Generally, veterinary practices may remain open, but there are national variations in what services should be offered and how, including the conditions under which remote prescribing can be used to help support a case.
Wales currently has the tightest ‘firebreak’ restrictions, meaning practices can only provide essential and urgent work until midnight on 8 November 2020, thereafter, returning to usual operations in line with Wales’ standard measures around workplace safety.
England and Northern Ireland are under national restrictions (4 Nov – 2 Dec, and 16 Oct – 12 Nov, respectively), meaning practices can provide treatment essential for maintaining animal health and welfare, along with non-urgent work providing that social distancing measures and safe working can be maintained.
Veterinary surgeons practising in these three countries may also choose to support a case remotely at an earlier stage, for example, through the remote prescribing of POM-Vs without first having conducted a physical examination.
Scotland remains the only country under regional tiered restrictions, meaning practices can continue to provide treatment whilst maintaining social distancing; however, before remote prescribing is offered, veterinary surgeons should first consider whether the animal can be brought under their care.
The full guidance and corresponding flowcharts should be consulted together and are available at www.rcvs.org.uk/covidfaq2and www.rcvs.org.uk/covidfaq4.
Veterinary nurses, veterinary technicians and certain veterinary paraprofessionals around the world will soon be able to enrol for the first Distance Learning Veterinary Nurse (NCert)/ Veterinary Technician (VTCert)/Veterinary Paraprofessional (VPP) programmes.
The NCert, VTCert and VPP are due to launch in March 2021.
They each consist of eight modules, delivered using interactive online learning techniques. Delegates are guided through each module by a module tutor, while a discussion forum offers them the opportunity to share experiences and ideas with colleagues from around the world. Training in study skills and reflective practice is built into the programme to ensure that a holistic approach is taken to the learning experience.
Dr Charlotte French, Head of Curriculum and Quality at Improve International, said: “We wanted to create an exciting, practical and innovative learning experience that would offer the maximum flexibility to ambitious veterinary nurses and veterinary technicians anywhere in the world, who are keen to advance their career but need to fit their learning around their work and home responsibilities.
"We believe the modular structure and phased delivery of our programmes will offer a new level of accessibility and convenience to our delegates while giving them unique features, such as the opportunity to share their learning with colleagues from around the world and to gain support from vets and vet nurses who are specialised in their field.”
Assessment for the certificates will be undertaken by Improve’s assessment partner the International School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies (ISVPS), and comprises:
Both examinations will be taken online with remote invigilation.
Dr Sheila Wills, Director of ISVPS, said: “Following feedback from candidates and our examiners, we have recently enhanced the examination process we offer to candidates to provide a robust assessment, while giving them the opportunity to clearly demonstrate that their learning has been understood and that they can apply it in a clinical setting.”
Further information on both programmes can be found here: https://www.improveinternational.com/uk/distance-learning-nurse/
The new Nutrition VNMA, which starts in March 2021, will be led by Georgia Woods RVN (pictured right) who holds the Canine and Feline Veterinary Health Nutrition Certificate and the American Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) Nutrition Certificate. Georgia is a Royal Canin Weight Management Clinic Nurse at the University of Liverpool, Small Animal Teaching Hospital, where she deals exclusively with pet obesity and nutrition.
The course, which is sponsored by Royal Canin, combines a series of online lectures, a practical teaching day and a variety of resources and quizzes, together with a discussion and Q&A forum.
The learning objectives are that by the end of the course, participants will be able to:
Following completion of the teaching, there is an assessment to help embed the learning experience.
VNs who complete the course will be awarded a BSAVA Veterinary Nurse Merit Award in Nutrition and will receive a certificate and badge. The course is also worth 30hrs CPD.
Lucie Goodwin, Head of Education said: “We are pleased to be able to add this important and highly topical course to our expanding repertoire of learning resources for RVNs. Practices really recognise the value of VNMAs and are continuing to send their nursing teams on multiple courses.”
The nutrition course costs £525.00 for BSAVA Members or £787.50 for Non-Members.
For further information visit: https://www.bsava.com/Education/VN-Merit-Awards or contact us courses@bsava.com
Before becoming a dragon, Jenny worked in banking for 30 years and will be sharing her experiences as an entrepreneur and business leader. She became CEO of cash machine company Hanco, bought out the business, turned it around and sold it for £50 million.
Jenny is supportive of the move to host BSAVA Congress online. She said: “Veterinary communities, like other professions, have seen the value that online technologies can offer, both for networking and socials, as well as essential CPD. We should all embrace these changes and look at the value that they can bring.”
The Congress programme is currently being finalised and the organisers say the emphasis is on ensuring the experience is an interactive as possible for each delegate. It will deliver more than 100 hours of CPD, delivered by globally recognised speakers.
BSAVA Congress 2021 Programme Committee Chair Andy Green said: ‘Whether a virtual or a live event our entire programme is proudly created by the profession, for the profession and we are committed to providing unrivalled education, with topical, clinically relevant and evidence-based content.”
There'll be a virtual commercial exhibition, where delegates will be able to chat with exhibitors from the comfort of their home or consult room. There will also be the ability to network with others in the profession, in face-to-face chat rooms. Professor Ian Ramsey, President of the BSAVA said: “BSAVA Congress 2021 is going to be one of the most innovative in the history of our events.
"While the pandemic circumstances we continue to find ourselves in are far from ideal, we must continue to evolve and progress as a profession. BSAVA Congress is a unique highlight in our calendar for next year and it is shaping up to be a truly memorable event."
For further information and to register your interest click here: https://www.bsavaevents.com/bsavacongress2021/en/page/home
The talk, entitled “Rabbit Dentistry: It Takes Two”, will be co-presented by Craig Tessyman, an exotics veterinary nurse who works alongside Molly at Rutland House Referral Hospital. Their talk will cover the diagnosis and management of dental disease. It is aimed at any veterinary surgeon or nurse who wants to learn more about best practice in rabbit dentistry.
Molly, who holds both a Certificate and Diploma in Zoological Medicine, said: "Dental disease is common amongst pet rabbits, so small animal vets often need to diagnose and treat dental problems.
"It can be challenging to manage these cases. Our aim with this talk is to help vets improve their clinical approach, and also to provide useful tips for nurses – we want to explain how the practice team can work together with these cases, along our theme of ‘it takes two’."
Molly and Craig’s presentation will cover relevant background on the mechanisms of chewing in rabbits and provide practical advice on recognising and diagnosing dental disease. Physical examination and dental charting will be discussed, as well as dental radiography.
Molly said: "Radiography can be a really useful tool to assess dental disease in rabbits. Vets often aren’t as familiar with positioning and evaluating radiographs of rabbits as compared to cats and dogs, so we’ll give some useful tips on what to look out for."
Molly will share some advice on taking good dental radiographs, and then go into the details of interpretation, explaining how to use imaging to gain a more accurate diagnosis and enable more specific treatment. After this, she will discuss how best to plan and perform dental treatment. Incisor removal, cheek tooth extraction and pulpectomy are some of the topics she’ll cover.
The talk counts for 1 hour of CPD and will be held on 11th November at 12:20pm. Those who can’t make the live session can access a recording afterwards. More information and the sign-up link is available here: https://supremepetfoods.com/rabbit-dentistry-it-takes-two/.
Cognitive aids are visual prompts that aim to reduce human error in critical processes by providing a supportive framework that ensures tasks are performed and communicated appropriately. They are designed for use whilst a task is being undertaken and enable individuals to concentrate on problem-solving and decision-making.
The BSAVA Cognitive Aids for Anaesthesia in Small Animal Practice, written by veterinary anaesthesia specialist Matt McMillan, includes both routine checklists, such as pre-anaesthetic assessment, equipment checks and postoperative handover, and crisis checklists for potential complications that may be encountered during surgery, such as hypotension, bradycardia and haemorrhage.
The guide also includes downloadable forms, which can be used in practice to ensure safety checks are completed and help improve clinical outcomes (available from www.bsavalibrary.com).
Ian Self, Principal Clinical Anaesthetist at the University of Cambridge Department for Veterinary Medicine said: "This handbook should be viewed as a ‘second pair of eyes’ throughout a procedure, especially if an anaesthetised patient deteriorates; consider it as having an experienced anaesthetist looking over your shoulder offering words of advice… I am very happy to endorse this exciting new BSAVA resource."
The BSAVA Cognitive Aids for Anaesthesia in Small Animal Practice is now available from the BSAVA website (www.bsava.com/shop) or by phone on 01452 726700 (£25; BSAVA members: £15).
Mr Chaney was charged with stealing Trazadone and Metacam from the Hampstead practice he worked at, and of unlawfully possessing Trazadone and Metacam. He was also charged with unlawfully administering Butorphanol to a dog and failing to record the administration of the drug in the dogs records. He was also charged with making and deleting false entries into the clinical records of his own dog to the effect that it had been seen by a vet at the practice and that Metacam had been prescribed. The final charge was that his conduct over the false records was dishonest and misleading.
The Committee heard that Mr Chaney’s conduct in relation to the first two charges was discovered when, in July 2018, the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), accompanied by police officers, executed a warrant (for unrelated matters) on the property where he lived. During the course of the search, police officers found Metacam and Trazadone in Mr Chaney’s bedroom which did not seem to have a prescription and so Defra officers launched an investigation.
During the course of this investigation, a Defra investigator was also provided with a video and messages that indicated Mr Chaney had unlawfully administered Butorphanol to a Husky dog in frustration with the animal as it was being too noisy.
The Committee heard that, in November 2018, Mr Chaney accepted a police caution in relation to his possession of Trazadone and Metacam, and the unlawful administration of Butorphanol. The Committee also heard that following the police attending his property and finding the medicines, Mr Chaney went on to create false records at the practice in relation to the examination of his dog in order to justify his unlawful possession of the drugs.
The Committee found all the charges against Mr Chaney proven.
The Committee then went on to consider if the charges, taken both individually and in totality, amounted to disgraceful conduct in a professional capacity.
Judith Way, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: "The Committee had no doubt that administering a sedative to an animal that required prescription by a veterinary surgeon and then failing to record it in the clinical record with the resultant risk to the animal’s welfare due to lack of knowledge of the administration fell far below the expected standard.
"The Committee also considered that possession of prescription only medicines by a registered veterinary nurse, without the sanction of law, having stolen the same from a practice also fell far below the expected standard.
“The Committee also considered that tampering with the clinical record for a dog, in order to create a misleading impression and in doing so dishonestly, was conduct which fell far below the expected standard.
“Taken as a whole, the Committee considered that Mr Chaney’s conduct had fallen far below the expected standard.”
The Committee therefore found him guilty of disgraceful conduct in a professional capacity in relation to all seven charges.
It next went on to consider what sanction, if any, to impose taking into account the aggravating and mitigating factors.
In considering the aggravating factors, the Committee took into account that Mr Chaney’s conduct had presented a risk of injury to the animal and that much of his conduct was pre-meditated. It also considered that Mr Chaney’s conduct involved a breach of trust to both the practice where he was employed and the owner of the Husky, and it was also an abuse of position in gaining access to and stealing medication. Lastly, because the charges related to two separate incidents, there was a common thread in Mr Chaney disregarding rules on veterinary medicines.
In mitigation, the Committee considered that Mr Chaney had reflected on and gained some insight into his behaviour, and acknowledged he had made admissions at the outset of the hearing, including apologising for and showing regret about aspects of his conduct.
However, the Committee did not believe he had addressed his understanding of the effect that this conduct had on the risk to animals, the standards of the profession or the maintenance of public confidence in the profession. In mitigation the Committee also considered a number of positive character references and his previous good character.
Judith Way said: “The Committee determined that it would not be sufficient in the circumstances of the case, to satisfy the public interest to suspend the Respondent’s registration. In its view this case involved a serious departure from identified professional standards. The disregard had been deliberate, in relation to ignoring legislation in respect of prescription-only medication and dishonesty in stealing medication.
"There was evidence of attitudinal issues in relation to that behaviour and insufficient evidence of the development of insight. The dishonesty in relation to the clinical record relating to dog O [his own dog] had been an attempt to conceal earlier dishonesty relating to the theft of the medication. In administering the Butorphanol to dog L [the Husky], Mr Chaney had been putting his own interests in quieting the dog ahead of the dog’s interests, which would have required checking with a veterinary surgeon as to appropriate steps.
"The Committee acknowledged that, by directing removal, there would likely be professional reputational damage to Mr Chaney and possible financial loss. However, in the view of the Committee the requirements of the public interest outweighed these factors.”
Accordingly, the Registrar of the RCVS was directed to remove Mr Chaney’s name from the Register of Veterinary Nurses.
Full details can be found here: https://www.rcvs.org.uk/concerns/disciplinary-hearings/
For the research, 326 recruited veterinary practices examined 812 cats and 662 dogs using a standardised flea inspection protocol in April and June 2018.
Fleas were collected, the species identified, and pooled flea samples from each host were analysed for the presence of pathogens using PCR and sequence analysis.
Overall, fleas were found on 28.1% of cats and 14.4% of dogs.
Unsurprisingly, over 90% of the fleas on both cats and dogs were our dear old friends, Ctenocephalides felis.
The PCR results found that at least 14% of the samples were positive for at least one pathogen, and 11.3% were positive for Bartonella spp (35 from cats, 4 from dogs), a pathogen which was identified as a risk to veterinary professionals and others with direct animal contact in a 2010 research paper2.
Entomologist Professor Richard Wall from the University of Bristol said: "Fleas are the most clinically important ectoparasites of dogs and cats worldwide.
"Rising levels of pet ownership, climate change and globalisation are increasing the importance of a detailed understanding of the endemicity and prevalence of flea-borne pathogens. This requires continued surveillance to detect change.
"The results have shown the high numbers of cats and dogs that still carry fleas and the relatively high prevalence of Bartonella spp found in the samples provided, which is of significant concern for the health of the pet, pet owner and veterinary practice staff."
Nicola Barclay, Senior Product Manager at MSD Animal Health said: "The Big Flea Project results demonstrate the ongoing need for pet owners to understand the importance of flea prevention, particularly with the implications of infestation for human and animal health.
"It’s particularly important at this time of the year as the weather is getting warmer and infestation is more likely to occur.
"Our national launch today has been designed to raise awareness amongst pet owners and encourage them to seek advice from the veterinary practice.
"Building awareness of the risks of fleas to practices and pet owners is also at the forefront of our ongoing campaign."
References
Equibactin vet contains sulfadiazine and trimethoprim, and is indicated for use in the treatment of infections, particularly respiratory tract infections associated with Streptococcus spp. and Staphylococcus aureus; gastrointestinal infections associated with E. coli; urogenital infections associated with beta-hemolytic streptococci; and wound infections and open or drained abscesses associated with Streptococcus spp. and Staphylococcus aureus.
The new product has been designed to provide accurate administration to all sizes of horses or ponies. One syringe provides a complete dose for 600kg bodyweight and is subdivided into 12 markings, to help keep track of dosages.
Dechra Brand Manager Emma Jennings said: "Equibactin vet has a proven antibiotic combination with a synergistic effect2 making it an excellent first line broad spectrum antimicrobial treatment for most Gram positive and negative aerobes.
It can be administered without food which improves the oral bioavailability, offering equine veterinary surgeons a quick and efficient treatment when it comes to targeting these infections that are often experienced in day-to-day practice.
"With its ease of use and three-year shelf life, we anticipate that Equibactin vet will quickly become a popular product when it comes to maintaining equine health."
For more information, visit www.dechra.co.uk/products/equine.
The Disciplinary Committee considered four charges against Dr Strokowska. The first was that, whilst registered in the 'Practising Outside the United Kingdom' category of the Register of Veterinary Surgeons maintained by the RCVS, she practised as a veterinary surgeon in the counties of Somerset, Shropshire, London, Lancashire and Norfolk between July 2016 and August 2017 when she was not registered as UK-practising. The charges were that her conduct in relation to this was dishonest and misleading to her employer and/or clients.
The second charge was that, between October 2016 and July 2017, Dr Strokowska made posts on social media which included photographs of and comments about animals being treated at the practices where she worked, without the consent of the owners or the practices.
The third charge was that, between January 2017 and March 2017, Dr Strokowska made posts on social media which included photographs, videos and comments about animals being treated at Goddards Veterinary Hospital in Wanstead, without the consent of the treating and/or operating veterinary surgeon.
The fourth charge was that, between July 2017 and September 2017, Dr Strokowska made representations to the practice principal of Barn Lodge, in Lancashire, and/or a student vet working at the practice that she had gained consent for photographs and social media posts when she had not, and that her conduct was dishonest and misleading.
At the outset of the hearing, the Dr Strokowska admitted to having practised as a veterinary surgeon in the UK when she was registered as practising outside the UK, but disputed that she had been dishonest or misleading with regards to this.
She also admitted to the entirety of the second charge and part of the third, but, under the latter charge, denied that she had, without consent, taken a video of an animal being operated on by a veterinary colleague.
Finally, she admitted to dishonest and misleading conduct with regard to part of the fourth charge, but denied that, in July 2017, she informed the practice principal that she had been told that she would be allowed to take photographs at Barn Lodge and post these on social media, when she had not been so told.
The Disciplinary Committee went on to consider the facts of the case for each of the charges that remained in issue.
Having considered all of the evidence, the Committee accepted that she did not have her registration status with the RCVS in her mind while she was working in the UK during the period in question. Accordingly, the Committee did not find her to have been dishonest.
With regards to the third charge the Committee considered the issue of whether the video in question had been posted "without the consent of the treating and/or operating veterinary surgeon". After examining the relevant evidence (which included the video in question) the Committee determined that the evidence did not support the facts charged and thus that charge three was not proved.
With regards to the fourth charge, Strokowska denied that her conduct in relation to informing the principal that she had been told that she would be allowed to take photographs and post these on social media was dishonest or misleading, on the basis that she believed she had permission to take and post photographs on social media. The Committee was not able to be sure as to how she sought this consent and the response provided and so the charge was found not proved.
The Committee then went on to consider whether the charges that were admitted amounted to serious professional misconduct.
The Committee found that it was the respondent’s responsibility to ensure that her registration status was appropriate at the time she was doing locum work in the UK. However she had provided her RCVS registration number to all the practises she had worked for and in the view of the committee there was no intention to deceive anyone. In the judgement of the Committee, her conduct was not sufficiently grave so as to constitute serious professional misconduct.
The Committee, in its judgement, concluded that her conduct in relation to the second charge did fall far short of the behaviour to be expected of a member of the veterinary profession, and amounted to serious professional misconduct.
The Committee considered that all members of the profession are obliged to ensure that they comply with the provisions of the Code of Professional Conduct, and the supporting guidance, in relation to the use of the internet and social media.
Unauthorised posting of photographs of animals being treated by a veterinary surgeon on social media may well cause distress to the owners, and damage to the reputation of the profession as a whole, and to the reputation of individual practices.
The aspect of the third charge admitted by the respondent involved posting a photograph with accompanying text of a dog without the consent of the treating and/or operating veterinary surgeon. The Committee considered that this was, indeed, a matter of professional discourtesy, but did not consider that it amounted to serious professional misconduct.
The respondent admitted the fourth charge and admitted that her conduct was dishonest and misleading. The Committee, in its judgement, considered that by choosing to lie in response to a genuine professional enquiry about her conduct, her behaviour fell far short of that to be expected from a member of the veterinary profession, and constituted serious professional misconduct.
The Committee next considered what, if any, sanction to impose.
In mitigation the Committee considered that the postings were an attempt to promote the health and welfare of animals; the lack of risk of harm or actual harm to an animal or human; no apparent financial gain from her actions; her youth and inexperience at the time of the misconduct; her open and frank admissions at an early stage; her subsequent efforts to avoid repetition; the lapse of time since the incident; and her demonstration of insight into the effects of her postings on some owners.
The Committee considered the available sanctions in order starting with no further action. The Committee did not consider that this was appropriate where the serious professional misconduct found in this case involved dishonesty, even given the mitigating factors relating to that as outlined above, nor in view of the repeated nature of the social media posts without owner consent.
The Committee determined that a reprimand and warning as to future conduct was the appropriate sanction in the circumstances of this case.
Dr Strokowska was reprimanded for her serious professional misconduct in relation to her admitted failure to obtain necessary consent for posts on social media and her dishonesty in communication.
She was warned that she should in future be fully aware of, and comply with, the provisions of the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct and its supporting guidance, in particular as it relates to the use of social media, including the need to ensure that she has obtained all the necessary consents from all relevant parties.
The hearing concerned an incident which took place at the VetsNow Huyton premises in Liverpool. There were two charges against Dr Rafiq. The first was that in December 2017, shortly after a litter of puppies was delivered by caesarean to a French Bulldog named Lila, she took one of the puppies away from the practice with the intention that it should not be returned to Lila’s owner and that, in doing so, she was dishonest, misleading and had not acted in the best interest of the puppy’s welfare.
Another puppy was taken away by an animal care assistant who was also working at Vets Now Huyton on the night in question.
The second charge against Dr Rafiq was that she had told her employer at VetsNow that the puppy she had taken from the practice had died in the car when she had been driving home when, in fact, the puppy was alive at that stage and, in telling her employer this, she had been dishonest and misleading.
There was one charge against Mr Perez: that he had made an entry in the clinical records for Lila that she had given birth to four live puppies when in fact she had six; that he had only discharged four of the six puppies to the owner; that he knew that his colleagues intended to remove or had removed the puppies; that he had failed to prevent the removal of the puppies and had failed to report to a colleague the removal of the puppies. The charge also stated that, in relation to the incident, Mr Perez had been dishonest, misleading, did not act in the best interests of the puppies’ welfare and failed to keep accurate clinical records.
At the outset of the hearing, Dr Rafiq admitted in full the charges against her and accepted that she had acted dishonestly. Mr Perez admitted some of the charges against him including that he had made the false clinical record, had discharged four rather than six puppies and had failed to keep accurate clinical records, however he denied any knowledge of the intention to remove puppies and denied that his conduct had been misleading or dishonest.
The Committee was not satisfied that Mr Perez knew at the time of surgery that his colleagues intended to remove the puppies and also considered there was insufficient evidence that he subsequently became aware of their removal.
As a result, the Committee found that he could not have prevented their removal or reported the matter to a colleague. However, the Committee did find that his actions were unintentionally misleading regarding the clinical records and the discharge of the incorrect number of puppies.
The Committee found all the charges against Dr Rafiq proven.
The Committee considered whether the admitted and/or proven charges against Dr Rafiq and Mr Perez amounted to serious professional misconduct.
In respect of Mr Perez, the Committee was critical of his failure to keep accurate clinical records and considered that it was his duty to know how many puppies were born and to record them accurately.
However, while the Committee concluded that Mr Perez’s conduct fell below the expected professional standards of a veterinary surgeon, it did not fall so short as to constitute serious professional misconduct. As a result, no further action was taken against Mr Perez.
In regard to Dr Rafiq, the Committee recognised her admission at the outset that her actions constituted serious professional misconduct and noted her expression of remorse.
The Committee did however have concerns regarding the evidence she gave as to her actions being motivated by animal welfare concerns. The Committee felt that such concerns should have been raised with colleagues and it found that Dr Rafiq had acted recklessly and had been dishonest both with the owner and with her colleagues.
The Committee therefore concluded that her conduct fell so far short of what would be expected of a veterinary surgeon that it constituted serious professional misconduct.
The Committee then considered the sanction against Dr Rafiq, taking into account aggravating and mitigating factors. The aggravating factors included a risk of injury to the puppies, an abuse of the client’s trust, sustained misconduct as the puppy was retained by Dr Rafiq from 2/3 December until its actual death on the night of 5 December, that the dishonesty was sustained until 7 December and that she had only demonstrated limited insight in respect of her wider professional responsibilities.
In mitigation, the Committee considered that her actions involved no financial gain, that it was a single and isolated incident, that she had no previous adverse findings, that she had demonstrated genuine remorse and that she had made admissions at an early stage.
Dr Rafiq, who was unrepresented during the hearing, also submitted evidence in mitigation including testimonials from colleagues and clients, her youth and inexperience at the time, and her remorse, among other things.
In deciding the sanction Ian Arundale, who chaired the Committee and spoke on its behalf, said: "The Committee concluded that Dr Rafiq was a competent veterinary surgeon who was very unlikely to pose a risk to animals in the future.
"However, it considered the reputation of the profession and the need to uphold standards was an important consideration that outweighed the hardship which would be suffered by Dr Rafiq by not being able to practise in her chosen profession. It considered that Dr Rafiq would be fit to return to the profession after a period of suspension.
"It therefore determined that, notwithstanding the nature and extent of the dishonesty in this case, a suspension order was a sufficiently severe sanction to maintain the reputation of the profession and to meet the wider public interest. It took into consideration the overall dishonesty, including that Dr Rafiq had been dishonest when first confronted about these matters, when deciding on the length of any suspension.
"The Committee considered the sanction of suspension was proportionate in the circumstances of this case where there was supporting evidence that Dr Rafiq was a competent and well-regarded veterinary surgeon. It considered the positive testimonial evidence given… and that she was held in high regard by her current employers who were aware of the admitted misconduct, were significant factors in deciding that a suspension order was the proportionate sanction."
The Committee determined that a six-month suspension order would be the most appropriate sanction under the circumstances and directed the Registrar to remove Dr Rafiq from the Register for this period of time.
The ceremonies, which took place on Tuesday, saw newly-qualified veterinary nurses being formally welcomed to the profession and taken through their professional declarations by Racheal Marshall, Chair of the RCVS Veterinary Nurses Council.
Six veterinary nurses who had achieved the Diploma in Advanced Veterinary Nursing (DipAVN) also had their achievement marked on the day.
Racheal said: "It is very apt that this ceremony is taking place during BVNA’s VN Awareness Month, where veterinary practices are encouraged to talk to their clients and the wider public about who veterinary nurses are, what they do and why, as a caring profession, they are so important to animal health and welfare."
"With VNs like you joining our profession or continuing to excel in your careers and helping to raise awareness of veterinary nursing amongst the general public, I am positive that we will continue to progress."
Racheal also gave three pieces of advice to the new registrants: accept that there will be change in your career and life, look after your own physical and mental wellbeing, and use your voice as a veterinary nurse by voicing your opinions and ideas, voting in VN Council elections – or even standing as a member – and contributing to the VN Futures project.
One particularly special element of the day was the recognition of Surrey-based veterinary nurse Sandra Robson for her long service with a veterinary nursing career spanning over 40 years. Sandra, who now works part-time at Brelades Vets in Dorking, began her training in 1968 and qualified as a Registered Animal Nursing Assistant (or RANA) in August 1970. She has worked as a head nurse and practice manager at equine and small animal practices and has also been keen to pass on her experience to her peers being active in teaching and training many student veterinary nurses over the years.
Sandra said: "The people here should be proud of their profession because they have taken a long time to achieve their qualifications and they should be making everyone aware that it is an important achievement. There has been many general developments over the years with the introduction of the Register, the importance on veterinary nurses being professionally responsible for their own actions and Schedule 3."
Also attending the day was RCVS President Amanda Boag who presented each of the new veterinary nurses with a scroll containing the professional declaration made by all veterinary nurses on admission to the Register of Veterinary Nurses and formally welcoming them to the VN profession as an associate of the RCVS.
Amanda said: "As a veterinary surgeon, I am incredibly proud to work alongside your profession. I have been very lucky within my career to work with some amazing nurses, and I have learnt so much from being part of the wider veterinary team.
"As a young vet working in busy emergency clinics, it was very often the fantastic nurses I worked with who saved the day and were responsible for helping me save patients’ lives. I couldn’t have done it without them.
"Being a vet nurse is a wonderful vocation with great and increasing career opportunities and you are such an important part of the veterinary team."
The next VN Day ceremony takes place on Thursday 17 October 2019.
The company says the new range performs as well as the leading brands and delivers consistently reliable sterilisation, but at a much lower price point than the market has seen before. The entry level 8 Litre machine retails at £1,100.
The Yeson machines range in size from an 8 litre to a 22 litre capacity and offer quiet Class B operation, 7 pre-set sterilisation programs, B&D Helix testing and a choice of printer or USB reporting.
Yeson UK MD Will Thomas said: "The autoclave market has been dominated by a few major players for many years and until now they’ve been largely unchallenged. Many people are now asking “why should I pay thousands more for a utility machine such as an autoclave? We’re just hoping that we can meet the demand."
For more information, visit www.yeson-uk.com
A shift towards a more outcomes-based model of CPD for veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses has been under discussion for a number of years and one of its main proponents has been the current RCVS Senior Vice-President Professor Stephen May (pictured right), who chaired the CPD Policy Working Party.
Stephen said: "There has been increasing recognition over a range of different professions that CPD records based on ‘inputs’ alone, for example, measuring the number of hours attending a lecture, do not necessarily prove that any significant learning has taken place or that this learning will be used to improve professional practice.
"By contrast, research has demonstrated that CPD activities focused on outcomes encourage professionals to reflect on what they have learned, how they will apply their learning and how it will improve their practice, which has a positive impact on professionalism and patient health outcomes. Numerous other professions, including human medicine and dentistry, have moved to this model and the veterinary world has been somewhat ‘behind the curve’ as a result.
"However, as with any significant shift in policy, there has been a recognition that we needed to take the profession with us and not force through change. This is why, in March 2017, we launched a pilot scheme for the outcomes-based model with veterinary and veterinary nurse volunteers, including people who, during the initial consultation stage, had voiced some skepticism towards the concept.
"The overall feedback from volunteers was very positive and supportive towards the changes and I look forward, over the coming years, to talking to the professions at large about the benefits of the approach and how to best engage with the model."
In all, around 120 volunteers took part in the pilot, of whom 70% were veterinary surgeons and 30% veterinary nurses. When the pilot finished in October 2018, volunteers provided feedback as part of the evaluation process. Of the 57% of volunteers (n=70) who responded to the survey:
77% said they would be willing to use an outcomes-based CPD model in the future;
41% found it ‘easy’ or ‘very easy’ to implement outcomes-based CPD while only 11% thought it was either ‘difficult’ or ‘very difficult’;
61% thought that the outcomes-based model made CPD more meaningful for them and 25% said it encouraged them to undertake a wider range of CPD activities than previously;
Other feedback included the need for a better CPD recording system and more information and guidance ahead of any future changes.
Following the feedback, particularly around the need for a new approach to CPD recording, it was also recommended to Council that a new online CPD recording system should be introduced. This system will integrate the current disparate systems, such as the Student Experience Log (for vet students), Nursing Progress Log (for student VNs) and the Professional Development Phase (for recent vet graduates), making it a ‘one-stop shop’ professional development recording platform.
Richard Burley, RCVS Chief Technology Officer, said: "We will be building a new platform, consolidating all professional development-related capability for all members, into a single, integrated solution, seamlessly accessible via our ‘My Account’ online portal, and forthcoming mobile app. We have assembled a new, dedicated, software development team to drive this work and more details about this system will be published in coming months."
Linda Prescott-Clements, RCVS Director of Education, added:"Following the approval of the CPD proposals by RCVS Council, a phased roll-out of the new model and the accompanying IT system will take place. This includes recruiting a group of volunteers from the profession later this year to get some initial feedback around the guidance resources and online CPD platform, with members of the profession being voluntarily able to sign up to the new model and IT system from January 2020 onwards.
"Implementation of the new CPD requirement for all members is expected to start in January 2022 but, prior to that, we will be working hard to talk to the profession about why an outcomes-based model is a more effective and meaningful way of undertaking CPD and this will include workshops, webinars and roadshows. Look out for more news on our plans over the coming months."
For more information about the College’s current CPD policy requirement and policy, visit: www.rcvs.org.uk/cpd
The new qualifications are the Level 6 Graduate Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Nursing and the Level 7 Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Nursing.
They differ from the previous Diploma in Advanced Veterinary Nursing in that the qualification is smaller, more focused (being a 60 credit qualification rather than an 120 credit one) and specific to the veterinary nurse’s subject of choice, which is designed to make it both more appealing and easier to fit with the demands of your professional and private life.
The proposals for a new post-registration qualification framework for the profession grew out of a recommendation of the VN Futures Report and Action Plan published in July 2016, which said that the joint RCVS and BVNA project should "canvas opinion on the scope, level and delivery of post-qualification awards for veterinary nurses". This would aim to open up more and different career paths for veterinary nurses.
The proposals were developed by a Post-registration Qualification Working Group and consulted on last summer. The consultation received a large number of responses from the profession which then fed into further revisions that were approved by the VN Education Committee in April.
Racheal Marshall, Chair of VN Council (pictured right), said: "This is a fantastic development for veterinary nursing in terms of professional development and showcasing the full range of skills and experience that we possess.
"The course criteria that we have approved have already received a great deal of interest from both Further and Higher Education providers. We hope to work constructively with them on developing their courses to ensure that they meet the standards we have set out and that they are maintained over time.
"By allowing greater focus on particular designated areas of practice I think these courses will really open up some significant opportunities for VNs, who can choose to go down a designated path, whether that is in, for example, anaesthesia, emergency & critical care, pharmacology or even non-clinical routes such as education and teaching, research skills and leadership.
"This is a great step forward for the profession and we look forward to working to develop the first Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Nursing courses and seeing the first cohort of veterinary nurses sign-up to it."
It is hoped that, in time, once the qualifications have bedded in and enough members of the profession have undertaken and completed the certificate, they may act as a pathway to a formal Advanced Veterinary Nurse status, similar to the relationship between the Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice and Advanced Practitioner status for veterinary surgeons.
Both VN Education Committee and VN Council will be looking at the issue of this status over the coming years.
The full details of the framework for the new qualifications – including the candidate enrolment process, candidate requirements, assessment methods, guidance on curricula and the accreditation and reaccreditation standards – can be found in the committee papers for VN Council at www.rcvs.org.uk/who-we-are/vn-council/vn-council-meetings/8-may-2019/
Any veterinary nurses or Higher/ Further Education institutions who are interested in the Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Nursing should contact the RCVS VN Department on vetnursing@rcvs.org.uk or 020 7202 0788.
Jane, who is also an award-winning blogger, said: "In practice and in college I have seen the struggles facing vet nursing students, particularly the limited resources and time available to students to improve their academic skills.
"Improving academic skills might seem a world away from cleaning a kennel but it is only with academic skills to understand the clinical skills we use that a vet nurse can improve throughout their career.
Jane's new book guides veterinary nurses through the various research and study disciplines required of them. It discusses why these academic skills are now required of the veterinary nurse, different types of source material, how to complete written assignments, how to reference properly, how to approach different test questions, exam preparation, how to respond to oral exams, how to complete OSCEs, CPD training and work-based practical assessments.
Research and Study Skills for Veterinary Nurses is now available to buy at the RRP of £24.95, here: https://www.5mbooks.com/research-and-study-skills-for-veterinary-nurses-a-practical-guide-for-academic-success.html.
You can read Jane’s blog at: https://janervn.com/ and connect on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook with #PlanetRVN or @JaneRVN.
The Essity Veterinary Academy covers four topics of education: Anatomy and Physiology of Wound Healing, Infection Management, Exudate Management and a Wound Assessment Workshop.
Richard Barker, Account Sales Executive said: "Essity Veterinary Academy events allow us to educate veterinary professionals with a full, comprehensive day of wound management.
"We have run our Academy events for the last two years and the feedback we have had has always been positive, therefore the decision to run four events again this year was an easy one.
"The events offer a great opportunity to share best practice with other veterinary professionals, and to obtain invaluable information from our Medical Education Manager, who has vast experience in dealing with all areas of wound management. We are very lucky to be able to offer these events free of charge and we can’t wait for the first event to begin on 18th June."
Essity is hosting these events across four venues, with the days running from 09:00 – 16:00, refreshments and lunch provided. The venues available this year are:
18th June, Huntingdon Racecourse
9th July, West Midlands Safari Park
17th September, Durham Cricket Club (Emirates Stadium)
24th September, Edinburgh Zoo
To book your place, email animalhealthcare@essity.com, giving your name, job title, practice details, telephone number and any dietary requirements.
Alternatively, if you would like further information please dial 01482 670124.
The link emerged after six cats were taken to separate practices in England suffering with clinical signs of TB. Further tests confirmed that they were all infected with Myobacterium bovis. Seven more cats from the same household were also infected, but asymptomatic.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies carried out an investigation to identify the source of infection.
The one common factor identified, as detailed in their paper, was that all the animals, which were kept exclusively indoors, had been fed Natural Instinct's Wild Venison cat food.
The authors concluded that whilst not conclusive (they were not able to test the food), their research provided 'compelling, if circumstantial, evidence of an association between the commercial raw diet of these cats and their M. bovis infections.
Natural Instinct withdrew the Wild Venison product last December, as some of the ingredients were not inspected in line with EU requirements.
A spokesperson from Natural Instinct said: "Everything we do at Natural Instinct is done so with the best interests of our customers and their pets in mind. We can assure our customers that Natural Instinct followed, and continues to follow, every food standard, hygiene regulation and best practice required to produce raw pet food in the commercial marketplace.
"As a responsible manufacturer, we are regularly inspected by the Animal and Plant Health Authority (APHA). We have complied with all of the necessary requirements, and consequently APHA have confirmed they are satisfied all standards have been met by us.
"Even though we no longer manufacture and sell the Venison cat product, we are continuing to work with Food Standards Agency as part of the investigation into the Venison cat food product."
The big question is what broader implications this incident has for feeding animals with raw diets.
Professor Danièlle Gunn-Moore from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, a co-author of the paper, said: "With this outbreak, the problem has been feeding wild venison – the law states the stalker must have their Deer stalker level 1 qualification, but this is only a 3-day course with just one day of disease recognition etc (apparently).
"Natural Instinct apparently sourced their deer from stalkers in the Edge area re TB risk. The stalker is supposed to inspect the gralloch (innards) wild ‘on the hill’ then leave it there for wildlife to eat. They only bring the carcass in skin back with them – which means significant pathology can easily be missed.
"Do we need to strength the law? Either that, or only feed raw venison from Scotland or other areas with no M. bovis (I am ignoring all the other potential infections here).
On the broader issue of feeding cats commercial raw food, Danièlle added: "In concept I think raw food can be far more environmentally stimulating – especially for housecats.
"But that is only safe if we can master 2 things: 1) be nutritionally sound – this is now possible with good companies doing this, and 2) be free of infectious agents – and this is a real problem, especially where the meat has been minced – which they need to be to get the minerals and vitamins correctly mixed in. So I don’t see how to square the circle at present."
Reference
Conor O’Halloran et al. Tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium bovis in pet cats associated with feeding a commercial raw food diet. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 2019. DOI: 10.1177/1098612X19848455
RCVS CEO Lizzie Lockett said: "I am so proud of our performance in the Great Place to Work Awards and the efforts of everyone at the College, and especially our HR team, who have been tirelessly and creatively striving to make the College a wonderful place to work.
"Consistently being placed in the top 50 Great Places to Work is also a testament to the sustained hard work all of our employees and the important part they play in creating a supportive, interesting and good-humoured workplace.
"We are a service-led organisation and we want to make sure that we give our best to the veterinary professions and the general public. If our team enjoys the work, and the workplace, that will improve the service we are able to offer and, ultimately, benefit animal health and welfare."
First out of the stalls was Vet AI, a company founded in 2017 by Paul Hallett and Robert Dawson MRCVS, which announced last November that it had filed patents for artificial intelligence technology to deploy in giving online consultations through its newly-launched app: Joii.
More recently, a Swedish company called FirstVet has announced the UK launch of a consultation service it has offered in the Scandinavian countries for a few years now.
All three companies charge £20 for an online consultation with a veterinary surgeon.
All of these services are currently limited in what they can offer pet owners here in the UK, because veterinary surgeons are not allowed to prescribe medicines without having physically examined the patient. FirstVet says that in Sweden, similar rules apply, except that under current guidance, antiparasiticides and feline contraceptives can be prescribed remotely.
This means that for the moment at least, online consultations in the UK can only advise pet owners whether they do or do not need to see a veterinary surgeon in person, or recommend OTC treatments, such as flea control.
Personally, I'm not convinced that it's worth £20 for the privilege of asking a vet whether or not my pet needs to see a vet, although to be fair, Joii includes a free symptom checker to differentiate between those cases that need directing to see a vet in person, and those that would benefit from the online consultation. Also, if a case needs to be referred to another vet after a consultation, Joii refunds the consultation fee.
Nevertheless I think I'd just ring my normal practice and ask. But that's just me. Perhaps others will see a value in the immediacy of the online service, or that it entails less commitment.
FirstVet does, however, have another string to its bow. It has been busy forging relationships with insurers to fund the majority of its consultations. The insured owner gets a free consultation subsidised by the insurance company; if the animal requires treatment, the owner is referred to their normal vet, unless they don't have one, in which case the referral is to the nearest practice which can help.
That seems to make all sorts of sense for insured clients. It really adds value to the insurance policy, to be told you'll have access to free, immediate online veterinary consultations. Almost certainly it will mean pet owners seeking veterinary advice sooner than they might otherwise have done. For the insurer, that in turn might mean earlier diagnosis and therefore cheaper treatment. One assumes it also translates into cost-savings for the insurer by dealing with certain queries without needing a trip to the practice.
Still, the really big prize here for remote consultation companies will come if and when the regulations allow remote prescribing. Not necessarily because they'll make a mark up on the sale of prescription drugs, though of course they will, but because suddenly the proposition to the pet owner is that the consultation can, in many cases, offer more convenient and cheaper treatment than if they had to visit a practice in person.
The problem with that, however, is that the £20 remote consultation may carry a greater risk of misdiagnosis. It may mean that the preventative approach to veterinary medicine goes out of the window, at least until remote monitoring technology catches up. There is also a risk that these new limited service providers will take the bread and butter consultations from bricks and mortar practices, consultations that may have been to some degree subsidising care for other patients. These are all the sorts of things that were hotly debated at RCVS Council last November.
Nevertheless, Vet AI is unashamedly pushing for remote prescribing rules to be relaxed. Founder Robert Dawson MRCVS said: "I think that the ease and reduced cost of access to veterinary advice and medicines will have a positive impact on animal welfare. I also think that it will free up vets' time to see the cases they really need to see.
"But in truth, what I think is not the point. The whole debate at the moment is characterised by members of the profession saying what they think will happen as a result of remote prescribing. What we actually need is some evidence. I'd really like to see some movement from the College on this, for a limited number of treatments like parasiticides, before the end of the year."
As Robert says, the debate is characterised by a lack of evidence. But there is, of course, another way that online consultations could really add value to the client/vet relationship without any of these problems, and that is as an adjunct to the service offered by bricks and mortar practices.
Bricks and mortar practices can already prescribe medicines to animals under their care without physically seeing the animal on every occasion. Furthermore, there are a number of situations where a remote consultation could save both the practice and pet owner time and money. For example, post-operative follow-up consultations.
However, none of the existing providers I've spoken to plan to offer a 'white label' solution. So, if I owned a practice, I tell you what, I'd be looking into online consultation software right now. It is already possible, of course, to offer online consultations via things like Skype. But better still would be a system that allowed clients to schedule an online appointment with their normal vet, perhaps slotted in between their face-to-face consultations. As opposed to the existing online providers, you wouldn't need to refund money if a physical consultation was needed, just - perhaps - set it against the later consultation. You could also offer annual plans to include a certain number of online consultations. You could have online triage consultations carried out by veterinary nurses.
There are lots of possibilities. But if you're a bricks and mortar practice, one thing is for sure, the time to look into all this is now. You could do worse than to start here: https://www.vetnurse.co.uk/b/veterinary-nursing-news/archive/2019/01/16/now-all-vet-practices-can-offer-remote-consultations.aspx.
First they looked at the names of all the cats and dogs they saw in 2018, finding that the most popular names for dogs were Bella, Poppy and Alfie, whilst the most popular for cats were Charlie, Bella and Molly.
By comparison, the top ten names registered at the practice in the thirties were: Susie, Sally, Judy, Penny, Candy, Sam, Betty, Simon, Wendy and Bridget.
Honestly, who calls their dog Simon? Even in the 1930s.
Tom Ward, from White Cross Vets, said: "The most common names in our research reveal a leaning towards giving pets human names. It’s fascinating that this has gone full circle and was also a trend in the late 1930s, before names such as Fido, Patch, Sooty, Duke and Fluffy became popular with cats and dogs."
White Cross says that more recently it has also seen a surge of pets named after TV and film characters including Elsa from Frozen, Baloo from The Jungle Book, Peppa the cartoon pig, and Khaleesi, Sansa, Brienne and Tyrion, the Game of Thrones characters.
The blog is part of a mental health anti-stigma campaign called '&me', being run jointly by the RCVS and the Doctor's Support Network.
&me encourages people within healthcare professions to come forward with their personal mental health stories, to demonstrate that mental health issues do not preclude people from achieving leading roles in healthcare.
Mind Matters Manager, Lisa Quigley said: "By reducing stigma and showing that it is possible to continue to flourish in your career no matter where you are on the mental health continuum, our &Me role models help those who are not yet seeking help or who are struggling with their diagnosis to speak to appropriate people.
"We often talk about veterinary surgeons’ mental health and the wider prevalence of mental health issues within the veterinary professions. We are incredibly pleased to have our first VN &me ambassador and this blog will hopefully open the way for other veterinary nurses at all stages of their careers to talk more openly about their mental health to trusted people and healthcare professionals. We thank its author, Meg Conroy, for her bravery in stepping forward to talk about her own experiences."
Meg said: "In January 2018 I was promoted to Head Nurse for the Hub of practices and had volunteered for British Small Animal Veterinary Association Southern region and Congress committee. I felt on top of the world. I was married in July 2018, the best day of my life. But then suddenly, my black dog was upon me. Everything from the last eighteen months crashed down on me like a tsunami. Everything I had pushed to the back of my mind came flooding back. This is when I truly started to change how I viewed my mental health.
"Before it was a dark, damning secret that I was ashamed of. Now I had supportive colleagues who genuinely just wanted me to get better. After five weeks off work, medication and starting counselling, I was ready to give work another go. I remember taking my first blood sample, shaking and tears filling my eyes. I didn’t think I would ever be whole again. Eight months on from my last episode, I feel stronger than ever, I fought every day until one day it became easier.
"We talk often about what our mental health takes away from us, but what has my mental health given me? It’s given me a greater understanding and empathy towards others. My mental health is a part of me, but it does not define me. Certainly not as a nurse."
Meg’s full blog can be found on the Mind Matters website.
The RCVS is still looking for more ambassadors for the Mind Matters &Me campaign. If you're interested in joining the campaign, you should first contact Dr Louise Freeman, Vice-Chair of the Doctors’ Support Network, on vicechair@dsn.org.uk, for a discussion about the potential personal impact.
BSAVA President Sue Paterson said: "By signposting clients to extra downloadable advice or handing them a printed guide when they leave consultation room, we will hopefully reduce their temptation to run potentially misleading ‘Dr Google’ searches to find out more about the diagnosis."
The series includes:
My dog does not like other dogs
My dog has dental disease
My dog has diabetes
My dog has itchy skin
My dog has kidney disease
They join the PetSavers existing library of general online guides on Puppies, Kittens, Rabbits, Guinea pigs, Caring for your elderly pet and Losing your pet.
Printed versions of the new guides can be ordered by veterinary practices to use in their reception areas, in exchange for a donation to PetSavers.
The new guides can be downloaded at http://www.petsavers.org.uk/Pet-guides
60 veterinary surgeons, nurses and other team members from White Cross practices in Tividale, Guiseley, West Derby and Alvaston have formed 20 teams of three people, logging a total of 30,000 miles since the initiative was launched in February, or an average of 11,000 steps per team member per day.
James Harris MRCVS from White Cross Vets said: "We spend a lot of the day on our feet but really had no idea about the distance that we clock up. There are about 2,000 steps in a mile so we are walking more than five miles every day! We are always encouraging our clients to make sure their pets have a healthy lifestyle, so it’s great to practise what we preach.
"As well as the steps we take throughout the day many of us are also committed to sports and exercise regimes outside work and that has helped us to reach the top of the leaderboard for a few weeks. You might even find some of us marching on the spot to boost our step-counts and heart rates, so the Fitbit challenge is definitely keeping us active."
General manager Jo Jobling said: "We understand the vital importance of both physical and mental wellbeing, and our Fitbit challenge is a great way for our teams from across our 19 practices to work together to achieve a worthwhile healthy goal, as well as creating some healthy competition with colleagues in other practices. We also have an individual steppers league table which was recently topped by one of our veterinary nurses, Katie Rose from our Tividale practice. It might have helped that she completed a half marathon over that weekend though!"
This is despite the fact that 84% of the 524 veterinary professionals that were polled said they believe that veterinary wellness is very important to the success of their practice.
Perhaps as a consequence, the survey found many respondents taking steps to look after their own wellness, with 57% saying they have started an exercise regime, 54% saying they have taken up other hobbies outside work and 44% saying they are talking more openly to colleagues to share problems and offer support.
When questioned about the obstacles to improving wellness in their practice, 'staff not having the time to focus on it' was cited by 76% as the main barrier. 52% said it was not recognised as an issue, while a further 49% said that the lack of trained personnel to champion wellness was the biggest problem.
Of those practices which had initiated a wellness programme, 83% said it made a positive difference. The most commonly reported wellness initiatives were the provision of a counselling service (38%), online resources (32%), and appointing a practice wellness champion (30%).
When asked what one thing their practice could do to enhance veterinary wellness, the two most popular suggestions were:
Improved communication and support with more openness and empathy (26%)
Improved team working with more breaks and a quiet area for staff (24%)
10% said that an acknowledgement that wellness was actually an issue would be a start.
VET Festival organiser Nicole Cooper said: "What we find startling about these results is that, despite a growing appreciation of the importance of veterinary wellness, almost half of the UK’s practices still don’t recognise it as an issue.
"The good news from this survey is that many veterinary professionals are now starting to take responsibility for their own mental health, whether through taking up interests outside work or sharing problems and experiences more openly at work. We urge more practice leaders to step up and to prioritise enhancing the wellness and wellbeing of their dedicated teams.
Veterinary wellness is a focus for this year’s VET Festival, which takes place on 7-8 June at Loseley Park in Surrey. There'll be expanded Wellness Hub offering sessions run by the charity VetLife, yoga and talks on meditation and reducing stress.
Tickets for VET Festival can be purchased here: https://www.vetfestival.co.uk/delegate-info/ticket-information