The awards, which which celebrate initiatives that advance the quality of veterinary care and demonstrate a commitment to using an evidence-based approach, will be open for applications until 13th January 2023.
The two new award categories are Antimicrobial Stewardship and Canine Cruciate Outcomes.
The Canine Cruciate Outcome Awards are to recognise and celebrate individuals and teams who are using Quality Improvement initiatives alongside RCVS Knowledge’s Canine Cruciate Registry (CCR) to monitor and improve their canine cruciate surgery outcomes.
Applications are invited by surgeons and teams who are using the CCR.
The Antimicrobial Stewardship Awards, which are divided into farm animal, equine, and companion animal categories, aim to showcase practical examples where individuals and teams are improving responsible antimicrobial prescribing.
In addition, the charity is looking for entries for its existing awards for students and those who have implemented Quality Improvement (QI) techniques.
The Veterinary Evidence Student Awards enables students from around the world to enhance their academic and research skills by writing a Knowledge Summary and submitting it for publication to Veterinary Evidence, RCVS Knowledge's open access, peer-reviewed journal.
The Quality Improvement Awards showcase the implementation of Quality Improvement techniques which drive improvement within the professions.
www.rcvsknowledge.org/awards
In the study1, which was funded by Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW), an online questionnaire was completed by 744 snake owners worldwide but predominantly from the UK (68.8%).
The questionnaire investigated housing and husbandry practices and snake health and welfare as measured by clinical signs and behavioural indicators.
Associations between clinical signs, behavioural indicators and housing and husbandry aspects were tested for the three most common snake families: Pythonoids, Boids and Colubrids.
The study found 54.7% of snakes were kept in enclosures shorter in length or height than their body, preventing them from stretching out fully.
10.2% of snakes in the UK were kept in enclosures that do not comply with current recommended guidelines (minimum enclosure length <0.66 of snake length).
Whilst most snake owners (93.1%) reported measuring the temperature in their snakes’ enclosures, 24% of these checked less than the recommended once daily.
When looking at the most commonly owned snake species (royal pythons, corn snakes and common boa constrictors), 47.2% were kept in sub-optimal temperatures for their species.
Furthermore, 48.1% of owners reported not measuring the humidity in their snakes’ enclosure.
Owners reported that many snakes experienced at least one of the listed clinical signs, with the most common issues being skin shedding (28.2%), parasites (11.2%), rostral cuts and scrapes (7.4%) and respiratory problems (5.6%).
Snakes that were kept in enclosures <1 snake length had significantly more clinical signs compared to those snakes kept in enclosures >1 snake length.
Similarly, most snakes were reported to experience at least one of the listed negative behaviours, most commonly interacting with transparent boundaries (52.8%), wincing or withdrawal of head when gently touched (52.4%), putting the head under the substrate (52.1%), unusually high level of activity (51.1%) and attempting to escape (45.9%).
All these negative behaviours have previously been described as associated with captive stress.
Snakes that were reported as having more clinical signs tended to show more reported negative behaviours.
Dr Nicola Rooney, Senior Lecturer in Wildlife and Conservation at Bristol Veterinary School and corresponding author for the paper, said: “Our study has highlighted various concerns for snake welfare.
"The first of these relates to enclosure size, with snakes commonly being kept in vivaria preventing straight-line postures and movement.
"Snakes that were unable to stretch out fully had more clinical signs than those that were able to stretch out fully.
“Whilst we did not find a significant association between temperature or humidity and measures of health and welfare in this study, it is a concern that many snakes were housed in conditions considered sub-optimal for their species.
"We know that appropriate temperature and humidity is vital for maintaining the health of snakes and it would therefore be prudent to investigate these associations further, using methods other than owner reporting.”
Dr Huw Golledge, Animal Welfare Editor-in-Chief, said: “Until now, there has been little empirical data on the housing and husbandry practices of privately kept snakes, and how these impact on their welfare.
"As the first study of this size, this research provides valuable baseline data against which future surveys or welfare interventions can be compared.
“As this survey relies on owner-reported information, it is very likely that many of the frequencies of clinical and behavioural signs are underestimated.
"This demonstrates the need for evidence-based recommendations, and the importance of such recommendations being made accessible to owners to improve snake welfare.”
Reference
Photo: Brown and Black Snake in Close Up Photography © deedee Pexels
RCVS Knowledge launched the Canine Cruciate Registry on the Amplitude pro registry platform last year.
The automated registry, the first of its kind in veterinary medicine, allows the profession to evaluate the success of surgical techniques, and practitioners to benchmark their performance.
In June, RCVS Knowledge had a poster detailing the purpose, impact and aspirations of the registry accepted at the PROMs research conference, which before now typically only accepted submissions from the field of human medicine.
This, says Amplitude, marks the first step in sharing information about running registries designed to identify best practice in the care and treatment of both animals and people.
Chris Gush, Executive Director of RCVS Knowledge, said: "RCVS Knowledge is proud to be leading the development of clinical audit and registries to support the veterinary professions on their journey to continually improve the care they deliver.
"Registries are key in supporting the professions in understanding first-hand information about our patients with certain conditions, both individually and as a group, contextualizing with information from their owners, and over time, to increase our understanding of that condition.”
Mike, an RCVS Queen’s Medal winner, will be in conversation with Catheryn Partington BVSc CertAVP(VC) MSc MRCVS, Jose Matos DVM DipECVIM (Cardiology) MRCVS European and RCVS Recognised Specialist in Small Animal Cardiology (canine and feline cardiology) and Paul Freeman MA, VetMB, Cert SAO, Dip ECVN, MRCVS (European and RCVS Specialist in Veterinary Neurology) (canine and feline neurology).
During the event, they will be explaining how Improve's new Academy Series can help vet professionals meet their annual CPD targets, learn through self-assessment and reflective study, and bring them to the forefront of medicine in several specialist areas.
Heber Alves, CEO of Improve International, said: “Here at Improve International, we are proud to be providing CPD training alongside the historic and prestigious University of Cambridge for our first Academy Series.
"We are excited to be working with many of its pioneering specialists at the Department of Veterinary Medicine and, as a former vet myself, I look forward to hearing how my fellow veterinarians handled the most difficult challenges of their careers.”
www.improveinternational.com
The event is being held to celebrate Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month, the annual BNVA campaign designed to spread the word about the importance of the role of veterinary nurses in practice.
At the event, guests will be able to network with some of Davies' world-renowned specialists over lunch, attend lectures and take a guided tour of their state-of-the-art veterinary hospital. There will also be the opportunity for informal interviews for those who may be looking to progress their career in referral nursing.
Kimberley Buckley GradDipVN RVN, who has worked for Davies as part of its 60-strong team of nurses for six years, said: "The nurses here are Davies are all really strong because we all work to the same high standards and we all want the best care for the patients. We’re a friendly team who all get on together and we also get on with all the other members of the practice so it's a nice working atmosphere."
Ian Battersby, Internal Medicine Clinician, said: "Our nursing team never fail to amaze me. They work to incredibly high standards, they are always keen to learn and understand as much as possible about the condition they are managing so that they can make sure that everything is done to as high a standard as possible. That’s really useful for me as a clinician because I can get their insight and that influences how I manage the case. It’s an impressive team working all together and as a vet I consider myself very lucky to work alongside them."
To reserve a place at the Davies Nurse Open Day, which runs from 9.30am – 2pm, email joinourteam@vetspecialists.co.uk.
Davies has also made a video in praise of its VN team which can be seen here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/DVSvets/videos/
Severn Edge was formed six years ago with the merger of two long-standing neighbouring practices, and now employs 135 people, including 43 veterinary surgeons.
Mrs Karyn MacKenzie, Director of CVS’ Practice Division, said: "Severn Edge is an impressive practice with an outstanding leadership team and an ambitious and exciting vision for the future which we share. We are delighted to welcome the team to CVS and look forward to working with them to help them build an even more successful future."
Dr John Brentnall BVSc MRCVS, a Director of Severn Edge, will continue in the role of CVS Regional Director. He said: "It was clear from our early discussions that CVS understood what we are trying to achieve. We have embarked on a significant investment programme, including upgrading our surgery at Madeley outside Telford, and the redevelopment of the site of an additional clinic which we have recently acquired in Craven Arms.
"In order for us to continually upgrade our clinics, provide the widest range of career opportunities for our staff and steer our practice through an increasingly competitive world, we believe that the best interests of us all lie in joining forces with CVS. It is known for its interest in equine and farm practice, as well as companion animal practice, and has a policy of significant investment in both infrastructure and staff. We believe it offers the best fit with Severn Edge."
BVA Scottish Branch President Grace Webster said: "We commend the Scottish Government on seizing the opportunity to improve animal welfare through the introduction of a Bill to ban of the use of wild animals in travelling circuses. While the use of wild animals in travelling circuses may not affect a great number of individual animals, it is emblematic of the way we treat all animals and we would urge the rest of the UK to follow this precedent, introduced on ethical grounds.
"However, this package of measures seems a bit of a mixed bag. Until recently Scotland also led the way on dog welfare with a complete ban on tail docking, so we are extremely disappointed at the decision to reverse this stance. We have carefully considered all the evidence and remain convinced that tail docking in dogs, even specific breeds, is detrimental to their welfare. This is a retrograde step for animal welfare in Scotland, amidst an otherwise progressive package of animal welfare measures."
At the end of May, BVA Scottish Branch Junior Vice President Melissa Donald will be giving evidence to the Environment Committee in the Scottish Parliament ahead of a vote on whether or not to approve the change in law relating to tail docking.
Today’s announcement by the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Roseanna Cunningham MSP also included the introduction of controls to restrict the use of electronic training collars and a commitment to update regulations to combat the irresponsible breeding and sale of dogs, cats and rabbits.
Gudrun Ravetz, BVA President, added: "Animal welfare starts right at the beginning of a pet’s life, so the focus on pet licensing and breeding regulations is welcome. We know that a third of vets are seeing puppies they believe to have been illegally imported and an increasing number of owners are buying brachycephalic or designer breeds, like Scottish fold cats; pets must be purchased with owners prioritising animal health and welfare, rather than making an impulse buy based on looks alone.
"Yet we are saddened at the shortfall on legislation around aversive training aids for dogs, which we expect will still permit the use of training collars under expert guidance. We know using fear as a training tool is not only less effective than positive reinforcement, but can take its toll on a dog’s overall welfare. Without an outright ban, we have grave concerns over how enforceability will work. This raft of measures seems to give with one hand and take away with the other."
The Nutrition Certificate is a qualification which explores the theory and practical application of the most recent advances in diet formulation and case-based feeding. Royal Canin says it is an equivalent study level to the first year of a degree course and runs over a nine month period (up to 180 hours of study).
The certificate involves assignments spanning four units, including:
On graduation, students will be awarded a ‘Certificate of Canine and Feline Veterinary Health Nutrition’ and can place Cert CFVHNut as post-nominals after their name.
Carly Nairn, Head Veterinary Nurse at Seymore Vets, completed the course last year. She said: "As soon as I began the course I was able to take new learnings to use as part of my day to day work in practice.
"I have been able to advise clients on the direct link between nutrition and specific illnesses, providing them with more accurate, in-depth information, helping pet owners gain a greater understanding of their pets.
"Although the course was challenging, it was most certainly worth the knowledge, greater understanding and daily transferable skills."
Royal Canin is offering bursaries to a limited number of applicants, allowing for a 20% discount in course fees. To apply for a Royal Canin bursary, applicants should contact their local Veterinary Business Manager for an application form or to enrol without the assistance of a bursary visit: www.coape.org. Nutrition Certificate courses run twice a year, with a February and September intake: applications for Sept 2017 close on Wednesday 31st August.
It's just over a year since microchipping became compulsory for dogs and according to Defra, 95% of dogs are now chipped.
However, the PDSA PAW Report 2016 showed that only 20% of Britain's 11m cats live an indoor-only life, meaning that there are 9 million 'free-range' cats at risk of getting lost if they stray too far from home.
The PDSA report also found 91% of veterinary professionals in the UK believe microchipping should be compulsory for cats.
Bayer says that advice to dog owners this year should focus on the importance of keeping their chip registration details up to date, after a BVA survey found 44% of veterinary surgeons still cannot reunite missing or stray dogs with their owners due to incorrect chip information being stored on the databases.1
Hannah Watts, Product Manager at Bayer said: "Until microchipping becomes compulsory in cats, vets will need to play a crucial role in helping increase the number of UK cats that are microchipped. National Microchipping month provides a great opportunity for vets to raise the subject with owners and to take advantage of the increased awareness and interest in the subject throughout June. With so many dogs now microchipped, ensuring owners are aware of the need to update their details on the microchipping database is an equally important educational message for vets to convey."
Bayer says that during National Microchipping Month, it will be actively driving pet owners into veterinary practices across the country to discuss the benefits of microchipping with their veterinary surgeon. It will also be trying to ensure pet owners understand the importance of keeping the details stored on their pet’s microchip database up to date.
To help drive home the message, Bayer has also developed a range of new marketing and support materials for practices to display throughout June.
To order National Microchipping Month support materials, visit www.vetcentre.bayer.co.uk or speak to your Bayer Territory Manager.
Corona Detect is a first-line screening tool for detecting exposure to feline coronavirus (FCoV). It can be coupled with the Idexx FIP Virus RealPCR to follow up coronavirus-positive cats exhibiting clinical signs suspected to be FIP. The Idexx FIP Virus RealPCR evaluates for mutations of feline coronavirus to the pathogenic FIPV biotype.
Idexx says that this new two-tier diagnostic approach will help veterinary surgeons rule out or positively diagnose FIP, a condition which has hitherto been extremely difficult and frustrating to diagnose.
Simon Wootton, Idexx’s Companion Animal Group’s Northern European Marketing Manager said: "FIP is a terrible disease, so being able to screen and either confirm or rule out exposure to FCoV is an important additional step in the diagnosis options available to vets. With the ability to screen in minutes, practitioners will be able to decide whether to perform confirmatory and potentially invasive tests for the specific FIPV mutations. This obviously brings benefits to aid pet owners."
Further information is available on the company’s website – www.idexx.eu
Homeopathy is widely used in livestock, especially to replace or reduce the use of antibiotics in the treatment of infectious diseases, although its use is often seen as controversial. For organic agriculture, homeopathy is even promoted.
In the review, Dr Caroline Doehring and Professor Albert Sundrum from the University of Kassel, Germany, assessed peer-reviewed studies on the efficacy of homeopathy in cattle, pigs and poultry published between 1981 and 2014.
They analysed a total of 52 clinical trials, 34 with cattle, 12 with pigs and six with poultry. They were published in 48 publications.
Of these, 28 concluded that the homeopathic remedy administered was effective, 22 showed no efficacy and 2 were inconclusive.
Only 10 trials provided information on cure rates for the treatments. These varied to a high degree, while the remedy used did not seem to make a big difference.
Trials on pigs were frequently efficacious, while studies with cattle or poultry had a similar distribution of efficacious and non-efficacious treatment.
Double-blind randomised controlled trials reported efficacy of the homeopathic treatment almost as often as they reported lack of it.
Meanwhile, single-blind and non-blind randomised controlled trials, and observational trials were more likely to present evidence of efficacy, suggesting that positive outcomes may be due to bias.
Other study limitations, such as potential conflict of interests, low sample size, risk for selective reporting and bias, were found in the majority of trials.
While some clinical trials showed effectiveness, the authors of the review question the reliability of the evidence, because all studies had a range of limitations. For example, all clinical trials were conducted under very specific conditions and none were repeated under comparable conditions.
Therefore, the authors say the findings cannot be be used to recommend homeopathy: "The current evidence of studies providing evidence in favour of homeopathy lacks reproducibility and therefore cannot claim to have sufficient prognostic validity."
"Due to a lack of prognostic validity, replacing or reducing antibiotics with homeopathy currently cannot be recommended unless evidence of efficacy is reproduced by RCTs and proven in various farm practice conditions."
The company says it is a further step forward in its plans to expand into Europe and follows the launch of its online pharmacy business, Animed Direct, into France during 2016. It adds that further acquisitions are expected in Europe during 2017, in addition to continued growth in the UK.
The two Dutch practices joining CVS are the Kliniek voor Gezelschaps Dieren, a three site small animal practice based in the central Netherlands, and a single site small animal practice, Dierenziekenhuis Drachten, based in the north of the country. Both practices cited the business support and staff development opportunities offered by CVS, combined with the clinical freedom and practice autonomy it allows, as the reasons for choosing to join the company.
Simon Innes, CEO at CVS, said: "We see many parallels between small animal practice in the Netherlands and the UK and have been talking to practices in the country about the benefits of joining us for some time. The level of interest has been encouraging and we are delighted to announce the acquisition of these two practices and welcome their teams to the CVS family.
"During 2017, we will continue to explore opportunities to extend our activities into Europe, particularly in the Netherlands and in Ireland."
At the outset of the hearing, Mr Kashiv, from Vets & Pets, Broxbourne, denied all aspects of the charges against him. During the course of the inquiry, some heads of charge were not pursued and some he admitted, leaving the remaining heads of charge to be determined.
The charges concerned the treatment of a Scottish Terrier, called Tanzy, whose owner, Mrs Greenhill, brought her in to see Mr Kashiv on 5 March 2015. Mrs Greenhill was concerned about blood in Tanzy’s urine and swellings in her mammary glands. After carrying out a cytopathology test, Mr Kashiv advised Mrs Greenhill that Tanzy would require surgery to remove the mammary glands. There were no further tests conducted, and no alternatives to surgery suggested.
On 13 March another veterinary surgeon at Vets & Pets therefore undertook a right-side mammary strip on Tanzy, discharging her the following day. On 17 March Mrs Greenhill brought Tanzy back in for a post-operative check and was seen by a locum veterinary surgeon, who found her to be in good condition.
On 20 March Mrs Greenhill then became concerned about Tanzy’s deteriorating condition and returned her to see Mr Kashiv. He admitted Tanzy for observation over the weekend but did not conduct any further tests at that stage, apart from radiography on 22 March. The hospitalisation records were of poor quality and substantially incomplete.
On 23 March Mr Kashiv then informed Mrs Greenhill that Tanzy could be discharged, although he recommended an MRI scan to assist in the diagnosis; this was declined on cost grounds. He did not however explain clearly to Mrs Greenhill that Tanzy’s prognosis was bleak, and did not give adequate home care instructions.
Tanzy continued to deteriorate, and on 24 March Mrs Greenhill took Tanzy to the RSPCA Harmsworth Hospital where a veterinary surgeon conducted tests which showed that Tanzy was in renal failure. The veterinary surgeon then called Mrs Greenhill and recommended that Tanzy was put to sleep, which was then performed in Mrs Greenhill’s presence.
The Committee found that Mr Kashiv had failed to conduct the necessary investigations when Tanzy was admitted from 20 to 23 March 2015, being satisfied that, by the time Tanzy had been hospitalised for a period of three days, it was mandatory for a blood test to have been performed, given her marked deterioration.
The Committee also found while Mr Kashiv did express his opinion that Tanzy’s prognosis was poor, he did not give the full explanation required in the circumstances of this case to enable Mrs Greenhill to understand fully the prognosis. The Committee also considered that Tanzy was not in a fit state to be discharged on 23 March 2015, and that he had failed to keep sufficiently clear and/or detailed and/or accurate records.
After full consideration, the Committee found that Mr Kashiv’s actions amounted to serious professional misconduct, and was satisfied that his actions fell far short of the conduct to be expected of a reasonably competent veterinary surgeon in respect of heads of charge 1, 2 and 3 but not 4.
Although it was concerned "about the culture of care in the practice, in particular not having in place proper protocols and procedures and without necessary support from properly trained staff", in deciding on appropriate sanction, the Committee was satisfied that there were "a number of serious misjudgements by Mr Kashiv in this case".
The Committee decided to postpone judgement for a period of two years, whilst recommending that Mr Kashiv agree to undertake a structured programme to benefit his clinical practice including a Personal Development Plan, mentoring, practice visits, additional CPD and regular reports to the Disciplinary Committee.
Non-compliance with these undertakings may result in the hearing being resumed at a date earlier than the two-year period.
Stuart Drummond, Chairing the Disciplinary Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: "The Committee considers that Mr Kashiv is a dedicated veterinary surgeon, as evidenced by the large number of testimonials, and that he provides a valuable service to the community, particularly with rescue animals.
"Nevertheless, the Committee considers that there were a number of fundamental failings in Mr Kashiv’s clinical competence which are required to be addressed during the period of postponement. For the reasons set out above the Committee considers that Mr Kashiv’s clinical practice will benefit from a structured programme over the period of postponement, whilst protecting the welfare of animals, maintaining public confidence in the profession and declaring and upholding proper standards of conduct."
For the full charges, findings and decisions, see: http://www.rcvs.org.uk/concerns/disciplinary-hearings/
The BVA is also calling on Government to tighten pet import rules.
The advice follows news about a positive Brucella canis test in a rescue dog imported from Belarus in March this year.
The woman fostering the dog was hospitalised after coming into close contact with it, in the UK’s first confirmed dog-to-human transmission.
The foster animal and four pet dogs who were exposed to the disease, three of whom also tested positive, all had to be euthanised.
Data released by the Government shows a steep rise in confirmed Brucella canis cases since the start of 2020, rising from just three before that year to 107 till July this year.
The dogs were all either imported, had returned from holiday overseas, or been bred with an imported dog.
BVA is asking veterinary teams to:
British Veterinary Association President Justine Shotton said: “This recent case of Brucella canis in a foster dog is extremely tragic and highlights why vets have long raised concerns over the real and serious risks of importing ‘Trojan’ rescue dogs with unknown health histories into the UK.
“We know there is an added public health risk too, including for veterinary teams who treat and handle these animals, from contact with an infected dog’s contaminated body tissues and fluids.
"BVA continues to call on the Government to take urgent action to introduce stricter pet import measures, including mandatory pre-import testing, so we can minimise the spread of Brucella canis and other emerging diseases.
"We are also calling for the strengthening of enforcement provisions and checks on dogs brought into the country through the commercial route."
The 2021 B. canis risk view and statement by Public Health England (now UK Health Security Agency) contains vital information and recommendations for veterinary professionals: here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/960013/20210210_Brucella_canis_statement.pdf
BVA’s recommendations on tightening pet travel legislation: https://www.bva.co.uk/uploadedFiles/Content/News,_campaigns_and_policies/Policies/Companion_animals/BVA%20Position%20on%20Pet%20Travel%20Full.pdf
The scholarship will enable Claire (pictured right) to enrol on the company's Emergency and Critical Care (ECC) training programme, leading to a Nurse Certificate (NCert) awarded by the International School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies (ISVPS).
Claire has spent over twenty years in general practice and last year made the decision to move into ECC.
She said: “I am truly honoured and excited to have been chosen for the Louise O’Dwyer Legacy Scholarship for 2022.
"Thank you to Louise’s family and Improve International for this amazing opportunity.
"Louise was an inspirational nurse who always promoted autonomy within the profession and encouraged nurses to follow their own interests in a specialist field. I hope to be able to continue Louise’s legacy by inspiring other nurses to follow their own aspirations at any stage of their career.
“I hope to use this scholarship to further my knowledge and develop practical skills to enhance my role as an ECC nurse and provide the best clinical care to critically ill patients.”
Danilon is used to relieve the pain caused by musculoskeletal conditions, such as osteoarthritis (OA), bursitis, laminitis, and soft tissue inflammation.
Some oral NSAIDs have been shown to increase the risk of gastric irritation¹ - a particular concern when treating of chronic conditions.
However, Animalcare points to a study² in which horses given Danilon Gold showed a reduced number of ulcers and those that did appear were less severe.
The area of gastric mucosa affected was also five times less.
Animalcare says accurate administration is critical for clinical success.
To support this, Danilon Gold is presented in a coloured granule formulation and is now available in both 3g and 10g sachets.
Animalcare will officially re-launch Danilon® at this year’s BEVA Congress at the ACC in Liverpool in early September.
References
The buy-out was led by Professor Nick Bacon, Clinical Director, Dr Laurent Findji, Senior Clinician, Dr Jonathan Bray and Dr Gerard McLauchlan, who will collectively take the hospital forward with the financial backing of a small team of external investors.
Professor Noel Fitzpatrick will continue to lead Fitzpatrick Referrals Orthopaedics and Neurology and Fitzpatrick Referrals Institute for the Restoration of Skeletal Tissue which are both based in Eashing, Surrey.
Fitzpatrick Referrals Oncology and Soft Tissue is rebranding as AURA Veterinary, continuing to focus on animal oncology, soft tissue surgery, interventional radiology and internal medicine.
Under the new management team, AURA Veterinary says it has plans to invest in its team, equipment, scientific innovation and research.
Noel said: “I am proud of everything and everyone who has been part of the journey over the last seven years.
"It is a world-class hospital with an unrivalled team and the foundation we have built together is incredible.
"The time is now right for the team to embark on the next part of their journey - allowing me to also go forward and focus my passion, energy and time at Fitzpatrick Referrals Orthopaedics and Neurology and lead that team into its exciting new phase.”
Nick Bacon, Clinical Director, said: “It was a wonderful opportunity to be involved with a hospital like this from the very beginning, and it’s exciting to be part of its new chapter.
"Laurent and I are hugely grateful to Noel for his vision in creating the hospital, which is unparalleled in the level of care, skill and innovation our team can provide for our patients.
"We look forward to the growth and success of AURA Veterinary.”
Photo: Dr Gerard McLauchlan (standing, back left, in darker scrubs), Professor Nick Bacon, Clinical Director (sitting, front left), Dr Jonathan Bray, (sitting, right), Dr Laurent Findji, Senior Clinician (standing, far right)
Ms Hazelwood faced three charges:
Having accepted her admissions on the charges, the Committee considered whether the three charges amounted to serious professional misconduct.
Regarding misconduct, Ms Hazelwood had also written to the RCVS prior to the start of the hearing and had accepted her conduct fell far short of what was expected of a veterinary nurse.
The Committee itself considered that Ms Hazelwood stealing the medication and other products was a serious breach of the trust placed in her by her employer, which had entrusted her with access to veterinary medications and their responsible use.
The Committee also considered that her conduct undermined the reputation of the profession and the public’s confidence in those within it. Accordingly, the Committee found that the charges amounted to serious professional conduct.
In terms of aggravating factors, the Committee considered that her conduct was a breach of trust and abuse of her professional position, that there was a possible risk to animal health in terms of the prescription-only veterinary medicine, that the conduct involved financial gain (albeit limited), that the conduct was sustained and repeated over a period of time, and that elements of her conduct were premeditated and sophisticated.
In terms of mitigation, the Committee noted that Ms Hazelwood had no previous disciplinary history and a hitherto unblemished career, that she had made open and frank admissions on her conduct and demonstrated genuine remorse, that there was no actual harm to animals, and that she demonstrated significant insight into her actions and the impact they could have on her colleagues and the wider profession, as well as taking into account a number of positive testimonials.
Judith Way, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee noted the mitigating factors in this case and that Ms Hazelwood stole these items at a time when she was under particular financial and personal pressure.
"She said it was out of character and her testimonials supported this assertion."
"The amounts involved were small and had been repaid.
“Furthermore, it was apparent that at the time Ms Hazelwood was struggling financially and her motivation was not so much financial gain but rather the need to feed and protect her animals.
"It was unfortunate that Ms Hazelwood had not attended this hearing, but in her written submissions she had, in the Committee’s view, demonstrated significant insight.
"Her writing came from the heart, she clearly recognised what a dreadful thing she had done and provided genuine expressions of apology and remorse.
“The Panel noted that Ms Hazelwood had worked as a veterinary nurse for some 16 years without incident.
"Her testimonials describe her as a very experienced and competent nurse, with an excellent work ethic and a real passion for the animals in her care.”
She added: “The Committee considered a period of suspension to mark the behaviour was both appropriate and proportionate in all the circumstances.
The order will be for a period of three months to reflect the seriousness of Ms Hazelwood’s disgraceful conduct, whilst reflecting the significant mitigation.
In light of the insight she has shown, the Committee was satisfied that it was highly unlikely Ms Hazelwood would ever behave in this way again and that she would be fit to return to practice after the period of suspension.
The Committee considered it would be wrong to deprive the profession of an otherwise competent veterinary nurse and that a member of the public in full possession of all the facts would not have their confidence in the profession undermined by such a decision.”
The full details of the case and the Committee’s decision can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary
The centre, which is one of the largest animal hospitals in the UK, offers 14 specialist-led services.
Hospital director Daniel Hogan said: “The new hospital will provide the region with one of the largest and best-equipped veterinary centres in not only the UK, but also throughout Europe, with an extensive range of expertise in a wide variety of disciplines all under one roof.
“There will be seven operating theatres, 16 consultation rooms, recovery suites, lecture halls, a dedicated ICU department and there are plans for a future hydrotherapy suite.
“The facilities also include a cutting-edge imaging suite, comprehensive treatment facilities and a new linear accelerator to assist our illustrious oncology team.
"We also plan to launch our emergency and critical care service in the first half of 2023.”
Southfields says it also aims to lead the industry in terms of staff wellbeing and sustainability.
Daniel said: “The increased size of the hospital will enable us to provide a dedicated staff wellbeing area and offer a range of activities which will benefit our team in both body and mind.
“Along with exercise and relaxation classes such as yoga and boxercise, we will have an education centre which will be able to offer some really exciting qualifications and courses for the wider profession.
“We’ll also be striving to care for both our community by working with Investors in the Environment (iiE) to introduce a bold green initiative to substantially reduce our environmental impact and enhance our sustainability.
https://southfields.co.uk/veterinary-professionals/new-hospital
Using practices developed for human healthcare measurement, NewMetrica developed VetMetrica, which the company says can measure how an animal “feels” about its circumstances from its individual perspective.
Jim Brick, Vice President Commercial Development and Lifecycle and Innovation at Zoetis said: "This novel approach supports a significant shift in veterinary care and animal welfare more generally towards the attainment of good or excellent quality of life in companion animals.
"The benefits of NewMetrica’s digital instruments have been validated through scientific publications and the FDA, and the EMA has confirmed the algorithms that produce the results.”
Jamie Brannan, President International Operations, Zoetis added: "We expect NewMetrica’s tools and algorithms to support earlier detection and treatment of diseases as we gain more insight into the quality of life of our pets and be an important element of future product development.
“NewMetrica’s instruments will give us scientifically validated results for alleviation of OA pain that veterinarians and pet owners will appreciate and value.”
https://www.newmetrica.com
The idea is that by raising money through exercise, which is documented to improve mental health, you'll be helping to boost your own wellbeing as well as supporting the wellbeing of others.
To take part, you need to team up with colleagues, then decide on a challenge such as an overall distance or a total step count you want to hit.
Then create a fundraising page through Just Giving, so you can share the link and spread the word about your event.
If you share photos of your fundraising on social media, be sure to tag Vetlife.
You can buy running vests and t-shirts from Vetlife through it’s website (use code Vetlife40! for 40% discount).
Vetlife trustee Richard Killen said “It is well recognised how important physical activity is for wellbeing and what better way to promote within your workplace than participating in this event.
"Vetlife is a great charity with ever-increasing demands on its services and it is hoped that much needed funds can be raised through the VMOM campaign.
"Vetlife will be grateful for any contributions to its work.”
https://helpline.vetlife.org.uk/
The 2016 PAW Report, in which 4252 dog, cat and rabbit owners were surveyed by YouGov, found that 24% (an estimated 5.2M) of owners did no research at all before buying a pet.
Only 5% of prospective owners spoke with a veterinary professional before buying an animal.
This raises the question of whether practices could be doing more to engage with prospective pet owners, by offering free or low-cost pre-purchase consultations with a veterinary nurse which offer advice about suitable pets and breeds to fit with the buyer's lifestyle.
The PAW Report also discovered that 65% of prospective pet owners were unaware of the five welfare needs. Many also dramatically underestimate the financial implications of owning a pet with 12% of owners believing their pet would only cost up to £500 over their entire lifetime. Overall, 98% of respondents underestimated the lifetime cost of owning their pet to some degree.
Buying pets from inappropriate sources was another major concern, with 23% of veterinary professionals identifying this as one of most critical issues which they would choose to resolve tomorrow. 50% of owners said they would consider getting a pet from a private, classified online advert. 18% of owners said they would still consider getting a puppy from a puppy farm, while others would consider getting a pet from an advert posted on social media (37%), from a pet supermarket (41%), or a pet that has been imported from abroad (28%).
A pre-purchase consultation could help address all of these issues, helping to set the owner's expectations about costs, educate them about the five welfare needs and steer them in the direction of reputable source to buy their new pet.
Such consultations would obviously need to be marketed beyond existing clients in the waiting room, but could be added to existing marketing materials used in the local media and added to the practice website ('Thinking of buying a pet, talk to us first').
To help practices that want to engage with potential pet owners in this way, the PDSA has launched a free ‘Which Pet?’ consultation framework for veterinary teams. The materials include client and explanatory vet team booklets, marketing materials and an e-learning CPD module. They can all be accessed free of charge on PDSA’s website at: pdsa.org.uk/whichpet
Commenting on the PAW Report findings, Sean Wensley, PDSA senior veterinary surgeon, said: "There is little doubt that we’re a nation of animal-lovers. But the PAW Report highlights that impulse-buying pets is still an issue of great concern, and shows no signs of improving. Little or no research before getting a pet means owners have limited understanding of what their pets require throughout their lives, which is undoubtedly leading to an array of other troubling pet welfare problems."
Other key findings:
The six videos, which were recorded by Dechra's technical team, range in length from 10 minutes to 37 minutes.
Episode one describes the pathophysiology of Addison’s disease, different types of Addison’s disease and helps veterinary professionals recognise the common clinical presentations of chronic hypoadrenocorticism.
Episode two examines the similarities in clinical presentation between hypoadrenocorticism and other disease processes.
The third episode looks at the changes commonly seen in the haematology, biochemistry and urinalysis of Addison’s patients. This section also covers how to perform and interpret hormone testing with the knowledge of the common causes of false positive results.
The fourth looks at a clinical presentation of an acute Addisonian crisis and best practice for emergency treatment of these patients, as well as the transfer of an acute patient onto maintenance treatment with Zycortal.
The final two films explore the treatment and monitoring of a patient on Zycortal and how to switch existing Addisonian patients from fludrocortisone acetate to Zycortal. It also documents the help which is available for those more complex cases.
Dechra Brand Manager Craig Sankey said: "These short films are an important support tool for any veterinary professional who is treating patients with hypoadrenocorticism or who may be presented with cases in their practice.
"Addison’s disease can be very hard to diagnose as it mimics so many other illnesses and we hope these presentations will give insights into a complex disease. The introduction of Zycortal has been a vital development in the treatment of the disease and we hope the new resources will be beneficial to veterinary professionals."
The presentations complement resources that Dechra has already produced for dog owners, including a website -www.myaddisonsdog.co.uk - which provides information and resources to help dog owners understand the condition and monitor their pet's progress.
In June the College held a six-week consultation with the profession, asking for opinions on its proposal for an outcomes-based approach to CPD which would concentrate less on hours logged and more on interactive, reflective learning and measuring the impact that CPD has on the individual’s practice and patient health outcomes.
The proposed model for CPD had four key components: planning, doing, recording and reflecting. While an overall majority of the 3,357 people who responded to the College’s consultation agreed with the proposed changes to the CPD requirement, certain elements received less support than others. The lowest amount of support was received for the ‘reflection’ component with 35% of respondents disagreeing with it.
The RCVS Education Committee therefore decided that a pilot of a new outcomes-based approach should be held during 2017 with a group of volunteers, before making a recommendation to Council.
Professor Stephen May, who chaired the Working Group that developed the CPD proposals, said: "Because of the concern voiced by members of the profession responding to the consultation we decided that, at this stage, it would not be appropriate for the RCVS to move straight into this new way of doing CPD but that it would be more appropriate to hold a pilot. The idea is that we will explore some of the concerns around reflection and around the extra time and paperwork that people felt that a more reflective approach may lead to.
"We have taken all these comments into account and are now seeking to work with individual volunteers on this pilot. It is important to note that we are not only looking for volunteers who agree with what we are doing but also those who are apprehensive about it or even some who see it as something they do not support. We want to explore the full range of views and how we can move forward in changing our approach to CPD."
The pilot is expected to be launched in February next year and the College is now looking for volunteers who both support the proposals and have a ‘healthy scepticism’ about them. Volunteers will receive help and support throughout the trial and will also be invited to attend an introductory CPD meeting at the RCVS offices in February.
If you are interested in volunteering, contact Jenny Soreskog-Turp, RCVS CPD Officer, on cpd@rcvs.org.uk.
Further information, including the CPD Policy Working Party’s response to the consultation and the full interview with Stephen May, is available at www.rcvs.org.uk/CPDpilot.
The article, which is available open-access, comprises a literature search of both medical and veterinary medical journals for evidence of the effectiveness of input-based and outcomes-based CPD.
Its conclusion is that outcomes-based CPD, which concentrates less on hours logged and more on interactive and reflective learning, is the most effective at improving practice and patient health outcomes.
The paper was originally presented to the RCVS CPD Policy Working Group on 4 December 2015 to inform its discussions. A six-week consultation with the profession was held over the summer asking for their views on the resulting proposals for an outcomes-based approach to CPD.
The proposed model for CPD has four key components: planning, doing, recording and reflecting. While an overall majority of the 3,357 people who responded to the College’s consultation agreed with the proposed changes, certain elements received less support than others. The lowest amount of support was received for the ‘reflection’ component with 35% of respondents disagreeing with it.
With this in mind the RCVS Education Committee and VN Council decided that a pilot of a new outcomes-based approach should be held during 2017 with a group of volunteers, and made this recommendation to RCVS Council. RCVS Council approved this pilot at its meeting on 10 November.
The pilot is expected to be launched in February next year and the College is now looking for volunteers who both support the proposals and those who have a ‘healthy scepticism’ about them. Volunteers will receive help and support throughout the trial and will also be invited to attend an introductory CPD meeting at the College’s offices on 28 February.
To access the article for free, visit the Veterinary Record: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/179/20/515.full?keytype=ref&ijkey=bwDIVYMY8Vwd0su.
Further information, including the CPD Policy Working Party’s response to the consultation, is available at www.rcvs.org.uk/CPDpilot.