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VetNurse.co.uk publishes a curated feed of veterinary nursing news for registered veterinary nurses (RVNs), students (SVNs) and veterinary nursing assistants, with a primary focus on the UK profession.
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Mr Ng faced seven charges:
Mr Ng admitted some aspects of the charges against him, including that he had deleted two patient records and that this was dishonest and misleading.
The Committee then determined the facts of the rest of the charges after hearing evidence from witnesses and Mr Ng himself, as well as expert witnesses.
Having considered all the evidence, it determined which elements of the charges were proved, and which were not.
The Committee then considered whether the admitted and charges found proved amounted to serious professional misconduct.
In doing so it considered that the charges against Mr Ng fell into three broad categories – deficiencies in clinical care, deficiencies in record keeping, and dishonesty.
In respect of all three, it found the admitted and charges found proved amounted to serious professional misconduct.
In terms of aggravating factors, the Committee found that Mr Ng’s conduct had directly caused harm to animals and also created risk of further harm, and noted that there were three instances of dishonesty.
Paul Morris, chairing the Disciplinary Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee noted that there were three instances of dishonest behaviour in relation to clinical records.
"The amendment of the clinical record in the labradoodle’s case was particularly serious.
"This alteration was made at a time when the respondent knew that the owner was dissatisfied with the treatment the dog had received and was complaining about the lack of therapeutic intervention.
"The alteration presented a false account of the owner’s attitude towards immediate therapeutic intervention.
"Conduct of this kind was liable to damage trust in the profession.”
In mitigation, the Committee took into account the sense of pressure Mr Ng felt following a financial dispute with his relative in respect of the veterinary practice, his long career as a veterinary surgeon and the high regard with which he was held by those who provided testimonials on his behalf.
The Committee acknowledged Mr Ng’s assertions that he now understood his failings and his expressions of remorse for the harm he had caused and that these indicated the beginnings of insight.
However, in respect of the clinical deficiencies, the Committee found that various aspects of Mr Ng’s approach to treating conditions such as diabetes and cherry eye were inadequate and out-of-date, and that there was little in his continuing professional development (CPD) record or his statements to suggest he had attempted to improve these deficiencies.
Ultimately, the Committee found that Mr Ng’s conduct was so serious that removal from the Register was the most appropriate sanction.
Paul Morris added: “The Committee has concluded that the respondent’s behaviour was fundamentally incompatible with being a veterinary surgeon.
"In view of the nature and gravity of the Committee’s findings in this case, removal from the Register is necessary to ensure the protection of animals and the maintenance of public confidence in the profession and the regulatory process.”
www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary
The College points to data gathered from its 2024 VN Vision workshops which showed that many nurses believe their skills and capabilities, and the scope of tasks that can be performed within the current legal framework, are not being fully used.
This new project aims to gather insights and empower nurses to play a more central role in the sector by promoting greater involvement in:
Session dates, times and locations are as follows:
Julie Dugmore RVN, RCVS Director of Veterinary Nursing, said: “Informed by conversations with professionals across the sector and a deep understanding of current practice, this new project recognises that achieving meaningful change requires a fundamental cultural shift.
"Clear guidance, structured support and open dialogue will be key in empowering veterinary teams to adapt to a new way of working.
“An additional crucial focus will be on enhancing public understanding of the Registered Veterinary Nurse (RVN) role, alongside support for developing stronger interprofessional and public-facing communication.”
Jill Macdonald RVN, VN Futures Lead, added: “These interactive sessions will play an important role in this new branch of VN Vision work, helping to define long term goals, identify the practical steps needed to achieve them, and determine how success will be measured and shared with the wider public.
“We were honoured to have so many fantastic nurses come together last year to help shape the future of the profession, and we’re looking forward to many more engaging conversations with vet team members this time around.
"This is more than just a conversation though – it’s a national effort to strengthen the RVN role through collaboration, clarity and confidence.”
The ‘A vision or a necessity: strengthening the role of veterinary nurses in team-based veterinary healthcare’ workshops are open to all practice team members, including, but not limited to, veterinary nurses, veterinary surgeons, practice support staff, directors, managers, and practice owners.
Workshops will be informal, informative and made up of small groups.
Supper will also be provided.
https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/vet-nursing-vision-events-3253639
https://www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-views/publications/vn-vision-the-future-of-team-based-veterinary-healthcare/
The research was carried out by scientists from Wisdom Panel, a pet DNA testing company that is part of Mars Petcare’s Science & Diagnostics division.
The discovery was made by analysing clinical data from Banfield Pet Hospital paired with DNA data from Wisdom Panel.
The researcher say estimates suggest canine atopic dermatitis affects up to 10-30% of dogs, and that these findings could lead to more targeted solutions in the future.
In addition, identification of the SLAMF1 variant presents the opportunity for breeders to breed toward dogs with a lower risk of atopic dermatitis.
Jimmy Barr, DVM, DACVECC, Chief Medical Officer for Mars Petcare’s Science & Diagnostics division said: “This finding could have a real impact on dog health
"While atopy has long been suspected to have a genetic component, this is the first time the SLAMF1 gene has been convincingly linked to this debilitating skin condition.
"This knowledge will help identify dogs at risk and could lead to new therapies and more informed dog breeding practices.”
Wisdom Panel has developed a DNA test that will be offered in partnership with Canine Genetic Testing at the Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge so breeders can make informed decisions to reduce the frequency of atopic dermatitis while maintaining genetic diversity.
Reference
https://www.cagt.co.uk/
Photo: https://depositphotos.com
The researchers say that previous research suggests that approximately 10% of diabetic cats are euthanised at the time of diagnosis, making it a significant cat welfare issue.
However, this figure was largely based on questionnaire-based research from several global locations.
This new study followed the survival of 1,053 cats with confirmed diabetes mellitus under UK primary-care practices in 2019, providing the most up-to-date baseline data on early death among diabetic cats in the UK, as well as examining risk factors for the development of diabetes among UK pet cats.
The study found:
Based on these findings, the researchers encourage veterinarians to more actively discuss diabetes mellitus risk with cat owners, particularly those with Burmilla and Burmese breeds, in the hope that raising awareness of the disease might improve outcomes through earlier diagnosis, and by taking actions that might prevent diabetes mellitus development in the first instance, such as preventing cats becoming obese.
Dr Oliver Waite, Senior Lecturer in Small Animal Medicine at Murdoch University, and primary author of the paper, said: “We hope that this new, large scale epidemiological study, investigating the second most common endocrine disease in cats, will help to highlight current as well as future areas to improve cat welfare.
"This is an exciting time for the management of diabetic cats but more work is still needed!”
Dr Dan O’Neill, Associate Professor in Companion Animal Epidemiology at the RVC, and co-author of the paper, said: “This new VetCompass study shows the value of everyone working in primary care practice sharing their anonymised clinical data to get a better understanding of real-world animal health.
"Awareness of the scale of the diabetes mellitus issue revealed here can empower veterinary professionals to engage in more conversations with owners about diabetes mellitus prevention in predisposed cats.”
The practice was officially opened by the TV presenter and newspaper columnist, Adrian Chiles, who faced a lot of criticism from the profession a couple of years ago when he wrote an article about increasing veterinary fees and upselling tactics.
Adrian said: “I have never received such a volume of correspondence to one of my newspaper columns.
"One of the people that wrote to me was Movement Director, Professor John Innes, and we had very useful subsequent discussions that made me realise I had unfairly blamed vets for the issues I had felt as a pet owner.”
The new centre is led by Mark Lowrie, Specialist veterinary neurologist, who is joined by orthopaedic surgeons, Kinley Smith and David Thomson and neurology residents, Callum Golding and Rebecca Clark.
https://www.movementvets.co.uk
The researcher say their analysis shows more needs to be done within the profession to acknowledge, raise awareness of and dismantle the systemic and often overlooked forms of racism that exist.
For the qualitative study, all BAME veterinary professionals and students in the UK were asked to complete an online questionnaire, containing open questions about their experiences.
The questionnaire was was distributed online, in veterinary schools, veterinary organisations and the media, with responses analysed using inductive and deductive approaches.
The findings identified three main themes regarding BAME people’s experiences in the sector.
The first was alienation and insecurity, ranging from blatant rejection, or being deliberately patronised, such as:
"In practicals in the vet school, I’ve noticed more and more times that students would rather work on other stations and not want to work on stations me and my friends (who are also from ethnic minority backgrounds) are working on, even when the other stations are full. This has happened on multiple occasions."
or
"On work experience, the vet I was shadowing at the time would ask me questions like, “Are you integrated into society yet?”, and “What do you eat?”. I am a British citizen who was born in the UK, and so were my parents, so I found this particularly confusing."
Through to more subtle forms of "othering":
"People assume that you aren't British and are different, whereas I would say since I was born and grew up in Britain that I identify as British. People ask me if I can speak another language, or like, do I eat my ethnic food all the time?
"An older couple once probed, “Where are you from?”, I said [name of UK city], they asked again, I said I grew up in [name of UK county], and they asked one more time and I said I have Caribbean heritage. I find this is a common form of racism amongst older people and often they’re not trying to be hurtful, but they’re curious and don't understand how it would make someone feel uncomfortable.
The second theme was homogenisation and inferiorisation, for example when BAME people are labelled, often incorrectly, according to perceived ethnicity:
"I've had lay colleagues refer to me as ‘the Chinese vet’ in front of clients and other colleagues rather than address me by my name – and it's weird because I grew up in Australia."
"Clients often asked to book in with the Singapore vet, but commonly referred to him as ‘the Chinese vet’ on the phone instead of his name, or if they forgot his name. I believe the nurses corrected these clients, but sometimes the clients would ‘jokingly’ comment that it's ‘the same thing’."
The final theme was the disappointment and futility felt by many of the participants, and the impact on their job satisfaction:
"Job satisfaction worsens when I learn that my colleagues (nurses or vets) are unaware of the impact of their words and do not understand what constitutes racism, e.g., use of the word ‘golliwog’, even when not used to describe a specific person. The judgement placed on someone due to their ethnicity creates an unpleasant atmosphere which impacts job satisfaction."
Dr Christine Thuranira-McKeever, Vice Principal (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) and Director of Distance Learning at the RVC, said: “At the RVC, we are committed to fostering equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) within the sector and have implemented several initiatives – aligned with our Strategic Plan in which EDI is a core component – to encourage participation from underrepresented groups.
"This includes the RVC For All campaign and Veterinary Gateway Programme to broaden access to veterinary education; the RVC's Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee and Race Equality Task Group to focus on addressing racial disparities and shaping policy; and Animal Aspirations, founded in 2019 by RVC students, to support individuals from minority backgrounds.
“However, there is more to be done, and the findings of this study emphasise a significant need for the veterinary profession to come together and do more to acknowledge and raise awareness of the systemic and often overlooked forms of racism, to challenge and dismantle them, and to empower those who are affected.”
Lisa first helped-out at the Coventry practice as part of her Duke of Edinburgh’s Award whilst still at school and soon realised that working in a vets was what she wanted to do.
She continued volunteering at Broad Lane until she was old enough to gain a place as a student veterinary nurse.
Then, after qualifying as an RVN, she worked her way up to become Head Veterinary Nurse and later Practice Manager, whilst at the same time growing her family with 3 children.
Practice Principal Elly Pittaway said “Lisa began her career here in 1984 when it was a traditional mixed practice, often assisting the vets on farm visits before rushing back to help with the small animal evening surgery, and attending overnight emergencies as needed.
"The practice has changed hugely over the years, but Lisa remains an absolute lynchpin here.
"One of my first memories, when I’d been qualified as a vet for barely 6 months, is of her helping me and a Student Nurse with a GDV on a Guide Dog out-of-hours on a Monday evening, staying really late, keeping us both calm and getting stuck in as needed.
"That work ethic and devotion to the practice has remained unchanged over the years, and is especially remarkable, given she’s had to put up with me and the other Partners’ various demands for all that time!
"There are so many receptionists, nurses and support staff who owe their careers to Lisa, as she recruited, supported and trained them.
"And there are literally thousands of Coventry pet owners who may not realise it, but who have Lisa to thank for keeping the practice running efficiently and effectively over the years, whatever the weather, through staff shortages and pandemics, always working hard in the background so that the Broad Lane team could make their pets better.”
Congratulations Lisa, and here's to the next 40 years!
https://www.broadlanevets.co.uk
The webinar will discuss the importance of self-compassion and provide an overview of Katherine and Sarah’s research into the effectiveness of an online compassion focused therapy (CFT) intervention in improving the mental wellbeing of veterinary professionals.
Katherine and Sarah will also go into more detail about how to get the most out of a CFT course they have created, which will be made freely available for veterinary professionals on the Mind Matters website and on the RCVS YouTube channel .
Katherine said: “Our recent randomised control trial has shown the course to significantly improve resilience and self-compassion and reduce rumination and self-criticism amongst veterinarians.
"Therefore, Sarah and I are delighted to now be disseminating the CFT course freely to the veterinary professions, so that as many people are able to benefit from the evidence-based resource as possible.
“Even though our research was conducted on veterinary surgeons, we hope that the course will be useful to all those working in the veterinary team as the content can be applied in a number of contexts.
“Our webinar will explain more about our research, as well as some of the science behind the effectiveness of the course in a veterinary context.
"So, if you are interested in learning more about how CFT may be able to help you and your team, both in a personal and professional capacity, please do come along.”
Katherine and Sarah’s compassion focused therapy course will be made available on the Mind Matters website in due course. In order to access the online compassion course, individuals are invited to complete a short questionnaire before and after watching one 10-15 minute video each day for 14 days, with the aim of the video intervention being to develop self-compassion skills and reduce self-criticism.
https://vetmindmatters.org/events/
VetPartners says Valley Vets has around 200 employees, less than half of which are members of the union, although the BVU says 50% are required for recognition.
Suzanna Hudson-Cooke MRCVS, Branch Chair at BVU said: “Fees at Valley Vets have increased by 25% in two years, which is hurting pet owners whilst some staff at Valley Vets are being paid so little that they’re having to use foodbanks.
“Three years ago, VetPartners CEO Jo Malone committed to paying all staff a living wage, which still hasn’t happened”
“VetPartners did increase the salaries of lower paid members by 7.27% in the last review, but this was mostly to meet its legal obligation to pay the minimum wage.”
VetPartners responded to these points saying:
"It has been and still is our aim to pay at least the real living wage to all of our employees. We have moved closer to the aim over the past three years.
"There are 20 members of the regular team that work at Valley Vets who are below the real living wage and they are paid approximately 1.6% below that level.
"Since April 2020, we have uplifted overall salary costs at Valley Vets by 31.45% before the increase in April 2024, at a time when VetPartners, like many businesses across the UK, has been hit by a sharp rise in the cost of goods and services, interest rates and rampant inflation.
"Valley Vets’ profitability has declined over the last three years.
"We have made advances over several years in improving many benefits for our teams such as life cover, health shield, sickness and enhanced maternity cover and want to continue to do so.
"We have seen mass redundancies from other large groups and we are trying to avoid this at Valley Vets.
"The BVU in Unite requested pay and condition increases initially that would have raised employment costs by over 25% and they are currently requesting increases which would raise this by 15% which would make Valley Vets unsustainable without a significant reduction in the workforce, something we are trying to avoid.”
During annual salary reviews in 2024, we benchmarked pay for all roles within Valley Vets and they sit in the upper quartile.
"We prioritised lowest-paid team members with a 7.27% pay increase while higher paid colleagues also received an increase at a lower rate.
"We are also well aware of the affordability of care fees, and that is why we felt fees paid by our clients could not be raised any further to support significant salary increases demanded by the BVU in Unite.
The strike is due to continue till the end of July, during which time the BVU says staff are being released from the picket line as needed to provide local animals with emergency care.
Staff are not paid whilst out on strike so the BVU has started a fund, here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PTVKVK3
The practice, which has nine clinicians (including three RCVS Recognised Specialists), eleven RVNs, two human-trained cardiac physiologists and a dedicated referral administrator is the first referral practice in the UK to become an EOT.
Dave Dickson, a director alongside Jo Harris, said: "The decision to transition the clinical side of the business into employee ownership was led by the core values of the team and the desire to preserve our independence as a referral service.
"In an industry dominated by corporate acquisitions, with business models increasingly focused on keeping referral offerings within the corporate groups and limiting choice for clients, we felt it was crucial to chart a different course.
"We have a very bonded and supportive team, working together to continuously improve and evolve, where the ideas of every team member are important and all roles are equally appreciated.
"We feel that employee ownership aligns perfectly with this ethos.
Jo Harris added: “By involving all our employees in the ownership of the business, we aim to foster a culture of engagement and collaboration.
"This new structure ensures that every team member has a stake in the success of the business and a voice in how it operates.
"We believe this will not only enhance our service quality but also promote sustainable growth and innovation.
"The transition to employee ownership is not just a change in structure; it is a reaffirmation of our values and a pledge to our patients, clients, and partners that we will continue to strive for excellence in every aspect of our work.”
A team of researchers led by Tim Mair, CVS Equine Veterinary Director and Specialist in both Equine Internal Medicine and Equine Soft Tissue Surgery at Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic, will review 100 cases of colitis in adult horses and 100 controls referred to seven equine veterinary hospitals in the UK: five CVS equine veterinary hospitals as well as Rossdales Equine Hospital and University of Liverpool’s equine hospital.
A set of diagnostic tests on blood and faeces will be performed in these cases.
The laboratory tests will include: small redworm serology, culture and PCR of faeces for Salmonella spp, PCR of faeces for Clostridioides difficile and Clostridium perfringens, ELISA of faeces for toxins of C.difficile and C.perfringens, PCR of faeces for coronavirus.
The clinical features, laboratory results, treatments and outcomes will also be recorded.
Tim said: “Acute colitis accounts for around 5% of admissions to referral hospitals.
"And of those who are referred with it, half will not survive but there is very limited evidence available.
"So it’s vital that we build our evidence-base of this life-threatening condition.
"We hope that the outcomes of our new study will lead to a greater understanding of the causes and better inform veterinary treatment of colitis in UK adult horses.”
The Colitis in Adult Horses study is supported by a research grant from CVS, and funding for the small redworm ELISA will be given from Austin Davis Biologics.
The study started at the beginning of 2024 and the first horses have been recruited.
The results of the study are expected to be published in 2025.
Available in packs of 56 (4 x 14 tablet blister packs), Lodisure tablets are divisible for accurate dosing.
The recommended starting dose is 0.125-0.25 mg amlodipine per kg bodyweight per day, which equates to half a tablet for cats weighing less than 4kg (and more than 2kg) and one tablet per day for cats weighing between 4kg and 8kg.
It can be administered directly to the cat or given with a small quantity of food.
Dechra companion animal brand manager, Sarah Musgrave, said: “Feline hypertension is very often part of a more complex diagnosis, therefore it is important that antihypertensive therapies are easy to dose and administer.
"Lodisure is a new, first-line, easy to dose and administer treatment to control systolic blood pressure in cats while the underlying primary cause is diagnosed and treated, which vets can rely on in their day-to-day practice.”
https://www.dechra.co.uk/products/cat/prescription/lodisure.
A team of three Ofsted inspectors carried out a four-day inspection, reporting that:
Head of centre Jackie Shopland-Reed said: “We are delighted to have regained our outstanding status, in our first full inspection since being graded as Good in 2015.
“It is very rewarding that the inspectors praised the high quality of teaching and the support we provide for apprentices.
"We also received feedback that apprentices enjoy their learning and feel safe and well supported.
"Our strong and effective partnerships with employers were also praised, all of which which makes us very proud.”
https://www.liteltd.co.uk
The association says that its research has found that 94% of companion animal vets say they have clients who feed a raw diet, 42% who feed meat-free diets and 29% who feed insect-protein in place of meat.
However, 6 in 10 vets are unsure how many of the cats and dogs they see are fed meat-free diets.
In a new policy position, the BVA is now urging vets to talk to all cat and dog owners about what they feed their pet, and record nutritional histories and any resulting issues on their practice systems.
BVA President Anna Judson said: “We know that owners of cats and dogs are increasingly drawn to pet diets that reflect their own personal values and lifestyle choices, and this is leading to a surge in alternative approaches to pet food.
"We support owners making informed choices about what to feed their pets, but they must be aware that these choices play a pivotal role in the health of the animal and can also have a wider impact on human health and environmental sustainability.
“One of the key issues in these conversations is the lack of long-term, evidence-based research.
"If vet teams are to maintain our position as the ‘trusted voice’ in these conversations, it’s vital that we ask the right questions and also record as much data as possible so that we can understand the long-term impact of some of these newer diets.”
The BVA says its new policy position is not trying to dictate the ‘best’ diet for individual pets but to support pet owners in meeting their pets’ nutritional needs as well as meeting their own lifestyle choices.
The BVA is also recommending changes to veterinary education to include a new emphasis on the importance of nutrition in day one competencies for vets and nurses, and improved awareness of the need for supportive conversations with animal owners.
To support the profession, the BVA says it will create a new public facing resource and lobby for better labelling of pet food and better labelling and traceability of the animal by-products that represent one of the major sources of protein in many cat and dog foods.
Anna added: “The issues around pet food are complex and with so much information available to pet owners from breeders, friends, online forums and other sources, we want to support all members of the vet team to feel fully confident in guiding their clients through dietary decisions.
"We hope that these recommendations and our upcoming resources will improve the information available to both clients and vets, supporting owners to make healthy, informed choices for their pets.”
https://www.bva.co.uk/take-action/our-policies/diet-choices-for-cats-and-dogs
Invetx specialises in developing protein-based therapeutics for chronic conditions in companion animals, with a focus on monoclonal antibodies (mAbs).
Dechra says these therapies have targeted modes of action and therefore are often more effective, provide an extended duration of activity and have fewer side effects, all of which help to extend and improve the quality of life for companion animals while decreasing the care burden for pet owners.
Jesper Nordengaard, Chief Executive Officer of Dechra, said: "I regard this acquisition as hugely important for Dechra, marking the start of a new chapter in our growth.
"It demonstrates our ambition to create further points of differentiation and relevance with veterinarians and pet owners alike, confidence in our ability to deliver highly innovative new products, and capacity to execute large scale transactions at speed."
Jesper added: “The half-life extension technology developed by Invetx allows for the generation of therapeutics that make treatment of chronic conditions far more convenient for pet owners and veterinarians through improved compliance.
"The pipeline of products currently being developed are all high value potential and will deepen our expertise in core therapeutic areas such as atopic dermatitis and osteoarthritis, allowing for synergistic product development, sales & marketing, and education efforts in the future.”
https://www.invetx.com
Clare won the award for: 'Confidence with CPR within Veterinary Professionals. Would standardised CPR training help confidence within Veterinary Professionals?'
Clare said: “My goal was to present a clinical abstract at BSAVA Congress to try and share our findings with peers in a creative way.
"To receive the Best Poster Award was a shock and huge honour to be recognised for not only the research but RVN's undertaking research.”
In addition, George Smith MRCVS won the Best Medicine Award for: 'Predictors of clinically significant bleeding in dogs with severe thrombocytopenia'.
Kathryn Patel MRCVS won the Best Practitioner Award for: 'Reflecting on first opinion clinical improvement project across 39 UK vet practices to support diagnosis and management of OA.'
Sebastian Wylie MRCVS won the Best Surgery Award for: 'Complications and outcomes following surgical management of Achilles Tendon injury'
The Best Student Award was won by Michelle Demkova for: 'Lifting the flap on otitis externa in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK – the VetCompass view'.
Submissions for the 2025 Clinical Abstracts will open on 9th September 2024, and will close on 18th October, and those chosen will present their work at BSAVA Congress 2025, in Manchester on 20th – 22nd March.
https://www.bsavacongress.com/register-interest
The awards are to recognise outstanding veterinary practices that have demonstrated exceptional performance and innovation in areas crucial to the future success of the profession.
There are three categories: Leadership and Management Skills, Team and Self-Development, and Veterinary Start-Ups.
The three category winners will each win day and evening tickets to SPVS Congress 2025 on Thursday 30th January for three team members, plus overnight accommodation at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole.
Shortlisted practices will each win a book of their choice.
The deadline for submissions is Friday 18th October 2024.
https://spvs.org.uk/business-excellence-awards/
The toolkit also offers the opportunity for clinical supervisors to take part in bi-annual meetings led by BVNA, the first taking place in-person during BVNA Congress 2024.
Steph Worsley, BVNA Council Member and Clinical Coach Toolkit project lead, said: “BVNA is delighted to have led the work on this toolkit, which we feel is an important resource for any RVN or vet who is carrying out the clinical coach role for an SVN.
"This is a role which is pivotal to any student’s experience of training; responsible for developing the practical skills needed for SVNs to successfully enter the veterinary nursing profession, and requiring a range of coaching, mentoring and leadership skills – on top of continuing clinical support.
"We hope this toolkit helps to make the most of the working relationship between supervisor and student, whilst equipping individuals fulfilling this role with resources to manage the additional demands it can bring.”
https://bvna.org.uk/project/clinical-coach-network-toolkit
As well as raising awareness of suicide and mental health, Maria Mylne, Mary Hall, Callum McRoberts and Kirsty's partner Chris Burn are raising money for two charities: Vetlife and The Canmore Trust.
The Canmore Trust was set up by the parents of another vet who took his own life, and works with individuals, communities, practices, workplaces, schools, colleges and universities that have been affected by suicide, as well as trying to prevent suicide.
The four vets will set off from Land’s End on September 23rd and will arrive in John O’Groats on October 18th.
On the way, they will be stopping off at Bristol, Harper Adams and Keele, Liverpool, University of Central Lancashire, Edinburgh and Glasgow vet schools to speak to students about suicide prevention.
Kirsty was a trusted and respected colleague and vet, and her death had a devastating impact on her partner and colleagues who are fundraising in her memory.
Maria said: “We want to share a message of hope that suicide is not inevitable, and just because somebody has experienced suicidal thoughts, does not mean they will feel this way forever.
"Together we can break the cycle of suicide and keep building suicide safer communities in practice.”
Chris said: “Kirsty was my rock. If you wanted something organised or something fixed, Kirsty was your woman.
"We don't want anybody else to go through the pain we have.
"We want everybody to know that no matter what your mind may tell you, the world is better with you here, in this world.”
www.justgiving.com/team/lejogawareness
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559943272380
https://www.instagram.com/lejog_awareness2024
https://thecanmoretrust.co.uk
https://www.instagram.com/the_canmore_trust
lejogawareness@gmail.com
https://www.vetlife.org.uk
They include a webinar from In Communication, a company which specialises in veterinary client communications, which covers things like how to broach costs with clients, communicating treatment options succinctly and time-blind shared decision-making.
The Society has also published eight questions which the public may ask about the investigation, with model responses.
The resources also include a summary of the five concerns raised by the CMA, and advice about how to discuss them with practice staff.
Finally, you can download SPVS' presentation to the CMA which talks about the drivers for fee increases.
https://spvs.org.uk/cma-spvs-response
As part of the campaign, vet nurses are invited to share their top tips for maintaining a calm workplace for staff and patients at: https://www.nvsweb.co.uk/products/big-chill.
Veterinary professionals are being asked to share their top tips in two areas.
Firstly, how they prioritise self-care for themselves and teammates, and secondly, how they best deal with nervous, stressed or anxious patients.
All respondents will be entered into a prize draw for a VetYogi practice subscription.
Gemma Vardy, Senior Category Specialist at NVS Group, said: “Mental health and wellbeing have never been more important within the veterinary industry which is why our dedicated Big Chill campaign supports the wellbeing and mental health of veterinary professionals while also shining a light on animal calming products, such as our select healthcare calming chews, which help support calm and enhance patient experiences.”
https://www.nvsweb.co.uk/products/big-chill
Charlotte will share practical advice on achieving successful transfusions, in particular looking at how to overcome the challenges in sourcing blood products, especially for feline patients.
The presentation will cover:
There'll be a live Q&A session with Charlotte at the end, when Horiba's experts will also be available to answer veterinary diagnostics-related questions.
https://horiba.link/canine-and-feline-blood-transfusions.
The streams for veterinary nurses will include six lectures on topics ranging from neurology to dentistry, along with guest speaker Hannah Donovan from Donovan Veterinary Behaviour to discuss behaviour in practice.
There will also be a speaker from Davies’ charity of the year: Vetlife.
Davies' hospital director Ben Orton said: “This is a high-level CPD and networking event aimed at our colleagues in the veterinary industry with a raft of advice and insight from some of the leading specialists here at Davies.
“Some of the topics covered include internal medicine, with EBVS European specialist in small animal internal medicine Katherine Clarke giving her expert opinion on chronic enteropathies with a focus on antibiotic prescribing.
“Head of anaesthesia Frances Downing will focus on anaesthesia and feline cardiomyopathies while head of physiotherapy Diane Messum will discuss a holistic approach to the osteoarthritis patient, so there will be plenty of stimulating and challenging content.”
The day-long event begins at 8.30am with arrival drinks and pastries before the morning session, which runs from 9am to 1.20pm.'
After an hour’s break for lunch and networking, the afternoon session will run from 2.20pm to 5pm.
That will be followed by a complimentary hog roast.
www.vetspecialists.co.uk/davies-congress-2024
The project was 'highly commended' at the RCVS Knowledge 2024 awards.
The CVS clinical improvement project found that a major barrier to conducting ultrasound scans was a lack of confidence - both in using equipment and interpreting images.
A recent Canadian industry study has also reviewed barriers, citing a lack of equipment, training and skills as root causes1.
The ultrasound project aimed to review practice equipment, improve clinician case identification, increase clinical skills and confidence, and recommend ultrasound in all appropriate cases.
The company put together resources for vets and nurses designed to help improve ultrasound scan rates, including clinical guidelines, webinars for how to approach cases, and machine guides.
CVS then held training sessions which for vets focussed on case identification and improving diagnostic skills, and for vet nurses looked at how to use ultrasound equipment and conduct scans.
An audit of each participating practices’ ultrasound scan rates was conducted at the start of the project. Results were then shared with each practice every month.
Twelve months after launch, data shows that the number of ultrasound scans has increased by 3,675.
Anecdotal evidence has also shown that colleague confidence and practice team culture has improved as a result of the project.
Dr Victoria Woods, Regional Clinical Lead at CVS responsible for the ultrasound clinical improvement project, said: “It’s fantastic to see the benefits increased ultrasonography is already bringing to our practices on this project – especially as a result of upskilling our nurses.
"I am certain that this will help contribute towards them providing some of the best clinical diagnosis and care in our profession.”
Following the success of the project in its first year, the project is now being developed to focus on echocardiograph and is being undertaken in 52 CVS primary care practices in year two.
The Clinical Abstracts provide an opportunity to present new research to the wider veterinary community at Congress and Expo 2025, taking place at Manchester Central on 20th - 22nd March 2025.
Abstracts can be on any veterinary subject, whether it’s the preliminary results of a new study, a discussion of a new technique or a description of an interesting case.
Each application should be based on high-quality clinical research undertaken in industry, practice or academia, and summarised in 250 words.
Applications are welcome from veterinary surgeons, nurses, practice managers and students, with applications from those working in general practice especially encouraged.
Researchers with research of direct relevance to veterinary practice may also submit an abstract for consideration.
Andy Green, Chair of BSAVA’s Congress Committee said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for veterinary professionals to showcase their research to the global veterinary community, and a chance for delegates to learn about the latest concepts and thinkings in veterinary medicine from their peers.”
Entries for the Clinical Abstracts will close on Monday 18th November.
https://www.bsavacongress.com/clinical-abstracts