offer, enabling them to make choices based on their needs and preferences.
The RCVS has also recruited and trained a new team of assessors, who will take more of an interest in listening to practice staff rather than just checking paperwork and equipment. It has also developed an online administration and support tool – nicknamed Stanley – to provide document storage, a calendar and a self-assessment function, to make the accreditation and awards application processes quicker and easier to manage.
As an introductory offer, the RCVS is now inviting applications from practices that would be willing to help with a final round of testing of the new Scheme, to be in with a chance to win one of 20 free assessment days, worth £350. The offer is open until Friday 4 December, and the first 20 practices drawn at random on 7 December will be allocated the free assessments.
Full details about the draw, the new Scheme and how to apply for accreditation and/or awards are available at www.rcvs.org.uk/newpss. The new promotional video shown above can also be viewed here.
The RCVS is to hold an online hustings on Tuesday, 19 March at 7pm to help voters decide who they wish to vote for in the upcoming RCVS Council elections, and is inviting members of the veterinary profession to suggest questions for the candidates to answer.
Gordon Hockey, RCVS Registrar said: "From feedback we've received, one of the reasons why people don't vote is because they know little about the candidates or their views. We hope this hustings will provide the candidates with a platform to address the veterinary electorate directly, and give voters the chance to put their own questions to those hoping to serve on Council."
The hustings will be run as a live webinar by 'The Webinar Vet' and will be free to listen to. However, the College says that due to the high number of candidates standing for election, it isn't possible to hold a debate, so questions should be submitted in advance (see below). Each candidate will be allocated around three minutes to introduce themselves and answer up to three questions of their choosing. The whole event will run for just under an hour.
Anthony Chadwick, who runs The Webinar Vet, will moderate proceedings, and Gordon Hockey will be on-hand to address any factual inaccuracies.
Veterinary surgeons can register to listen to the hustings at www.thewebinarvet.com/rcvs and submit their questions at the same time; alternatively, questions can be emailed to Ian Holloway at the RCVS (i.holloway@rcvs.org.uk).
Questions should be relevant to the role of the RCVS and the role of Council Members (see www.rcvs.org.uk/about). If questions should remain anonymous, please say so.
Ballot papers and candidates' biographies and manifestos are due to be posted on 7 March. Votes may be cast online, by text message or by post, by 5pm on Friday, 26 April 2013.
The RCVS is encouraging vets to nominate members of their nursing team for this year's VN Golden Jubilee Award, which recognises exceptional contribution to veterinary nursing.
The award was launched in 2011 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first RCVS veterinary nursing training course and recognises those who have made an outstanding contribution to the profession, animal welfare and/or patient care. Nominees can be registered veterinary nurses, veterinary surgeons or lay people.
Nomination forms need to be submitted by 5pm on Friday 24 April. The principal nominator must be a registered veterinary nurse or veterinary surgeon, although the two supporting proposers can be lay people.
Kathy Kissick, Chair of VN Council, said: "One of the main priorities of VN Council in the coming years is to raise levels of awareness of registered veterinary nurses, and awards which recognise the importance of VNs in the context of the veterinary team and animal welfare are crucial to enhancing the profession's profile.
"Therefore I would encourage veterinary nurses and veterinary surgeons to think about those VNs who go above and beyond the call of duty for their cause and who would be excellent ambassadors for the profession and nominate them for the Golden Jubilee Award."
Last year's winner was Hayley Walters who was recognised for her contribution to animal welfare through her teaching, clinical and international outreach work. Previous recipients were Jean Turner in 2011 and Sue Badger in 2012. No award was made in 2013.
The nomination form for the VN Golden Jubilee Award can be downloaded from www.rcvs.org.uk/goldenjubilee
The winner will be chosen by a panel of VN Council members and will receive the Award at RCVS Day - the College's Annual General Meeting and Awards Day - on Friday 10 July 2015.
For further information about making a nomination for the award contact Annette Amato, Deputy Head of Veterinary Nursing, on a.amato@rcvs.org.uk or 020 7202 0713.
Organisations including British Veterinary Association (BVA) and the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS) also responded to the consultation on behalf of members.
The College’s Education Department is now in the process of analysing the consultation responses.
Christine Warman, Head of Education at the RCVS, said: "We are very pleased with the number of responses we have received to this consultation which demonstrates what an important issue CPD, and our approach to it going forward, is for the profession. I am also glad that there was a good split of responses between veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses as it is important we get as wide a range of views as possible from a wide range of individuals. I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to give us their views.
"Over the coming weeks we will be going through each response with a view to preparing proposals on the next steps for our CPD Working Party’s September meeting."
Proposals are expected to go to the Education Committee and to VN Council in October and then to the November meeting of RCVS Council.
Niall, who stepped up from Vice Chair to acting interim Chair of the Fellowship Board after the resignation of the previous Chair, has been formally elected as Chair of the Board.
In his role as Chair, Niall will continue to lead the Board, which is responsible for setting the criteria for joining the Fellowship across all three of its routes to entry, as well as the process by which applications are assessed.
An election for the position of Vice Chair of the Fellowship Board will take place in the autumn.
Niall said: “I am honoured beyond words to be elected Chair of the RCVS Fellowship and I'm very grateful for the support received to achieve this.
“I know I have very big shoes to fill, thanks to the great efforts that have gone on before and I will put all my available energy into continuing to work with our Fellows and the College to progress the goals of RCVS Fellowship as a resource of independent knowledge for our professions, to upskill and always innovate, while looking to enrich public awareness and discussion.”
Nicky Paull MRCVS, who has held the position of Chair of the Credentials Panel for the Meritorious Contributions to Clinical Practice pathway for the past three years, was successfully re-elected.
Nicky will continue to be responsible for making assessments of applicants aiming to gain Fellowship through the Meritorious Contributions to Clinical Practice pathway.
She will co-ordinate and oversee a review of the applications by her fellow panel members, as well as chairing any required appropriate panel meetings.
On her appointment, Nicky said: “I look forward to the challenge of continuing to grow the diversity of the Fellowship and celebrate those who, by their contribution to the advancement of the profession by clinical or educational scholarship and leadership, have had a significant impact on clinical practice within the veterinary profession.”
Niall and Nicky will be formally instated into their roles at Fellowship Day, which is due to take place on Thursday 28 November at One Great George Street, London.
https://www.rcvs.org.uk/fellowship/
The RCVS Charitable Trust is offering up to 10 grants worth around £500 each, to support UK veterinary surgeons looking to pursue themes of clinical or non-clinical research involving short-term visits to veterinary or medical centres, or research institutes, outside the UK.
The Travel Awards are open to registered members of the RCVS, as well as to candidates registered for a PhD at a UK veterinary school. The awards are available for up to 12 months from the award date, and awards cannot be made for projects taking place before 31 October 2011.
The successful candidates will be asked to submit an article to the veterinary press and provide the Trust with a diary record including photographs, and/or short video.
All applications must be received by 5pm on Monday 31 October 2011.
Further information including full application criteria, is available from www.rcvstrust.org.uk/grants/
Alternative, contact grants@rcvstrust.org.uk or call 0207 202 0741.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Trust's Adopt-A-Book campaign has raised almost £17k in sponsorship to pay for the restoration of books in the historical collection.
The latest book to be restored under the scheme is a nineteenth century edition of Every man his own farrier, by F. Clater, which has been restored thanks to veterinary surgeon Fiona Dalzell.
Fiona said: "I have always loved books, and especially old books, but I got inspired by the Adopt-a-Book scheme when I came to the RCVS for a meeting of the Veterinary History Society".
These editions, she says, are "works of art in their own right," and it has given her a "huge amount of pleasure to know that you can do so much just from a small donation."
RCVS Trust Director Cherry Bushell explained the idea behind a campaign: "When you think of 'adoption', you may more readily recall the rescue animals treated in veterinary practices than old books. However, these old books also need your help - and are an important part of the veterinary heritage that the Trust seeks to preserve."
Restoring a book can cost between £25 and £250, and adopted books carry a book-plate naming their benefactor. They can also be dedicated 'in memoriam'.
Since its inception six years ago, the Adopt-a-Book campaign has raised £16, 851, and funded the restoration of 139 volumes:
Those interested in supporting this work by adopting a book can view available titles at www.rcvs.org.uk/adoptabook or contact Clare Boulton, RCVS Trust Librarian (c.boulton@rcvstrust.org.uk or 020 7202 0752).
RCVS Day - the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Annual General Meeting and Presentation of Awards - will be held on Friday 1 July 2011 at One Great George Street, London.
All members and listed/registered veterinary nurses are invited to attend the day, which will start at 10am with AGM business, followed by the celebration of veterinary and veterinary nursing achievements. Professor Soraya Shirazi-Beechey will be receiving her Honorary Associateship and Dr James Kirkwood and Des Thompson will be accepting their Honorary Fellowships.
A new award to mark the 50th anniversary of veterinary nursing will also be presented, as well as a Lifetime Contribution Award from the RCVS Charitable Trust.
In his last official engagement as President, Peter Jinman will give a review of his year before formally welcoming new Council and VN Council Members, and Dr Jerry Davies to the role of President for 2011-2012.
To celebrate Vet2011, the RCVS is honoured to announce that there will be two guest speakers this year - Dr Christophe Buhot DVM and Professor Gary England FRCVS, who will deliver a talk about the history and future direction of veterinary education.
For tickets, which are free and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, please contact Fiona Harcourt at the RCVS on f.harcourt@rcvs.org.uk or 020 7202 0773.
RCVS Knowledge says it first identified the need for an open access and easily accessible means of distributing veterinary evidence in early 2014. The concept for a new digital journal was announced at the 2014 EBVM Network Conference, and began with the mission statement of improving front-line clinical standards, funded initially by a donation from the RCVS.
In its first year Veterinary Evidence has published 58 papers which have been downloaded over 34,000 times by an international audience spanning 20 countries. It has also streamlined its submission process and added a range of new tools and resources. The tools include a downloadable submission template and a range of checklists and guidelines to help the practitioner conduct evidence-based medicine.
Looking to the future, the charity says that its website platform will be overhauled later in 2017, so practitioners can find articles quickly and implement their findings in practice.
RCVS Knowledge is now running a survey to find out what topics you'd like to see covered by Veterinary Evidence. All participants will entered into a draw for a new iPad.
Veterinary Evidence is also on the hunt for a new Editor-in-Chief, to move the journal into its next chapter. The Editor-in-Chief will have a passion for EBVM and engaging with the veterinary community and will help provide readers with the content they need. If you’re interested in applying for this role you can view the full job description here.
The 2009 RCVS Continuing Professional Development Record Cards have been sent to all practising vets and Registered Veterinary Nurses.
Undertaking and recording Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is a mandatory professional requirement for these vets and RVNs. Vets must average at least 35 hours of CPD per year and RVNs 15 hours, although many will do far more.
The RCVS can ask to see CPD records - and they may be checked during practice inspections as part of the Practice Standards Scheme. For newly-qualified veterinary surgeons, completing the Professional Development Phase also fulfils the CPD requirements in their first year of practice.
Jill Nute, President of the RCVS, said: "CPD is about maintaining professional competence. Vets and RVNs are expected to make continuous improvements in their knowledge and skills, which will have benefits for their patients and clients, their own development and the profession at large. Undertaking CPD allows vets and RVNs to demonstrate their commitment to maintaining the highest professional standards."
As professionals, vets and RVNs are expected to evaluate what knowledge and skills they need to develop, and how they will do this. This may include activities such as going to particular case-conferences or asking for some in-house training. Getting together with other practices to organise training sessions or secondments or finding a mentor can also be useful.
Personal study - documented in a learning diary detailing the aims of the study, what was studied and the outcomes, for example, a change made to a practice protocol - can also be used. There is no limit on properly documented study, but vets cannot count more than 10 hours, and veterinary nurses five hours, each year of undocumented study.
All CPD activity should be systematically planned to meet identified professional needs, and clear records must be kept of what has been done.
Further information about CPD requirements for veterinary surgeons and Registered Veterinary Nurses can be found on the back of the CPD Record Card, and at RCVSonline (www.rcvs.org.uk).
The RCVS is seeking nominations for its 2014 Honours and Awards Round, and wants to hear about any individuals, of whatever age or experience, who have made an outstanding contribution to the profession.
The annual Honours scheme comprises two distinct and prestigious types of award: Honorary Fellowships for RCVS-registered veterinary surgeons and Honorary Associateships for non-veterinary surgeons. Both sets of awards are presented each year at RCVS Day - the College's AGM and award ceremony in London.
The College says it is keen for the Fellowship nominations net to be cast as widely as possible in order to offer recognition of veterinary achievements not only in more traditional fields like academia and clinical practice, but also in science, education, industry and politics.
In addition, Honorary Fellowship nominees no longer need to have been an RCVS member for 30 years, meaning that younger veterinary surgeons who have gone significantly above and beyond the call of duty will also be eligible for consideration.
Honorary Associateships are intended to celebrate the achievements of those who have contributed to the health and welfare of animals by working in fields related to the veterinary profession, and could be from a similarly wide range of backgrounds, for example, veterinary nurses, scientists, lecturers, farriers, charity workers, farmers, conservationists or those in industry and commerce.
Nick Stace, RCVS Chief Executive, said: "At my first RCVS Day this summer, I was hugely impressed with the calibre of candidates who received our awards, and delighted we were able to formally mark their achievements. The veterinary profession has a lot of talented people who deserve to be recognised for the contribution they have made, whether in science and academia, or in politics and clinical practice. Everyone knows someone who is worthy of this kind of recognition and I urge you to take the next step and nominate them for an award."
There are no restrictions on who can make a nomination, although the closing deadline is 13 September 2013. Full details on how to make a nomination are available at www.rcvs.org.uk/honours.
Chris will also be donating any money he raises throughout the course of his Presidency to those same charities.
His chosen charities are: Vetlife, Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA), the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), Hearing Dogs, and The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust (GHDT).
Chris said: "I chose the charities because I'm dedicated to charities that have a wide effect. The GHDT and the PDSA, by improving the health and welfare of animals, directly benefit the health and wellbeing of the communities in which they work. The GHDT dramatically improves peoples’ lives economically by increasing the working lives of their animals, almost all of which are transport animals, while the PDSA enhances the lives of the less well off by allowing them to keep animals and afford their veterinary care.
"Riding for the Disabled Association and Hearing Dogs for the Deaf then both use animals to help people, strengthening this vital human animal bond that runs through all of these charities. You have to witness the interaction between deaf or disabled people with the dogs and ponies respectively to fully appreciate how much this means to them. Unlike single interventions, these charities provide assistance that keeps on giving.
"Finally, none of this is possible without a healthy veterinary community and Vetlife plays a significant part in ensuring this. Good mental health and wellbeing is essential to the delivery of a good service, and it's important that we do everything we can to ensure that any veterinary professionals that suffer get the assistance they need.”
The charities have already been in touch to thank Chris and the College, and to detail how it will help their activities.
Graham Dick, Vetlife’s Honorary Treasurer, said: “Vetlife is currently expanding its vital support services to meet the changing needs of the veterinary community so we are sincerely grateful that Chris Tufnell has chosen our charity to benefit from his fundraising activities during his year as President. It is heartening that all the major veterinary organisations are so supportive of Vetlife and eager to work together to address the issues that many people in the veterinary community are struggling with."
Heather Armstrong, the Director of the GHDT, said: "We would like to give our very sincere thanks to Chris Tufnell, President of the RCVS for choosing us as one of his charities. Over the years we have relied on volunteer vets from UK to provide training to our staff and to Gambian livestock workers. This is helping to increase Gambian veterinary capacity and we hope is also giving British vets a small insight into global veterinary problems. The British veterinary profession should be very proud, it has enabled us to achieve so much in the last 14 years and we are immensely grateful to each and every vet who has been out to help including Chris, who has kindly helped us in the past with training."
Rosie Gibbons, Challenge & Community Events Fundraiser UK at the PDSA, said: "The donations received through the RCVS’ President’s Fund to PDSA will ensure that someone’s much loved pet will receive the treatment and healthy life they deserve. It will also ensure that our veterinary teams can continue to educate people about responsible pet ownership and issue preventative treatments, making the lives of so many animals much more bearable in the future."
Sal Atkinson, Fundraising Manager for the RDA, said: "We are thrilled that Chris has chosen RDA as one of this year’s RCVS President’s Fund charities. RDA relies on voluntary donations such as this to enable us to provide life changing therapy through horses to disabled adults and children in the UK. We currently have over 3,000 horses and ponies who work with our riders, carriage drivers, volunteers and equine advisors and this support will really help us to offer more opportunities to disabled people in the community."
The President’s Christmas Box donation is made every year in lieu of sending out RCVS Christmas cards. Previous recipients have included Worldwide Veterinary Service, Mind, Canine Partners, Hounds for Heroes, and the Veterinary Benevolent Fund.
The RCVS has appointed Amanda Boag as its new Treasurer, replacing Dr Bradley Viner who will become (junior) Vice-President in July.
Amanda will officially take up her post at RCVS Day - the College's Annual General Meeting and Awards Day - on Friday 11 July.
Amanda is a Clinical Director at Vets Now and is also currently President of the European Society of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care. She was elected to RCVS Council for a four-year term in 2012.
As Treasurer she will be responsible for maintaining an overview of the College's affairs, ensuring its financial viability and making sure that proper financial records and procedures are maintained.
Amanda said: "I am very honoured to have been appointed Treasurer for the RCVS and am looking forward to working closely with other Council members and the Belgravia House team.
"I would particularly like to thank my predecessor Bradley Viner for the excellent work he has done over the past four years. This has been a period of great change for the College and during his tenure he has done a huge amount of work to support the improvements in governance, including standardising the way that the College's accounts are reported.
"Our finances are currently in a healthy state despite no increase in the annual renewal fee for several years. I am now looking forward to building on his legacy and ensuring the finances remain healthy, allowing us to move forward with our Strategic Plan."
At RCVS Day on 11 July, Professor Stuart Reid will also be confirmed as President; current President Neil Smith as (senior) Vice-President; Chris Tufnell as Chairman of the Education Committee; and David Catlow as Chairman of the Standards Committee.
The VetCompass database now holds millions of anonymised veterinary clinical records collected from primary practices and referral centres across the UK.
The records allow researchers to investigate a range and frequency of companion animal health problems and identify important risk factors for the most common disorders.
This research can then be used by veterinary professionals in clinical practice to help improve education and outcomes related to animal welfare.
Dan’s nomination included recognition for VetCompass operating under non-profit and open-access principles and embedding mandatory welfare pathways into all studies.
VetCompass was also recognised for having supported more than 140 research papers supporting broad welfare initiatives spanning breed-related health, extreme conformations, welfare scoring, specific disorders, oncology, disease surveillance, prescribing practices, and more.
Dan said: “I am truly humbled to receive this recognition from the RCVS.
"When I moved from clinical practice to the RVC 15 years ago to develop VetCompass as my PhD project, I could only dream of the untapped potential for practising veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses to contribute to cutting edge science and welfare.
"And now the amazing VetCompass team at the RVC have made that aspiration to redefine the clinical evidence base on companion animal welfare a reality.
"I now need to reset even higher animal welfare dreams for the next 15 years.”
https://www.rvc.ac.uk/vetcompass/about/overview
The RCVS has announced that the first members of its reconstituted Disciplinary and Preliminary Investigation Committees have been appointed and will join the Committees from July 2013.
Beverley Cottrell and Catherine Goldie (pictured right) have been appointed to the new Disciplinary Committee (DC), and are retiring as elected veterinary surgeons on Council to take up the posts. Veterinary surgeons Jane Downes and Charles Gruchy, and lay members Stuart Drummond, Ian Green, Chitra Karve and Mehmuda Mian, will also join the DC.
The new Preliminary Investigation Committee (PIC) members will include veterinary surgeons Andrew Ash and William Reilly, plus lay members Penny Howe, Sarah Pond and Elana Tessler.
These new appointments result from a legislative reform order (LRO) made to separate the RCVS disciplinary committees from the RCVS Council. The Royal College says this will improve the independence of the disciplinary process and bring it into line with regulatory best practice.
The LRO came into force on 6 April 2013, and amended the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 (VSA). The VSA now requires that the RCVS PIC and DC are made up of veterinary surgeons and lay members who are not RCVS Council members, and who are appointed independently. The change to the legislation ensures that the same group of people is not responsible for setting the rules, investigating complaints, and adjudication.
The LRO also brings lay people formally into the PIC and will increase the pool of people available to investigate complaints and sit on disciplinary hearings.
RCVS Registrar and Head of Legal Services, Gordon Hockey said: "The LRO fundamentally improves the way the veterinary profession is regulated, and will help to ensure public confidence in our disciplinary processes. I am delighted by the constructive and collaborative working relationship that we had with Defra and the British Veterinary Association (BVA), which has allowed this major reform to be introduced."
To make these appointments, a long-list of lay and veterinary surgeon candidates was put together by recruitment consultants, and a shortlist was referred to an independent selection committee chaired by Sir Michael Buckley and including Christopher Laurence and Dr Joan Martin. The selection committee's choices were then ratified by RCVS Council at the June 2013 meeting.
As part of a transition phase, both committees will also include some Council members; after a two-year period, members of RCVS Council will become ineligible for membership of either committee.
Freda Andrews, the Director of Education at the RCVS, has announced her retirement from the position on 2nd April after nearly 16 years at the College.
Freda joined the RCVS as Head of Education in September 1999 and became Director of Education in 2013, with strategic responsibility for both veterinary and veterinary nursing education.
Nick Stace, RCVS Chief Executive Officer, said: "We will miss Freda for her professionalism, her encyclopaedic knowledge of all things related to veterinary education and her attention to detail, but she leaves behind a team that is stronger-than-ever and a considerable legacy for the profession as a whole.
"Under her watch the Education Department has seen a significant number of achievements. This includes the introduction of the Professional Development Phase which has helped veterinary graduates develop their confidence and competence during the first few years of practice and the accreditation of the University of Nottingham's School of Veterinary Medicine and Science - the first new UK vet school in 50 years."
Freda's responsibilities as Director of Education will now be split between Christine Warman, Head of Education, and Julie Dugmore, Head of Veterinary Nursing.
Freda said: "I have really enjoyed working with such a fascinating profession and I think that through working very closely with our colleagues in the vet schools, as well as with practising vets, veterinary education has made some significant advances. For example, there is more focus now on communication and professional skills and greater alignment of accreditation standards internationally, to name but two things.
"I am sad to leave but I know that the future of veterinary and veterinary nursing education has been left in the very safe hands of Christine and Julie and their respective teams."
The RCVS has announced the new recruits for the two independent statutory committees responsible for investigating and holding inquiries into concerns raised about the professional conduct of veterinary surgeons.
The Disciplinary Committee has seven new members (three laypeople and four veterinary surgeons) and is now chaired by Ian Green, a former magistrate and Chief Executive of YMCA England from 2008 to 2013, who has been a member of the Committee since 2013.
The new members are:
The Preliminary Investigation Committee has three new members (all of them veterinary surgeons) and is now chaired by Andrew Ash MRCVS, a director of a veterinary practice group and Past-President of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA), who has been a member of the Committee since 2013. The new members are:
The College says these changes now bring it into line with a Legislative Reform Order which came into effect in July 2013 and which amended the Veterinary Surgeons Act to say that the two statutory committees should be constituted separately from RCVS Council.
Gordon Hockey, RCVS Registrar, said: “We pushed forward the LRO because we wanted to make sure that the College was following regulatory best practice by ensuring the independence of those who adjudicate on concerns raised about a veterinary surgeon’s professional conduct and fitness to practise.
“The LRO allowed for a two-year transitional period and so, with these new appointments, we see it come to fruition as the committee members are now wholly separate from RCVS Council members, who are ineligible to sit on the Disciplinary or Preliminary Investigation committees.
“I would like to extend a very warm welcome to the new Chairs and members of the committees. They all went through a rigorous recruitment process over a number of months this year and I am confident in their integrity, independence, judgement and abilities.”
Through the same independent recruitment process two new members have also been appointed to the VN Preliminary Investigation Committee – Suzanne May RVN and Susan Macaldowie MRCVS.
Details of the Disciplinary and Preliminary Investigation committees can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/about-us/committees/disciplinary-committee and www.rcvs.org.uk/about-us/committees/preliminary-investigation-committee respectively.
The RCVS has been out promoting the profession, the Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) and its new 'Find a Vet' search tool to animal owners at BBC Countryfile at Blenheim Palace last week.
The RCVS stand was designed to look like a veterinary practice, complete with waiting room, consulting room, prep room, operating theatre and RCVS Accredited Practice logos.
The team from the College handed out around 1,500 ‘Find a Vet’ canvas bags containing 'Find a Vet' and Practice Standards Scheme leaflets and merchandise, and persuaded over 200 people to take part in special ‘Find a Vet’ and PSS-themed games and competitions.
These included having to find a veterinary surgeon or nurse around the showground (volunteers from RCVS Council and VN Council, including RCVS President Chris Tufnell and VN Council Chair Liz Cox, along with David Catlow, Neil Smith, his dog, Fire, Lucy Bellwood and Amber Richards).
The College reports that there was also a continual stream of children eager to pretend to be veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses for the day and have a go at the on-stand ‘animal examination’ and ‘animal surgery’ activities. All this gave rise to plenty of photo opportunities, which parents and competition entrants were encouraged to share on social media, to help spread the word about the College’s activities.
Ian Holloway, RCVS Head of Communications said: "This was the first time the RCVS had been to such a large-scale and high-profile public event, and it provided a superb opportunity to explain to animal owners who we are and how we can help them.
"We had a great deal of interest in our new Find a Vet service, and people also seemed reassured that there was a scheme in place to accredit veterinary practices around the country. Having attended both the London Pet Show and BBC Countryfile Live this year, we now plan to increase the number of animal owner events we attend next year, to further raise public awareness of the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme and our Find a Vet service."
For more pictures of the event, see: https://flic.kr/s/aHskEQkDPc