The government’s ‘white paper’, Our vision for a thriving veterinary sector, published last week, sets out proposals for what it says will be the most significant reform of veterinary regulation in a generation.

The proposals follow…

The RCVS Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has published its findings from a study on mental health and alcohol use in UK veterinary practice.

The project – ‘Alcohol Harm, mental health and opportunities for change in veterinary practice: A cross-sectional…

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has suspended a Lancashire-based veterinary surgeon for one month after he admitted using funds from his former practice to purchase goods for personal use.

The vet appeared before the committee in June with two charges…

The RCVS Council has approved proposals for a future programme of specialty training for primary care veterinary surgeons, opening the way for general practice to be recognised as a specialty in its own right. 

The proposals stem from the College's Veterinary…

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee of the House of Commons has called for an end to veterinary self-regulation and, as part of reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act, for a new independent regulator to be created.

If adopted, the move would…

The RCVS has confirmed that a new ISVPS General Practitioner Certificate in Small Animal Soft Tissue Surgery is now recognised as an eligible qualification for vets applying for RCVS Advanced Practitioner status.

This is the first ISVPS-awarded certificate…

The RCVS has published suicide prevention resources to help UK veterinary practices meet the now mandatory requirement to put workplace suicide prevention plans into place.

Since 1 April 2026, the RCVS has required all practices to implement a practice…

Three veterinary surgeons have been elected to the RCVS Council for four-year terms.

Fifteen candidates stood in the 2026 election and 6,289 veterinary surgeons (15.8% of those eligible) cast a vote.

Voter turnout compares with 19% in 2025, 19.7% in 2024,…

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has suspended a Cambridgeshire-based vet for six months for importing and supplying medicines from India without a VMD certificate, in a case which highlights the importance of compliance with medicines regulations.

The charge…

A Cheshire-based veterinary nurse has been suspended by the RCVS VN Disciplinary Committee after admitting dishonesty over bile acid stimulation test (BAST) blood sampling.

The nurse was suspended from the Register for three months after admitting dishonesty…

The Competition and Markets Authority has unveiled a package of veterinary transparency reforms that will require practices to publish prices, give written estimates and tighten complaints handling.

Although the regulator says the changes should impose…

The RCVS is offering UK veterinary professionals practical support for navigating career transitions at a series of events coming up in May and June in London.

The CPD events, which are part of the College's Next Steps project, are aimed specifically at…

Professor David Barrett FRCVS has been elected as the Junior Vice-President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons for 2026/27.

David has been an elected member of RCVS Council since July 2024 and is currently Professor of Bovine Medicine, Production…

The RCVS and the BVA have sent a joint letter to the Prime Minister with their concerns over how Brexit, and its impact on EU migration, may affect the veterinary profession.

The letter outlines how the organisations want to work with the government to…

The RCVS and the BVA have called on the government to add veterinary surgeons to the Shortage Occupation List as part of the UK’s preparations for leaving the European Union.

The organisations made a joint submission to the Migration Advisory Committee…

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has published its full review of the Shortage Occupation List and recommended that veterinary surgeons are added to it (page 82).

The Committee's decision to recommend the addition of vets to the list is seen as…

The RCVS and the BVA have issued a joint statement to help the veterinary profession interpret the guidance released by Government on 19 March about who qualifies as ‘key workers’ in relation to the closure of schools.

The relevant section…

The RCVS and the BVA have published the Vet Futures report: their vision for how the veterinary profession should look in 2030, coupled with 34 recommendations for change.

The report, which represents the culmination of a year of engagement, consultation…

The RCVS and the BVA have issued a joint statement following yesterday's announcements that Scotland and England will go into new national lockdowns as the UK coronavirus alert level has been raised to 5.

"We are urgently looking at what these new national…

The RCVS Mind Matters Initiative and the Veterinary Practice Management Association have launched a series of courses designed to help those in a veterinary practice management role to support colleagues with mental health issues. 

The day-long courses…

The RCVS and the BSAVA are to conduct a research project to evaluate the impact of the Professional Development Phase (PDP) on veterinary graduates.

The College’s PDP is a period of structured self-assessment, reflection and development designed to help…