The survey asks EU nationals about their experience of practising in the UK since the referendum and will seek to find out what their career expectations and aspirations are now.
The survey will also ask how they feel that the RCVS has supported EU vets to practise in the UK since the transition period ended on 31 December 2020.
The survey is being conducted by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES), an independent, not-for-profit research institute.
Respondents are encouraged to be as open as possible, as individual responses will not be seen by the RCVS and all survey data will be analysed independently by IES.
Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO said: “We are hearing anecdotal feedback from EU veterinary professionals about the impact of the EU Exit on their working lives, but it is important for us to have direct feedback as evidence for our recommendations.
"I would encourage everyone who receives the survey to share their thoughts with us, as the feedback we receive from this and the previous surveys, will help us to plan what training, resources and support the professions need from us post-EU Exit."
Everyone eligible to take part in the survey is being sent an email today from Dilys Robinson at the IES, with a link to the survey.
You have until Tuesday 16th November 2021 to complete it.
If you have any questions, contact Sara.Butcher@employment-studies.co.uk.
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.
The Association of Private Pet Cemeteries & Crematoria (APPCC) has launched a new leaflet for bereaved pet owners, which will be distributed to veterinary practices.
Kevin Spurgeon, Director of the APPCC said: "The feelings of grief and loss that pet owners go through after the death of their pet is often not fully appreciated. The idea of the leaflet is to help owners understand and deal with the emotions they are experiencing more. If the pet is part of a family then several people along with other pets may be affected - it may even be the first experience of death for some."
The leaflet was written and produced for the APPCC by Jane Matthews, author of Losing a Pet (http://www.smallbooks.co.uk/), and has had support from several experienced pet bereavement counsellors and the nationwide Pet Bereavement Support Service run by SCAS (www.scas.org.uk). It covers a variety of subjects, including:
According to the APPCC, studies have shown that as many as 1 in 4 pet owners take time off of work after the death of their pet with nearly half of all those surveyed having taking annual leave after their loss. Pet crematoriums have also noticed an upturn in the numbers of people taking a hands-on approach by choosing to arrange an individual cremation for their pet directly with the crematorium.
The APPCC plans to distribute the leaflets to its members, pet bereavement counsellors and veterinary surgeries throughout the UK and believes this is a major step forward in both acknowledging pet bereavement and helping those affected by it. The leaflet will also be available to download from the main APPCC website www.appcc.org.uk as well as through many of the members own sites.
In order to prevent tail injury in one dog you'd need to dock 500, according to research published in this week's Veterinary Record.The study1 was based on 138,212 dogs seen by vets at 52 veterinary practices across Britain between March 2008 and March 2009. 281 were treated for a tail injury - a rate of 0.23%, adjusted for sampling. The owners of 224 of these injured dogs, as well as a random sample of 799 owners whose dogs had not been treated for tail injury were sent a questionnaire on dog tail injuries and docking.Only 97 of the owners whose dogs needed treatment and 227 of those whose dogs had not been injured replied.Their responses indicated that around one in three tail injuries (36%; 35 cases) had occurred at home as a result of the dog knocking its tail against a wall, kennel wall or other household object.A further 17.5% (17 cases) were sustained outdoors, while 14.4% (14 cases) were caused by the tail being caught in a door. In 15 (15.5%) other causes were cited; and in 16 (16.5%), the cause was unknown. Almost half of the injuries (44%) were recurrent.Over half the cases were treated with drugs and dressings, but in almost one in three cases, amputation was required. Eleven dogs did not need any treatment.Certain breeds seemed to be more at risk, with springer and cocker spaniels almost six times as likely to sustain a tail injury as labradors and retrievers. Greyhounds, lurchers, and whippets were almost seven times as likely to do so, possibly because of the lack of protective hair on their tails, say the authors. Dogs with a wide angle of wag were also almost four times as likely to be injured in this way, while dogs kept in kennels were more than 3.5 times as likely to sustain a tail injury. Only 35 owners said their dogs had had their tail docked, and on the basis of their overall findings, the authors calculated that tail docking would reduce the risk of injury by 12%.But in absolute terms, 500 dogs would need to have their tail docked in order to prevent one tail injury.
Reference1Risk factors for tail injuries in dogs in Great Britain. G. Diesel, D. Pfeiffer, S. Crispin, and D. Brodbelt. The Veterinary Record 2010 166: 812-817.
The Animal Health Trust has repeated its call for veterinary surgeons to take part in its survey study on breed differences in clinical features of canine hyperadrenocorticism.
40 veterinary surgeons have so far taken part in the survey, and preliminary results show that some breeds tend to present with fewer clinical signs than others, which fits with the study's initial hypothesis.
In addition, researchers say that the frequency of most of the clinical signs in dogs affected by hyperadrenocorticism, including polydipsia, polyuria, polyphagia, abdominal distention, alopecia, panting, comedones and muscle weakness, seem to be lower than previously reported in earlier studies published decades ago.
The AHT says it hopes the results of this study will help veterinary surgeons in the diagnosis of canine hyperadrenocorticism. However, in order to progress the study and draw firm conclusions, more responses from veterinary surgeons are needed.
Michael Bennaim, veterinary surgeon at the AHT, said: "We need members of the veterinary profession to help us increase knowledge of this disease and to promote this study to their colleagues. The online questionnaire takes around 10 minutes to complete and all the information that is collected will be processed anonymously."
The AHT requests that the online questionnaire is completed for each case diagnosed with spontaneous hyperadrenocorticism . The questionnaire can be found at http://bit.ly/aht-cushing
Participants can request to be notified of the results of this study when available. Each questionnaire submitted has a chance to win a £100 Amazon voucher.
If you have any questions about the study, contact michael.bennaim@aht.org.uk.
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.
The College says the reforms will make for a clearer and more streamlined process, and offer an alternative, more compassionate way of resolving cases that might otherwise go to a full Disciplinary Committee hearing.
The College will now establish ‘Stage 1 Preliminary Investigation Committees (PICs)’ to replace the current Case Examiner Group stage of the concerns investigation process.
Eleanor Ferguson, RCVS Registrar, said: “Setting up Stage 1 PICs will streamline and clarify the early stages of the concerns investigation process and could also potentially, once sufficiently bedded in, reduce the amount of time taken for a number of cases.
“Currently, Stage 1 of a concerns investigation is carried out by a Case Examiner Group who determine if there is an ‘arguable case’ for serious professional misconduct before referring it on to the Preliminary Investigation Committee.
"However, under these reforms, the Stage 1 PICs will close cases where there is no realistic prospect of finding a case of serious professional misconduct.
"Where cases require formal statements and/or expert opinion they will be referred on to Stage 2 PIC to determine if, based on the additional evidence gathered, a case is serious enough to warrant referral to either the Charter Case Committee [see below], or a full, public Disciplinary Committee hearing.
“In essence this change means that there will be one consistent threshold of seriousness in all our investigations, meaning it is likely that fewer cases will be unnecessarily referred to Stage 2 of the process.”
The second reform involves the implementation of the new ‘Charter Case Protocol’ to provide an alternative way to resolve suitable cases meeting certain criteria which, though they meet the threshold to go to the Disciplinary Committee, it is considered that the public interest can still be served without a full hearing.
The ‘Charter Case Committee’ to which these cases will be referred will be able to issue written warning notices.
Eleanor added: “The establishment of the Charter Case Protocol and Committee is important for the RCVS in being able to get the balance right between upholding professional conduct standards and protecting animal health and welfare and public confidence in the professions, while also being a compassionate regulator.
“The type of cases we envisage being dealt with by the Committee are those where the conduct of the veterinary surgeon or veterinary nurse has fallen far short of what is expected of them under the Code, but where there is no ongoing risk to animal welfare or public confidence, and where the level of insight and contrition about their conduct is such that it can be resolved without the need for an onerous, stressful and expensive Disciplinary Committee hearing.
"We estimate that the Charter Case Committee will deal with around 20 such cases per year.
“Of course, the most serious cases of professional misconduct, for example around dishonesty and criminality, will continue to be referred to Disciplinary Committee hearings.
“It is worth noting that Charter Case Protocol and Committee are working titles, describing the fact that we are implementing this process under the remit of our Royal Charter.
"RCVS Council has agreed that the name should be changed in due course to something that better reflects its function and remit."
Unlike the Disciplinary Committee, the Charter Case Committee will not issue to the press the full details of cases as a news article.
Instead, it will publish a warning notice on the RCVS website summarising the area of concern, the relevant sections of the Code that were breached and supporting guidance it referred to, and the reasons for issuing the warning.
These warning notices will remain on the RCVS website for a maximum of two years and will not change the registration status of the individual.
The College says that the reforms are likely to take some months to implement and it will be looking to recruit additional Preliminary Investigation Committee members in due course.
Bruce Bladon will describe current antibiotic use in equine practice, Victoria South will consider the use of Highest Priority Critically Important Antimicrobials, and Bettina Dunkel will describe strategies to reduce antimicrobial use.
The webinar is free for both members and non-members.
To register, visit: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/7016678281618/WN__XNTbcxoQ2K1mXUGOIVL_g
Photo: Safia Barakzai, Equine Surgeon
Ceva Animal Health has rebranded its nutraceutical supplements for cats and dogs under its Logic brand.
The new Logic range, which previously included the company's dental products, now includes Logic Diar-Stop (previously known as Diarsanyl Plus) for digestive health, Logic Flexivet, a joint supplement and Logic Senilife, a nutraceutical which Ceva says has been shown to manage the signs of brain ageing.
The range is available in consumer-friendly packaging and a merchandising unit is available to showcase the products in practice.
Claire Russell, consumer product manager at Ceva Animal Health said: "The new Logic range provides veterinary practices with an extensive portfolio of respected veterinary strength supplements and dental products, with more exciting and innovative products to come in the pipeline."
For further information on the Logic range, visit www.logicforpets.co.uk, contact your local Ceva Animal Health territory manager or call Ceva's customer support team on 01494 781510.
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.
The company says it is a further step forward in its plans to expand into Europe and follows the launch of its online pharmacy business, Animed Direct, into France during 2016. It adds that further acquisitions are expected in Europe during 2017, in addition to continued growth in the UK.
The two Dutch practices joining CVS are the Kliniek voor Gezelschaps Dieren, a three site small animal practice based in the central Netherlands, and a single site small animal practice, Dierenziekenhuis Drachten, based in the north of the country. Both practices cited the business support and staff development opportunities offered by CVS, combined with the clinical freedom and practice autonomy it allows, as the reasons for choosing to join the company.
Simon Innes, CEO at CVS, said: "We see many parallels between small animal practice in the Netherlands and the UK and have been talking to practices in the country about the benefits of joining us for some time. The level of interest has been encouraging and we are delighted to announce the acquisition of these two practices and welcome their teams to the CVS family.
"During 2017, we will continue to explore opportunities to extend our activities into Europe, particularly in the Netherlands and in Ireland."
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.
The theme of Congress is 'Thriving in Practice' and there are five lecture streams:
To book your ticket visit https://spvs-congress.co.uk/congress-delegate-tickets/
There are 10 candidates standing this year and vets can vote for up to three of them until 5pm on Friday 21st April 2023:
The biographies and statements for each candidate are available at www.rcvs.org.uk/vetvote23 where each candidate has also answered two questions of their choice submitted by members of the profession.
The three candidates who receive the most votes will take up their four-year terms on RCVS Council at the RCVS Annual General Meeting on Friday 7th July 2023.
Any veterinary surgeons who have not received their voting email should contact CES directly on support@cesvotes.com stating which election they intend to vote in.
VetSurgeon member Viki Edmondson MRCVS is taking part in a drive to help 13-year-old Octavia Woodward, who was born with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), raise £100,000 to help The SMA Trust.
Viki, a well-known vet in the carriage driving world, will be joining Octavia on 'Octavia's Mad Marathon', a five-day, 110 mile carriage drive from Windsor to Wincanton.
Octavia will be driving her pony, Diddy, with her mother Henrietta as co-driver. Meanwhile, Viki will be driving a pair of Gelderlander horses. They'll be leaving the main ring at the Royal Windsor Horse Show with a support crew at 3:30pm on 13th May.
Viki graduated from Bristol Veterinary School in 1993. Since 2001 she has run her own equine practice plus a small animal surgery from the Newdigate, Surrey farm she shares with husband Peter. Viki has known Octavia since she was born and it was Viki who paired up Diddy with Octavia and encouraged her to progress from walking round the roads to the excitement of "off-roading". Viki will be providing support and encouragement to Octavia during the trip - of course with any veterinary help being close by.
To support Viki and Octavia, visit: http://www.justgiving.com/vikithevet
This year’s Horse Health Week, which ran at the end of September, focused on the small things that can be done to help keep Britain’s horses happy and healthy. Equine practices were encouraged to get involved and engage with their clients throughout the week with the support of a toolkit that offered both off and online communication materials.
The toolkit included a social media campaign for practices to run called #BonVoyageBuzz. Horse owners were invited to send 'Buzz' around the (virtual) world by sharing and tagging on Facebook. By the last count, he'd reached Denmark, the U.S., Canada and Saudi Arabia. The final part of Horse Health Week was a survey that gave the views of horse owners on preventative healthcare.
MSD says the week was welcomed and supported by a number of equine vet practices which reported that the campaign generated high levels of engagement from horse owners.
Peter Young, Equine Business Manager said: "Horse Health Week was created to help practices promote their businesses and educate and promote the benefits of preventative healthcare, so we are delighted that we’ve had such a good uptake of the resources we provided this year. A number of equine practices uploaded the daily animations we created to help encourage maximimum engagement. Some also reported the animations and posters being mentioned at yard appointments so, together with equine vet practices, we’ve successfully helped raise awareness and are eduating horse owners."
If you would like to provide feedback speak to your MSD Animal Health Equine Account Manager. For further details, visit: www.healthyhorses.co.uk/horse-week.
Animal Friends Insurance (AFI), a not-for-profit pet insurance business, has a High Court injunction which paves the way for its customers to make a smooth transition from the company's previous underwriters, Equine and Livestock Insurance Company (E&L), to Red Sands Insurance Company (Europe) Limited.
Equine and Livestock terminated their underwriting agreement with AFI in February 2008, citing unprofitablility of the book for them as the reason.
Negotiations over the transfer of the book to Red Sands Insurance Company (Europe) Limited foundered when E&L demanded £750,000 from AFI for the transfer and for their agreement not to solicit AFI customers.
Following legal advice AFI wrote to its customers offering to renew policies with Red Sands. This spawned letters to AFI customers from E&L which caused great confusion amongst customers as to what was happening with their insurance. The letters also offered first a 10% then a 20% discount to tempt AFI customers to renew with E&L and not to stay with AFI.
AFI therefore applied for an emergency injunction to prevent E&L making further contact with AFI customers (except in agreed situations, notably claims), to stop the escalating confusion and also to require them to acknowledge renewals advised to them by AFI into Red Sands and not to take further payments on those insurances. The application was successful.
Elaine Fairfax, Managing Director and Founder of AFI said: "I am delighted at the Court ruling. It has resolved the terrible confusion that followed E&L's letters to our customers. Unfortunately we know that some customers said they would renew with E&L thinking they were staying with us! Now we can simply renew our customers' policies with our new underwriters as we had originally intended to do at no inconvenience to them as they need do nothing if they want to stay with Animal Friends. They will enjoy exactly the same policy terms and premiums as before and our underwriters will even take on existing ongoing conditions where a policyholder has lifetime cover."
She added: "Although this has been a horrible experience we are delighted to have new underwriters as they have given us authority to handle everything in-house. For vets this means that Animal Friends will now be handling claims at our Wiltshire H.Q. We have a bespoke pet claims software systems and veterinary nurse staff to give the best possible service. We have the facility to pay claims swiftly direct into a customer's bank account or direct to a vet. It is also exciting that we shall be able to draw on Hollard's* international pet insurance experience to introduce some unique new products and ideas into the UK pet insurance market in the near future."
Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health has announced that it is to sponsor the Equine Business Management Strategies (EBMS) program, a targeted business education program developed for equine veterinary surgeons and practice professionals.
According the company, this 5-day course has proven very successful in the United States. It had its European kick-off in Amsterdam on August 22, 2010, where a group of almost forty equine practitioners from North America and Europe gathered to discuss and learn how to apply business principles in their day-to-day work. The program was chaired by Dr. Joop Loomans, an equine veterinary surgeon responsible for equine business management education at the Department of Equine Sciences of the Veterinary Faculty of Utrecht University (The Netherlands).
Course participants worked with international specialists on strategic planning, benchmarking, branding and change management to create strategic plans to implement at their practices, and to share their knowledge, experience and ideas.
Intervet/Schering Plough says the launch of Equine Business Management Strategies program exceeded expectations of participants, sponsor and organizers. The chance to look at the day-to-day practice from a different angle and to learn about things like benchmarking exercises, revenue analysis and branding was highly appreciated. Participant Jeremy Mantell from Liphook Equine Hospital in the UK said: "The EBMS has given me a clearer understanding of what I need to change and develop in my practice."
Dr. Roberto Ragni-Alunni, Global Technical Manager Equine at Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health said: "We believe that running an equine practice is not based solely on technical and scientific skills but also on effective practice management. That is why our company has decided to support this initiative. Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health also continues its custom of providing not only innovating products, but also new, value-added services to strengthen its bond with veterinarians."
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 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
Now, when you advertise a job on VetSurgeon.org, the system can send a message to all your employees (and any contacts in the profession) asking them to pass it on if they know anyone suitable, and to share the advertisement on their other social networks, such as Facebook.
As a further option, practices can also now offer a cash reward for a successful introduction leading to the post being filled. In that case, the message sent to employees and contacts lets them know that there’s a reward for their help.
VetSurgeon.org Editor Arlo Guthrie said: "Since we relaunched VetSurgeon Jobs, I’ve noticed a correlation between the number of times that job advertisements are shared by email or on Facebook, and the success that practices have in filling the vacancy.
"Of course, there is nothing to stop you emailing staff and contacts yourself, or offering a reward. But I suspect many don’t, and my hope is that this new feature will really help focus the mind, streamline the process and ultimately help you find the person who'll fit in with your team."
"Share & Reward is another feature exclusively available on VetSurgeon Jobs, alongside the VetSurgeon Locums Map and Find Our Jobs on VetSurgeon (a badge for your website that links to just your jobs).
"There's more on the way!"
The measures agreed by RCVS Council will allow UK-practising members to spread the cost of renewal over three instalments: paying 50% of the full cost by 30th April, 25% by 30th September, and the remaining 25% by 31st December.
Kit Sturgess, Treasurer, said: “We recognise that most veterinary businesses will be seeing a downtown during the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown, especially as veterinary practices reduce their workloads to emergency-only procedures or those that can be classed as urgent. Furthermore, we understand that many individual veterinary surgeons will no longer be working, and that this will cause financial difficulties for many vets and their families.
"We appreciate that this is a very difficult time for the profession, and as part of our compassionate approach to regulation we wanted to do our bit to help people manage the difficult financial consequences of the coronavirus crisis, and to help them to return to work as soon as Government advice allows. While fees for veterinary nurses are not due until the end of the year, we will keep the impact of the coronavirus pandemic under review on an ongoing basis.”
Any UK-practising member wishing to switch to the payment-by-instalments system should cancel their existing Direct Debits immediately (the College has already temporarily deferred these direct debits for around 10-14 days to allow time for them to be cancelled).
The College says that any member who does not pay the first instalment of 50% of the total fee by the end of April will need to pay the full amount in one instalment by the end of May. Should they then fail to make this payment, the College would then have to remove their name from the Register.
Those who pay the initial 50% instalment but fail to pay one or both of the subsequent 25% instalments will be moved to the non-practising Register for up to one year. This would mean that they could transfer back to the UK-practising Register without incurring a restoration fee. However, they would no longer legally be entitled to practise as a veterinary surgeon while on the non-practising Register until they had paid the retention fee in full and been transferred back to the UK-practising Register.
RCVS Council also agreed that the higher fee that usually applies for late payments, ie those made between 1 May and 30 May, will not be applied to any category of membership this year.
Members can opt to move to the new arrangements or continue with full payment. Details of how to pay under the new arrangements will be sent to members shortly. Any member who has already paid their fee in full and would like to switch to the payment-by-instalments mechanism should contact the College on refunds@rcvs.org.uk.
Further details about the scheme are available in a detailed Frequently Asked Questions guide via www.rcvs.org.uk/coronavirus.
COMMENTIt has been argued that at a time when many veterinary surgeons have lost a significant part of their livelihood, the College should have gone further and reduced the renewal fees, at least for the period of time that vets' earning ability is compromised. I'm not qualified to judge whether the College could have afforded that, and a spokesman would only say: "...we have to work within the framework of the legislation and the statutory instrument and, given this, the measures that RCVS Council has put in place is a reasonable outcome and will assist veterinary surgeons who may be struggling during these very tough times."
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.
Swindon-based Eastcott Veterinary Referrals is looking for a new resident to join its dentistry team.
Eastcott’s dentistry department is led by Andrew Perry, an EBVS European Veterinary Specialist in Dentistry. He's supported by Peter Southerden, AVDC Founding Fellow in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery – one of only 14 founding fellows in the world and the only one practicing in Europe.
The residency programme will offer an in-depth knowledge in veterinary dentistry through a mix of clinical and non-clinical work.
It will also provide an opportunity to work alongside world class surgeons responsible for some of the most advanced dental surgical procedures of today.
The clinical aspect of the role will require the candidate to manage cases and perform all forms of dental and oral surgical procedures and client communication, with guidance from senior staff.
The role will also involve preparation of scientific articles for publication and will help develop the candidate's teaching and presenting skills and externships in diagnostic imaging, surgery and anaesthesia.
Andrew said: “The team at Eastcott are proud to be a part of developing future specialists in a discipline that is growing rapidly and has such an impact on patient welfare.
“Our multidisciplinary approach to management of dental, oral and maxillofacial pathologies means that the successful candidate will have the benefit of exposure to a very diverse, and at times cutting edge, caseload.
“The residency programme is well-established at Eastcott. The dentistry, oral and maxillofacial team, the hospital directors and the Linnaeus central support team are committed to individual development and growth and work hard to provide an environment and support to allow our residents to flourish.”
For more information on this role, visit www.eastcottreferrals.co.uk or email andrew.perry@eastcottvets.co.uk before July 31.