Dispensing flea/worm treatment

RE: Dispensing flea/worm treatment

Andrea Tarr — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 16:35:45 GMT

Hello.

As someone has already said: A vet supplying a veterinary medicine (other than one classified as AVM-GSL) must be present when it is handed over unless they:

authorise each transaction individually before the product is supplied
are satisfied that the person who hands it over is competent to do so"

This is dispensing. The vet takes responsibility. There is no requirement for any qualifications to dispense in a veterinary practice.

SQP is a specific qualification. It is a person who has passed the exams of a registering body (either AMTRA or Vetskill) and is on the register of either body. They are required to do CPD and pay an annual fee. An SQP can prescribe and supply POM-VPS medicines and supply NFA-VPS medicines (i.e. without any vet involvement). Some VNs also have the SQP qualification. The qualification is now being integrated into some VN courses.

RE: Dispensing flea/worm treatment

Eilidh Corr — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 19:54:40 GMT

I had always read and assumed the former to be the case, but there's a great defence there for anyone who's in doubt.

Eats, shoots and leaves

RE: Dispensing flea/worm treatment

Beats — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 19:46:02 GMT

[quote user="Evelyn Barbour-Hill"] In my opinion, the legislation refers to "a suitably qualified person" and does not specify what that is. It does not create a special new profession of "SQP". So, is a RVN "suitably qualified"? In my opinion, yes.[/quote]

Interesting perspective - haven't heard this one before and (without having, or caring to, look at the relevant legislation) I'll have to take your word on it. Nice to know there's a grey area anyway.

My interest has purely been from the point of being clinical coach for a veterinary nurse. She is certainly taught that she is not a SQP on qualifying as things stand, though negotiations to correct that anomaly are apparently ongoing. I had a look at the RCVS guidance for vet nurses just now (expecting to find something concrete) and all I could easily find is vague:

"4.3 Veterinary surgeons and those veterinary nurses who are also SQPs should prescribe responsibly and with due regard to the health and welfare of the animal."

from the RCVS guidance for vet nurses is all that I could find off-hand on new-look website. I'm pretty sure that that intends to suggest that being an RVN is not, by necessity, evidence of being a SQP, however some punctuation might help a bit?

Compare:

4.3 Veterinary surgeons, and those veterinary nurses who are also SQPs, should prescribe responsibly and with due regard to the health and welfare of the animal.

4.3 Veterinary surgeons and those veterinary nurses, who are also SQPs, should prescribe responsibly and with due regard to the health and welfare of the animal.

The former would seem the default reading to me.

RE: Dispensing flea/worm treatment

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 20:54:23 GMT

[quote user="Beats"] if a clinic has a system that annually the vet fills in a box on records with the prescribed parasite control for the next 12 months, can anyone employed by that vet (or their employer) then "dispense" (i.e. pick off shelf, label and hand to owner with any dispensing advice on correct usage, warnings etc)?[/quote]

In my opinion, yes. And the VMD inspector was happy with that too.

As for this one[quote user="Beats"]Nobody other than a vet/pharmacist/SQP can prescribe a POM-V or VPS medicine. [/quote] we've discussed this before. In my opinion, the legislation refers to "a suitably qualified person" and does not specify what that is. It does not create a special new profession of "SQP". So, is a RVN "suitably qualified"? In my opinion, yes.

RE: Dispensing flea/worm treatment

Bibs — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 20:50:20 GMT

This is from the VMD website:

"Supplying

A vet supplying a veterinary medicine (other than one classified as AVM-GSL) must be present when it is handed over unless they:

authorise each transaction individually before the product is supplied
are satisfied that the person who hands it over is competent to do so"

So I suppose that means the vet is supposed to authorise it under their name and someone else they trust can hand it over.

RE: Dispensing flea/worm treatment

Beats — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 20:28:01 GMT

My limited understanding is that anyone that the vet considers to be trained sufficiently can "hand-over" medicine (already prescribed and "dispensed" in a bag with owners name and address say) to an owner.

Nobody other than a vet/pharmacist/SQP can prescribe a POM-V or VPS medicine. Anybody can sell a GSL product.

What I get confused on is what counts as "dispensing" so to speak and who can do that? i.e. if a clinic has a system that annually the vet fills in a box on records with the prescribed parasite control for the next 12 months, can anyone employed by that vet (or their employer) then "dispense" (i.e. pick off shelf, label and hand to owner with any dispensing advice on correct usage, warnings etc)?

RE: Dispensing flea/worm treatment

Eilidh Corr — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 17:37:32 GMT

RVN ≠ SQP though.

We've recently employed a number of new members of staff in front of house positions. None have a veterinary background. We now have a vet authorising all parasite treatments to avoid confusion, errors, or cats being dosed with Advantix. It's not that bad to be honest - and better the effort than a mistake.

RE: Dispensing flea/worm treatment

Neil Wheadon — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 16:00:14 GMT

The majority of practices I work in do require the vet to sign off flea treatment. Advocate is a POM-V after all. It's not that onerous, it's dispensed and a label printed, the vet then initials it.

Neil