The equine events will initially take place at Rossdales Equine Hospital in Suffolk on 22nd October and at Ashbrook Veterinary Hospital in Cheshire on 5th December.
The roadshow will see a range of speakers renowned in the fields of equine veterinary medicine and QI share practical examples of improving outcomes for equine patients. Interactive workshops, real-life scenarios and case studies will show how QI techniques can be applied in practice to help teams prevent and respond to errors.
Confirmed speakers include Professor Debra Archer, Head of Equine Surgery and Professor in Equine Surgery at the University of Liverpool, Dr Alice Bird, Senior Clinical Anaesthetist at the Animal Health Trust and Dr Rachel Dean, Director of Clinical Research and Excellence in Practice, VetPartners.
President Elect of BEVA, Tim Mair, said: "There are many challenges to being an equine vet and running a successful equine practice. Even in large practices and equine hospitals, there is a risk that we operate in our own little bubble and assume that what we are doing is best practice, whereas in reality we could often do a better job.
"Clinical governance and quality improvement are tools that allow us to critically appraise our day-to-day work and identify ways in which we can continuously improve what we do – to the benefit of our patients and clients, as well as to ourselves."
For the full programme and to buy tickets, visit bit.ly/RCVSKnowledgeEvents.
Anyone interested in booking an RCVS Knowledge roadshow for their region can do so by contacting ebvm@rcvsknowledge.org.
Ian graduated from the University of Liverpool and gained his PhD from the University of Glasgow. He gained both the UK and European Diplomas in Small Animal Medicine at the University of Cambridge and is a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and European Recognised Specialist in Small Animal Medicine. He returned to Glasgow University in 1998 and has been the Professor of Small Animal Medicine since 2009.
Ian has published in the fields of infectious diseases, endocrinology and neurology but is interested in all aspects of small animal medicine. In 2015 he was awarded the BSAVA Woodrow Award for his contribution to small animal medicine. In 2016 he became of Fellow of the RCVS, thereby becoming a jolly good fellow Fellow of the RCVS, or JGFFRCVS for short.
Professor Ramsey has served BSAVA as a regional secretary, member of several committees and chair of Petsavers and Scientific. He is probably best known as the editor of four editions of the BSAVA Small Animal Formulary.
The Presidential handover usually takes place at BSAVA Congress but was delayed this year given the cancellation of the April event due to coronavirus.
Ian says that during his Presidency, he intends to promote and enhance the digital offering of the Association to BSAVA members coping with the pandemic. He will also oversee changes to BSAVA congress with a more interactive approach to training; shortened, more focussed lectures and greater integration between the exhibition, the scientific content, and the social events.
Ian said: “At this time of great uncertainty in the profession, my focus will be on providing BSAVA members with the scientific information and clinical training that they need, in a suitable form. Clinical skills and science lie at the heart of being a good vet and BSAVA members get access to a huge range of cheap or free resources in these areas to help them in their careers. Congress 2021 will be evolving as a vital part of this effort and I am looking forward to welcoming everyone to Manchester during the last week of March 2021."
The poster was put together by a team of 55 specialists and general practitioners led by Fergus Allerton.
It includes an outline of the new European Medicines Agency advice on categorising antibiotics, a new section on wounds and surgical site infections, updated advice on life-threatening infections and identifying/treating sepsis, and more advice for owners.
Fergus said: “The latest iteration of the PROTECT ME poster incorporates updated information and offers recommendations to support vets to optimise their antibiotic use.
"I hope this will be a valuable resource for vets in practice.”
The new posters will be distributed with Companion in December.
Free printable posters are available from: www.bsavalibrary.com/protectme
Printed copies can be purchased from the BSAVA store: www.bsava.com/store.
BSAVA members are also able to request free printed copies.
Bonqat 50 mg/ml oral solution for cats contains pregabalin, an analgesic, anti-epileptic which has now been licensed for the alleviation of acute anxiety and fear associated with transportation and veterinary visits in cats.
Tessie 0.3 mg/ml oral solution for dogs contains tasipimidine and is licensed for the short-term alleviation of situational anxiety and fear in dogs triggered by noise or owner departure.
Dômes Pharma points to research which shows that in the UK 1.4 million1 dogs show signs of distress when left alone, and 4.4 million dogs1 show fear of loud noises.
In addition, over 4 million cats2 are not having routine vet checkups each year, with 26%2 of these owners reporting that it is too stressful for their cat or themselves.
Jonathan Hill, UK country manager at Dômes Pharma sid: "Dômes Pharma is excited to be launching two new innovative products to help vets manage cases in this complex area.
"These products expand our portfolio and provide essential options for owners and their pets struggling with these situational related problems."
https://www.tvm-uk.com/the-behavioural-range
Reference
The framework sets out the professional values, skills and behaviours required of the approved education institutions, delivery sites and training practices responsible for providing training and support for veterinary nurses.
The new version includes updates relating to sustainability and academic integrity.
Julie Dugmore, RCVS Director of Veterinary Nursing, said: “The Standards Framework for Veterinary Nurse Education and Training last underwent an extensive review in 2019, with a small interim review taking place in 2021.
“In November 2023, RCVS VN Council agreed to set up a task-and-finish group to look at the potential changes, before these changes then went to consultation back in January this year.
“Animal health and welfare and public safety is central to our standards, and it is important that we continue to review them on a regular basis with input from veterinary nurses from across the profession.
"Nurses play a central role in upholding animal health and welfare and public health, and so it is important that students receive the best training possible in order to prepare them for life in clinical practice.
“Over the summer, we held a number of educator meetings to help familiarise AEIs, delivery sites, and TPs with the new framework, in order to make the transition as smooth as possible.
The new standards came into force on 1 September 2024.
https://www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-views/publications/vn-standards-framework
The study was part of the RVC’s VetCompass programme which include anonymised veterinary information from over eight million UK dogs. From this pool, a random sample of 22,333 dogs were followed for a year, identifying all health issues that were diagnosed during this time.
The study is one of the largest ever studies to explore the anonymised health records from veterinary surgeries and report on the most common disorders in dogs. The study also looked at whether the health of dogs varied by age, sex and whether the dogs were neutered.
The main findings were:
Dr Dan O’Neill, Senior Lecturer, Companion Animal Epidemiology at the RVC and lead author of the paper, said: "This study shows that it is really important for owners to develop strong habits of caring for their dog’s teeth, ears and weight, right from the time they first acquire a puppy.
"This study shows interesting and strong correlations between human and canine healthcare: the need for good dental and bodyweight maintenance. Given how closely the lives of humans and dogs are intertwined, this should be no surprise really; we often share the same food and exercise. Owners should work closely with their vet to plan appropriate dental and weight care programmes at each visit to their veterinary clinic.”
Hannah James, Health Research Manager at the Kennel Club, and co-author of the paper, said: "As dog owners, the key priority is keeping our pets healthy and happy, but it can be difficult to put into context the most common problems that affect our canine counterparts and which areas we need to pay particular attention to in order to maintain this. These findings help us establish these key areas, and where we as owners, vets and organisational bodies can work towards to improve the day-to-day life of our beloved companions."
O'Neill, D.G., James, H., Church, D.B., Brodbelt, D.C. and Pegram, C. (2021) 'Prevalence of commonly diagnosed disorders in UK dogs under primary veterinary care: results and applications', BMC Veterinary Research.
Photo: Uwe Gelle
The company says that as soon as it discovered the unauthorised external access to its systems, it took them offline and started working to contain the threat.
Specialist third party consultants have been engaged to investigate the nature and extent of the incident and CVS has also informed the relevant authorities, including the Information Commissioner’s Office, because of the risk of malicious access to personal information.
The company says the majority of IT services for its practices and business functions have now been restored, but due to the increased levels of security and monitoring, some systems are not working as efficiently as before.
CVS also says that as a result of the incident, it is bringing forward plans to migrate its practice management system and related IT infrastructure to the cloud.
Analysis of the incident is ongoing and CVS says it will provide a further update in due course.
The webinars are open to veterinary clinics across the UK and the US, including those not affiliated to Premier Vet Alliance.
The programme is as follows:
Jo Wells, Premier Vet Alliance’s Business Relationship Manager said: “We’ve concentrated on providing a blend of practical advice and insights, people management support and also some inspiring motivational ideas.
“Because we operate globally, we’ve engaged speakers from both sides of the Altlantic which presents insights into alternative ways of working and thinking. We’ve also kept the webinars to just an hour-long in length so they are time efficient.
“As well as providing what we hope will be valuable content, the webinars will also encourage a platform for networking and on-going communication.
To register for the first event on Thurday 24th February, visit: https://tinyl.io/5ZtP
The dog presented to the Neurology and Neurosurgery Service at Pride after the dog's GP vet had diagnosed a tumour.
The neurological examination was consistent with a thoracolumbar lesion and the X-rays showed a radiopaque mass with bony lysis on the third lumbar vertebral body.
Annette Wessmann, an EBVS European Specialist in Veterinary Neurology at Pride said: “We chose to do a CT scan based on examination and the X-rays.
“It confirmed the suspicion of a neoplastic lesion and ruled out other tumoral focus along the rest of the spine and other organs."
A customised titanium implant was designed for the dog's spine in collaboration with BETA Implants.
Rosario Vallefuoco, an RCVS and EBVS Small Animal Surgery Specialist and Head of Small Animal Surgery at Pride said: “It was a case of combining our experience with that of the engineers.
“The original implants had been designed for humans, and we had to imagine what would be required for a dog and work out at every step what changes we would have to make.”
The surgery took place in three different stages, the first being L3 vertebra skeletonization and dorsal lamina removal.
The second step was vertebral body removal.
Finally, the third step was vertebral reconstruction using the designed implants.
The whole procedure took six hours, and the dog was up and walking again within 12 hours.
Subsequent histopathology assessment of the mass confirmed osteosarcoma, so the surgery is being followed up with chemotherapy.
Following the success of the surgery, Pride Veterinary Referrals says it now hopes to help other dogs with similar conditions.
www.prideveterinaryreferrals.com
The toolkit includes a 15-minute CPD webinar: ‘How to best use ProZinc to successfully manage diabetes in cats and dogs’, hosted by Dr Jamie Adams BVSc PhD MRCVS, Senior Brand Technical Advisor at Boehringer Ingelheim.
Vet nurses who watch the webinar can enter a competition for a coffee machine for their veterinary practice by answering three questions at the end.
The toolkit also has a diabetes management reference guide covering how to make a confident diagnosis and start treatment with ProZinc, how best to monitor and reassess the patient and how to adjust the dose for optimal control.
There are also glucose curve charts, pet owner guides, home care journals and a link to the ProZinc pet owner website, www.prozinc.co.uk, which contains information to help owners feel confident in managing their pet’s diabetes.
The webinar and toolkit are available from: www.boehringer-academy.co.uk.
The team originally came up with the idea for a patient who needed bandages changed regularly over a long period of time.
It was so well-received by the dog’s owner that they offered the bespoke bandages to other clients.
They've been such a hit that nurses Stacey Lamb, Esme Ladds, Charlotte Wright and Amy Howard are now regularly producing the works of art, some of which have gone viral on social media.
The practice’s head nurse Emily Philpot said: "Our clients love the idea of having their pet’s bandage decorated and it’s very rewarding to see the smiles it puts on their faces.
"We ask if they have any special requests, and they enjoy getting involved in choosing designs for their pets.
"Children get particularly excited about this, and usually ask for their favourite TV characters.
"Sometimes we aim to come up with a design that represents a pet’s name, and we recently decorated a bandage with T-Rex’s for a dog called Rex.
“We have also made rainbows for people who have sadly had to have their pet put to sleep.
"We pop them on the bandage that holds the cannula in place which administers the medication and these have been very popular as well.”
The nurses make all of the designs by hand and cut them from the same material as the bandages, which is light and breathable and won’t interfere with the healing process.
Emily added: “Everyone is so impressed with how creative our nursing team is and the veterinary nurses have enjoyed having an opportunity to show off their talents. They enjoy making a difference, so it’s a great wellbeing boost during the working day.
“They make the designs between appointments and during any quieter periods, and they will often listen to a veterinary podcast while they’re crafting, so they are boosting their knowledge at the same time.
“Luckily, the bandages we use come in lots of different colours, but we did have to search a bit wider to find some that our usual supplier didn’t have available.
"However, it’s worth it for our clients and our patients, as it’s part of our aim to give them the best possible experience when they visit us.”
There will be 20 presentations from some of the world's leading experts, covering topics such as detection and diagnosis, advances in veterinary oncology, supportive care for the cancer patients, how to build a partnership with pet owners and, of course, feeding the cancer patient.
The presentations will be streamed live and available on demand afterwards, at https://learn.hillsvet.com/en_GB/hills-global-symposium-2023
Dr. Iveta Becvarova, Senior Director of Global Academic & Professional Affairs at Hill's Pet Nutrition said: "This year’s Hill’s Global Symposium will offer the latest advancements and innovations to help veterinary professionals support and counsel their clients, and provide the best care possible to the pets in their care."
For the 10,000 steps challenge, the practice has split into teams of eight which will compete against each other for a weekly prize for the team that collectively walks the furthest.
The practice is also encouraging colleagues to participate in daily wellbeing sessions, including interval training and a mindfulness programme, in conjunction with healthcare partner Vitality.
Mark Goodfellow, Head of Oncology at Davies and Mental Health First Aider said: “Commitment to high standards and dedication to patient care can lead to long working hours.
"Couple this with sick patients, distressed clients and end of life decision-making and the outcome can be feelings of failure, hopelessness and compassion fatigue.
"Simply taking time to walk and share experiences with a colleague can be an unburdening in itself. A problem shared with the right person is a problem halved.”
The grant has been awarded to Dr Faye Didymus and Dr Jackie Hargreaves (pictured) from Leeds Beckett University who aim to address a potential lack of understanding surrounding the importance of mental health education in the learning paths of student veterinary nurses.
This will be done through a scoping review of mental health education during student veterinary nursing curricula.
The review will be supplemented by interviews with tutors, veterinary nurse students and qualified veterinary nurses to understand their experiences of and levels of exposure to mental health education.
It is hoped this research will culminate in a set of evidence-based recommendations for how mental health education for student veterinary nurses could be enhanced.
Dr Faye Didymus said: “Maintaining good mental health is vital for job satisfaction, retention, and performance, and integrating mental health education into veterinary nursing courses is one way that veterinary nurse mental health can be supported, as it allows people to develop essential skills that will benefit their lives beyond education.”
“However, little is known about what mental health education is provided across veterinary nursing diplomas and degrees or if there is a consistent approach.
"Throughout the research, we aim to build a clearer picture of the current provision, so we can create evidence-based recommendations for the optimisation of veterinary nursing education.”
Mind Matters Initiative Manager, Lisa Quigley, said: “Much of the research into veterinary mental health has so far been centred around veterinary surgeons so we were keen to fund a veterinary nurse focussed project to help close that knowledge gap.
"The veterinary field encompasses the entire veterinary team, and we cannot afford to overlook a group that makes up much of the working veterinary population and who are vital for the functioning of the sector. It is essential that we support our veterinary nurses throughout their careers and provide them with the knowledge and tools to look after their own mental wellbeing from the outset.
“Research plays a major role in this, and we are delighted to be funding a fully nurse-based project.”
https://vetmindmatters.org/mind-matters-mental-health-research-symposium-2023.
VetTeamAMR includes a learning platform with information about responsible prescribing practises for the whole practice team, and an audit tool designed to support continuous improvements in national antimicrobial stewardship efforts.
The new companion animal materials complement the equine and farm animal resources which were launched earlier this month and in 2021 respectively.
RCVS Knowledge is launching VetTeamAMR for veterinary teams who treat companion animals at a free online event on Tuesday 20 June 2023 at 7:00 pm (BST).
The event is open to all to attend, and will include talks from:
Chris Gush, Executive Director at RCVS Knowledge said, “AMR is a hugely important issue for us at RCVS Knowledge and we are pleased to be able to provide veterinary teams with free tools and resources to support the responsible use of antimicrobials.
“Antibiotics remain the primary treatment for potentially fatal bacterial infections.
"Yet inappropriate use of antibiotics has led to resistance that has created a global animal and human health emergency.”.
“With busy veterinary practices in mind, we have worked alongside veterinary experts to create accessible and user-friendly VetTeamAMR tools and resources and we encourage all UK veterinary practices to get involved.”
To register for the online launch: https://knowledge.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-events/events/vetteamamr-companion-animal-launch-event/
Megan beat more than 100 nominees to win the Land-based and Environment Learner (LBEL) prize and achieve an overall distinction in her qualification towards becoming a registered veterinary nurse.
Megan joined the referral hospital in 2021 as a patient care assistant before deciding to train as a veterinary nurse.
She now aspires to complete the International Society of Feline Medicine Diploma and to become a clinical coach and help future student vet nurses through their qualifications.
Megan said: “I felt honoured to be nominated for the award so to win and be recognised by the wider veterinary profession is amazing."
The company has created a new waiting room board kit as a way for veterinary staff to remind owners of the importance of prompt diagnosis and management of dental disease.
Animalcare has also created a Pet Dental Health Month social media pack with content practices can use on their social media channels.
During the month, the company will be offering dental CPD and prizes for the most creative and engaging waiting room displays.
Will Peel, Animalcare Marketing Manager said: "According to the RVC's VetCompass data, periodontitis is the most common disease seen in cats and dogs however, it can often be difficult to identify and pet owners can often disregard the signs of dental problems, assuming that their pet’s bad breath is normal.
‘Our popular Lunch and Learn sessions have demonstrated to us that veterinary staff recognise the importance of raising dental health awareness, so we’ve created this range of materials specifically to support veterinary practices and their patients.’
She has been awarded a place on the company’s Nurse Certificate in Emergency and Critical Care (NCert ECC) programme, which starts in December 2021.
Louise O’Dwyer was a highly respected and awarded ECC veterinary nurse, who was passionate about ECC and an inspiration to her colleagues. She lectured not only on Improve International’s NCert ECC programme, but also on its other nursing courses and at congresses around the world. She died in 2019.
Jennifer said: “I am thrilled and shocked to have been selected as the winner of the Louise O'Dwyer legacy scholarship.
“Louise has been a massive inspiration and role model to me throughout my career. When I started veterinary nursing, a lecture of hers was one of the first I attended and I felt empowered through her passion and knowledge to further my own career in a similar way. I have been lucky enough to be able to follow my interests in veterinary nursing anaesthesia but have always had a passion for ECC. Receiving this Scholarship will enable me to further my interest and training in this field. I want to thank her family, together with Improve International, for this amazing opportunity.”
Dr Charlotte French, Head of Curriculum and Quality and UK Country Manager for Improve International, said: “We wanted to do something special to remember Louise O’Dwyer, who was such a talented and well-respected speaker on this course and within the profession.
“This annual scholarship in her name enables a veterinary nurse, technician or paraprofessional the opportunity of a sponsored place on our NCert ECC Programme. We would like to thank Louise’s family for assisting us in selecting someone whom they feel she would have considered would truly benefit from this postgraduate training and qualification.”
The full cost of the programme is covered, together with the examination fee for the International School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies (ISVPS), which awards the qualification. The successful applicant will also receive a copy of the textbook Practical Emergency and Critical Care Veterinary Nursing, which was written by Louise with Dr Paul Aldridge.
For more information on the ECC course, visit: https://www.improveinternational.com/uk/course/nurses-certificate-in-emergency-and-critical-care-nursing/.
The toolkit contains triage forms, a contact directory, emergency action guidelines and a drug glossary, together with dosage rates for its Anti-Tox Range.
Miranda Davis, Territory Manager at TVM said: "The Toxin Toolkit is designed to make it as easy as possible to access advice when veterinary staff are dealing with pet poisoning cases which need immediate attention.
"We are launching the Toxin Toolkit to make information more easily accessible to vets, however an added benefit is that it helps us and our clients to minimise our environmental impact by reducing the need for our printed poisoning guidelines."
To access the Toxin Toolkit, visit: https://www.tvm-uk.com/vet-resource-library/
BEVA Congress 2021 will now take place from September 4th-7th 2021.
The decision to cancel Congress 2020 was taken by BEVA Council and the Congress programme committee because of the unpredictable circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tim Mair, President of BEVA said: “The overriding factor in our decision-making process was to protect everyone attending Congress. We are chartering unknown territory at the moment and the additional planning requirements needed to run a large event like BEVA Congress with social distancing measures in place will take time.
“We intend for September 2021 to mark an exciting, fresh start for the profession following the harrowing experiences of 2020. It should be safe for our international speakers and delegates to attend by then, getting us all back on track with networking and world-class CPD to inspire us for the new post Covid-19 world.”
Tickets for BEVA Congress 2021 will be available later this year, more information from: www.bevacongress.org.
The award was due to be presented at the association's annual shindig in March, which was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
VMA Awards chair, Claire Edmunds, said: “This years’ winners will still get their moment of glory on stage next March at the rescheduled event. We can also announce that the event is likely to include some additional categories to recognise campaigns and initiatives undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Carlos Michelsen, managing director of award sponsor, CM Research, added: "Thanks to the continued success of Cytopoint, Zoetis achieved highly commended status. But it was Elanco that came in as award winners, with their novel veterinary pharmaceutical product Galliprant taking the crown. Congratulations to Elanco!"
Rebecca Bryant, Elanco’s marketing manager for Pet Health Therapeutics (pictured right), said “Elanco is delighted to be recognised by the veterinary community with this prestigious award for Galliprant. The UK team is proud to be part of the launch of this innovative, first-in-class product which has already enriched the lives of thousands of pet owners and their dogs living with osteoarthritis. It’s fantastic to hear from vets that managing OA with Galliprant has already made a positive impact on their practices.”
Zoetis product manager, Allison Henry said: “We are very proud to come such close second in this award category as it is a true testament to the lasting innovation Cytopoint has brought to our industry, customers and pets. At Zoetis, we always strive to develop innovative new medicines for the veterinary industry and we are thrilled to see how Cytopoint has done just that.”
With fewer than 72 female Suffolk Punches remaining in the UK and fewer than 300 in the world, every female born is vital to the survival of this endangered British horse.
In 2019 Tullis Matson, owner and managing director of Stallion AI Services, saw an opportunity to use a new technological advancement in the sex sorting of equine semen to provide a lifeline to Britain’s critically endangered rare and native horses.
Tullis said: “To be able to use our reproduction expertise in this way, to help preserve an irreplaceable part of our magnificent heavy horse heritage is something we have been working towards for many years. The challenges have been great and many, but watching the birth of this beautiful, healthy filly foal was a truly magical experience."
The sex sorting project uses specialist equipment to sex sort the semen prior to insemination based on the difference in DNA content between X and Y bearing spermatozoa.
Ruby, the Suffolk Punch mare and Holbeach Iggy, the Suffolk stallion were selected and matched based on their genetics as part of a project between The Rare Breed Survival Trust and Nottingham Trent University that uses pedigree information to enable the breeding of small populations in a way that minimises the risk of inbreeding and genetic decline.
Christopher Price, Chief Executive of the Rare Breed Survival Trust, said: “This is tremendous news for anyone concerned with the conservation of our native equines. The most effective way of increasing the population size of this very rare breed is by increasing the number of fillies being born.
“The project demonstrates the viability of using new techniques for selecting female foals in order to increase the breeding population much more rapidly than could be achieved through relying on traditional methods. We hope it will prove to be a model for more projects in the future.”
To ask Shelly a question, first read her article here: https://www.veterinary-practice.com/article/pain-management-for-veterinary-nurses
Then join the VetNurse Clinical Article Club here: https://www.vetnurse.co.uk/001/vetnurse-clinical-article-club
Then post your question or discuss the article in this thread: https://www.vetnurse.co.uk/001/vetnurse-clinical-article-club/f/clinical-article-club-discussions/32396/pain-management-for-veterinary-nurses
£50 for the post which provokes the most discussion by the end of the week!
Remember, all time spent reading or participating in Clinical Article Club discussions can be claimed towards your annual CPD requirement: Press 'Claim CPD' at the top of the discussion thread.
This means there is still a remaining seat on VN Council which remains unfilled.
As a result, one candidate standing now, Susan Howarth RVN, is therefore automatically re-elected to VN Council for a further three-year term.
If you've toyed with the idea of standing for VN Council, now is your moment, because if only one more nurse enters the ring, they too will be automatically elected without having to canvas so much as a single vote. A shoo-in, if ever there was one.
If two or more additional candidates come forward in the extended nomination period, then there will be an election for the place, running from 15th March to the 23rd April online.
Matthew Rendle, Chair of VN Council, said: "Whilst it’s certainly disappointing that we only had one nomination for VN Council by this year’s deadline, we hope this extension until the end of February means more vet nurses will now consider putting themselves forward for election. We are doing some really important work currently that in time will push forward and enhance our profession, so I would ask any vet nurses who are interested in having a say on the future of our profession to step forward as a candidate for the Council. Those who want to find out more about what it means to be on VN Council are also very welcome to contact me on vncchair@rcvs.org.uk"
CommentWith the proposed changes to the legislative framework governing the veterinary professions, which will have a profound impact on the working lives of all veterinary nurses, now could not be a more important, a more interesting and probably more historic moment to be on VN Council. Surely there must be more than two veterinary nurses who care enough about their profession to stand up and help shape its future?
The survey was held between the 1st and 5th May and was sent to the 3,139 UK veterinary practices for which the RCVS holds a unique email address. In total it gathered 251 responses (a response rate of 8%) compared to the 532 responses to the initial survey conducted between 3rd and 7th April (a response rate of 17%).
The main changes compared to last month's survey were:
Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO, said: "This latest survey has identified some positive trends in terms of a slight uptick in business, including turnover, and fewer incidences of staff having to take time off with COVID or COVID-like symptoms.
“I am glad to see that the framework we published in April has, so far as we can see, provided veterinary professionals with greater guidance and reassurance regarding the fact that if it is feasible to do something safely under social distancing guidelines, then they can go ahead, if they choose to.
"We left plenty of scope for veterinary professionals to use their clinical judgement as to what services actually offer, depending on their facilities, level of staffing, availability of protective equipment, local disease pressures and so on.
"However, it is also clear that we are, by no means, out of the woods and that veterinary businesses are still struggling financially, with some of them reporting a very acute impact of the coronavirus and the associated restrictions on their businesses.
“We will continue to monitor the situation via these regular surveys, with the next one planned for early June. I would urge as many practices as possible to continue to complete them, so that we can build up a stronger evidence-base on how veterinary businesses have been affected. This information is not only vital for our own policy decisions but also allows us to present a stronger case to the Government and other public bodies where we wish to influence the decisions they make that will impact the veterinary professions and businesses.”
The survey results can be read in full at www.rcvs.org.uk/coronavirus-resources.