The British Veterinary Association has published some resources to help veterinary practices prepare for the Competition and Markets Authority measures due to take effect in September 2026.

The new materials include a downloadable guide to each CMA remedy and short videos on providing information about ownership, prices, services and treatments, on prescribing veterinary medicines, managing complaints and offering cremation services.

Whilst the CMA's detailed Orders have not yet been released, with more information expected over the summer, the BVA said its information will continue to be updated.

BVA President Dr Rob Williams MRCVS said: "Given the CMA's starting point, following significant pushback from BVA, the final remedies now better balance the needs of the pet-owning public, with practical delivery of vet services."

He added: "However, we understand that the next steps may still feel a bit daunting.

"The first thing to say is that most of you will already be undertaking many, if not most of the measures required by the CMA in your day-to-day work and this next step will be about formalising these processes.

"We're here to support the profession as it gets ready for change later in the year with practical resources to help you comply."

Further discussion of the changes is also planned at BVA Live at the NEC Birmingham on 11 and 12 June, including sessions on complaints handling after the CMA outcome and what the remedies mean in practice.

https://www.bva.co.uk/resources-support/misc-resources/competition-and-markets-authority-measures-for-vet-businesses-get-ready-get-compliant  

Kirsty Young RVN has been elected as the new Chair of the RCVS Veterinary Nurses Council.

Kirsty, who is the Acting Registrar at Scotland's Rural College, will take up the three-year post from the RCVS Annual General Meeting on Friday 3 July 2026.

She has been an elected member of VN Council since 2024 and qualified as a veterinary nurse in 1999.

She has worked in veterinary nursing education for over 20 years in areas including curriculum development and programme validation and accreditation, including chairing veterinary nursing accreditation panels for the RCVS.

She replaces Belinda Andrews-Jones RVN, who has been elected Vice-Chair of VN Council for three years.

Kirsty said: "It's an honour to have been elected by my fellow Council members as Chair of the RCVS Veterinary Nurses Council.

"After more than 25 years in veterinary nursing across clinical practice, education and governance, I'm very proud to take on this role at such an important time for the profession.

"My time on VN Council has been both rewarding and inspiring, and I have valued the opportunity to work alongside dedicated colleagues committed to supporting veterinary nurses and advancing the profession.

"These experiences have reinforced the importance of collaboration, inclusivity and strengthening the veterinary nursing voice.

"As Chair, I look forward to supporting the continued development, recognition and wellbeing of veterinary nurses, while helping to shape the future of the profession through ongoing legislative reform.

"I am committed to driving positive progress and championing the vital contribution veterinary nurses make to animal health and welfare every day."

A veterinary nurse from Colwyn Bay has been removed from the Register by the RCVS Veterinary Nursing Disciplinary Committee after she was convicted of burglary involving the theft of veterinary drugs from her practice.

The nurse wrote to the College prior to the hearing to say that she would not be attending and she was not represented.

The College asked the Committee to proceed with the hearing, which it agreed to do.

The charge against her was that in 2025 she had been convicted, following a guilty plea, of burglary, contrary to section 9(1)(b) of the Theft Act 1968.

She was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months and to an order to carry out unpaid work for 140 hours within the next 12 months; and to pay compensation of £761.20; and made subject to a restraining order.

The particulars of the offence, to which the nurse originally pleaded not guilty before changing her plea to guilty, were that in 2024, she had entered the practice premises as a trespasser and stole veterinary medication of an unknown value, including ketamine.

The Committee found the charge proved on the basis of her admission to the College that she entered a guilty plea at court.

The Committee noted that although she admitted entering a guilty plea, she had continued to deny taking ketamine, but the Committee accepted the court’s version of events and saw no need to investigate further.

Other drugs taken, as listed in the police summary, included methadone, fentanyl patches, buprenorphine, and medetomidine.

In determining the nurse's fitness to practise, the Committee considered the submissions of the College and noted that the defendant didn’t dispute the nature and circumstances of the offence leading to her conviction beyond claiming that she never took ketamine.

It also found that she breached parts 1.5 and 6.5 of the Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Nurses relating to the responsible administering of medicines and the fact that veterinary nurses must not engage in any activities that would likely bring the profession into disrepute.

It also took into account the following aggravating factors:

• committing a criminal offence that involves dishonesty;
• committing a criminal offence directly linked to her professional role;
• a serious abuse of trust placed in her by virtue of her professional position as a Registered Veterinary Nurse;
• allowing suspicion to fall on a junior member of the practice team;
• premeditated conduct involving an element of planning and deception - she entered the premises using a fob she had been given as an employee and, as part of the offence, she accessed the practice computer to order medication she wished to steal;
• an abuse of her professional position;
• the burglaries were repeated over a period of time on many occasions;
• potential impact on the welfare of animals brought to the practice if necessary medication were unavailable due to having been taken by the nurse;
• financial gain, in that she obtained a significant quantity of medication without having to pay for it.

It was found that her conduct fell far below the standard expected of a registered veterinary nurse and that her conviction was serious enough to render her unfit to practise.

In deciding upon a sanction, the Committee took into account all written evidence before it.

In addition to the aggravating factors, it also considered the nurse's "complete lack of insight", her lack of apology or remorse, her denials and the fact there was no evidence of remediation.

The only mitigating factor was that the nurse had no previous adverse disciplinary findings against her.

Paul Morris, chairing the committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee was of the view that the nature and seriousness of [the veterinary nurse]'s behaviour, which led to the conviction, was fundamentally incompatible with being registered as a veterinary nurse.

"The conduct represented a serious departure from professional standards, in that this was a serious offence of dishonesty.

"[The veterinary nurse] has not demonstrated any remorse for her behaviour and instead has sought to blame others; she has demonstrated a complete lack of insight, especially in regard to the impact of her behaviour on public confidence and trust in the profession.

"In light of these conclusions, the Committee decided that the only appropriate and proportionate sanction in this case was removal from the Register."

“The Committee determined that it was important that a clear message be sent that this sort of behaviour is wholly inappropriate and not to be tolerated.

"It brought discredit upon [the veterinary nurse] and discredit upon the profession.”

The Veterinary Leadership Academy has launched "Practice Performance Diagnostic", a tool to help veterinary practice owners identify where operational and leadership pressure is compromising both performance and wellbeing.

Practice Performance Diagnostic is a structured investigation tool which combines leadership analysis, operational performance data, team feedback and financial analysis into a single integrated report.

The process includes a leadership systems assessment, operational dashboard creation and analysis, financial performance review, employee feedback analysis, a comprehensive written report, and a one-to-one debrief session with the founder of the Veterinary Leadership Academy, Dave Nicol MRCVS.

The resulting report identifies where operational pressure accumulates, where ownership breaks down, where financial performance is leaking, where leadership dependency remains too high, and where the business is relying too heavily on owner intervention to remain stable.

Dave said: "What I keep seeing are practices that are delivering excellent care for clients and patients, but the owner is carrying far too much of the business personally.

"Decisions continue to route back to them. Standards rely heavily on their direct involvement. Team issues escalate upward. Problems accumulate quietly until the owner steps back in to stabilise things again. Over time, that creates a level of pressure that simply isn't sustainable."

www.drdavenicol.com/diagnostic

The Pet Vet and Optivet Referrals have announced a partnership which gives pets in Greater London easier access to advanced eye care.

Specialist-led veterinary ophthalmology care is now available at The Pet Vet's Waltham Forest surgery, saving London-based pet owners the need to travel to Optivet's specialist hospital in Hampshire for advanced ophthalmology treatment.

The Pet Vet and Optivet will remain fully independent organisations, with Optivet delivering specialist ophthalmology services within The Pet Vet surgery.

Optivet London will be led by Dr Gemma Turner BSc DVM MANZCVS FANZCVS MRCVS, Specialist in Veterinary Ophthalmology, working in collaboration with The Pet Vet Waltham Forest Head Vet, Dr Katarina Krasna MVDr CertAVP MRCVS.

Optivet's services will cover a wide range of ocular conditions including distichia and ectopic cilia correction, entropion surgery, medial canthoplasty, superficial keratectomy, corneal crosslinking, cataract surgery, retinal reattachment surgery, enucleation and evisceration, orbitotomy procedures, and retrobulbar abscess management. 

Optivet.com

The RCVS has announced that it has withdrawn from X (formerly Twitter), saying that the move reflects its "commitment to the safety and wellbeing of its audience".

However, when asked by VetNurse.co.uk which audience - veterinary professionals, it's staff or the public - it was referring to, or  what threats to safety and wellbeing were posed by X, the College refused point blank to answer.

So the real motivation remains unclear.

On the one hand, it could be a ridiculously over-sensitive move to protect its unknown audience from opinions that its staff find objectionable. 

On the other hand, it could perfectly well be argued that short form social media reduces every discussion or debate to "I'm effing right and you're effing wrong", which is not appropriate for a scientific profession.

Equally, one could also argue that engaging in polarised debate is not terribly good for one's wellbeing. 

Or one could just argue that it's a terrible platform owned by a strangely meddlesome and interfering American. 

However, given the College's strange refusal to expand on the reasons for its withdrawal, the first explanation seems more likely.

But who knows?

https://www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-views/news/rcvs-statement-on-x-formerly-twitter/ 

Dog and Drive has launched a folding stair system to help dogs get in and out of SUVs and estate cars and reduce joint injuries. 

The patented system is made from lightweight carbon fibre and can be installed and removed from the back of the car in minutes. 

The makers point to research carried out by Hartpury University in 2018 which concluded that allowing dogs to repeatedly jump clear from vehicles with high boot compartments may be inadvisable¹, suggesting that it could contribute to ligament and joint injury.

In addition the system would logically be helpful for owners of older, less mobile dogs, or perhaps those recovering from surgery.

Prices start at £1995.

https://www.doganddrive.co.uk 

Reference

1. Pardey, D., Tabor, G., Oxley, J.A. and Wills, A.P. (2018), Peak forelimb ground reaction forces experienced by dogs jumping from a simulated car boot. Veterinary Record, 182: 716-716. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.104788

The RCVS Academy has launched ‘Communicating cost’, a free course designed to help vet nurses discuss treatment costs with clients.

The course offers practical tips and is also designed to help veterinary professionals understand their obligations under the Code of Professional Conduct when discussing costs with clients.

RCVS CEO Lizzie Lockett said: “Discussions around the costs of veterinary treatment are not always easy and can sometimes give rise to misunderstandings or lack of clarity between clients and veterinary teams.

"We recognise the challenges these conversations present and the pressures veterinary professionals face.

“Meanwhile, the ongoing Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation has highlighted that animal owners are not always satisfied with the level of information they receive in order to make an informed choice about treatment options.

This course supports the development of veterinary surgeons’ and veterinary nurses’ communication skills so that they can discuss treatment costs more transparently with their clients, helping to reduce potential misunderstandings and build trust.”

The course takes 45 minutes to complete and features an interactive scenario as well as expert video advice from experienced veterinary surgeons.

https://academy.rcvs.org.uk

Surrey-based Fitzpatrick Referrals has launched a dental service, led by Hannah van Velzen BSc MSc CSAVP (Dentistry) MRCVS

The practice is now accepting dental referrals, including for dental, oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Hannah said: “I am proud to join the Fitzpatrick Referrals team to extend their referral offering to include this very important aspect of small animal veterinary treatment.

"Working alongside a world-class team with state-of-the-art facilities is a fantastic opportunity.”

https://www.fitzpatrickreferrals.co.uk/services/dentistry/ 

Louise Hosford, a Principal Nurse Manager who works at Vets Now's emergency and critical care clinic in Sheffield has become the sixth winner of the company's bursary in memory of Louise O’Dwyer. 

The bursary gives Louise a £2,000 CPD allowance for having demonstrated her commitment to making a difference and furthering Louise’s legacy of sharing learning.

Louise said: “I'm absolutely over the moon to have been awarded the Louise O'Dwyer bursary - and am incredibly grateful for the support and opportunity provided by Vets Now.

"I have worked in practice for some 26 years now and was lucky enough to attend several of Louise's emergency and critical care nursing lectures at a variety of veterinary conferences over the years.

"Her lectures were inspiring and full of humour.”

“I intend to use the bursary to undertake the Post Graduate Certificate in Advanced Practice in Veterinary Nursing (PgCert APVN) through the University of Glasgow.

"I am incredibly excited to embark on this new learning journey - and hope that I can share these skills with other RVNs, and encourage others to keep following their dreams within the veterinary nursing profession, just as Louise did.”

Applications for next year’s Louise O’Dwyer bursary will open in spring 2025.

A study being conducted by the University of Liverpool and CVS has concluded that veterinary professionals have wide-ranging perceptions of what constitutes a workplace injury, with some harms being seen as just ‘everyday norms’. 

Starting in 2022 ‘The context, consequence and prevention of veterinary workplace injuries: a qualitative and quantitative study in the UK’ study aims to explore the context, consequences and behaviours surrounding veterinary workplace injuries - to improve the safety of the profession.

The first phase of the research was a cross-sectional survey of 740 broadly representative veterinary professionals.

Initial analysis, published in Occupational Medicine1, explored how injuries and their context are perceived by veterinary profession. 

Themes identified during this phase of analysis were:

• Injuries have become normalised, accepted and seen as everyday norms in veterinary practice - resulting in many not being reported;
• Differences in how injuries were defined, with small animal vets expecting injuries to involve blood, and equine/farm vets expecting them to reduce their ability to work or require the need for medical treatment;
• Equine and farm animal vets having a high threshold before acknowledging that an incident is a work-related injury. As such dangerous events, such as kicks, are seen as ‘everyday’ events and are not deemed an injury, and so will not be reported.
• Many suggest all injuries should be reported, however minor injuries were often overlooked, for example needlestick injuries;
• A large proportion of colleagues (especially vets) see reporting injuries as too onerous;
• Injuries caused by staff themselves (e.g. trips) were less likely to be reported than injuries that could be blamed on an external factor (e.g. dog bite). 

CVS says the veterinary industry should take note of the discrepancy of perception of what constitutes work-related injury in its practices and reporting protocols.

Practices may need an individualised approach to minimise their workplace injuries: some may need to work on revisiting their ideas around acceptable risk, whilst others may be good at minimising work-related harm, but have a complex or blame-associated reporting system which needs to be simplified.

Dr. John Tulloch, Lecturer and European Specialist in Veterinary Public Health, at the University of Liverpool who is leading the research, said: “Injuries that occur within veterinary practice can tragically at times be life-changing and are often avoidable.

"The objectives of this study are to understand how veterinary professionals define injuries and to understand what injuries they do or do not deem reportable.

"The results of this stage of the research have been both startling and complex.

"They highlight a profession in drastic need of cultural change and personal attitudes, with respect to injury prevention and mitigation.”

Dr. Imogen Schofield, Director of Clinical Research at CVS, said: “Using these findings, we will be able to develop and strengthen injury prevention measures through safety policy, education, and training.

"We anticipate that this project will result in safer workplaces within the wider veterinary community and, indirectly, in improved animal treatment through a fitter, healthier and safer profession.”

CVS says the research will lead to the development of open access educational tools aimed at promoting injury awareness and prevention.

The tools will focus on understanding why reporting injuries is important, how to develop a culture of accountability without blame, and when to seek medical attention and take time off work.

They will also investigate how to encourage clients to be safety ambassadors, and how to empower colleagues in challenging situations regarding restraint, aggressive patients and equine safety.

In addition, they will look at improving cat handling via International Society of Feline Medicine training and Cat Friendly Clinic accreditation, facilitating a rise in usage of hard hats in equine, and raising awareness of the risks associated with sharps plus sharp bin provision.

Reference:

1. T Furtado, M Whiting, I Schofield, R Jackson, J S P Tulloch, Pain, inconvenience and blame: defining work-related injuries in the veterinary workplace, Occupational Medicine, Volume 74, Issue 7, October 2024, Pages 501–507, https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqae068

Donal Johnston MRCVS has been reprimanded and warned as to his future conduct by the RCVS Disciplinary Committee after admitting four separate charges related to fraudulent insurance claims.

Each charge related to fraudulent pet insurance claims that Mr Johnston had made for the treatment of animals when he was in practice in Banbridge, County Down, two of which were fictitious, and where he had arranged for the insurance claims to be diverted and paid into a personal bank account, rather than the practice’s bank account.

At an initial hearing, which concluded on  April 2022, Mr Johnston had admitted all the charges against him as well as admitting that his conduct was dishonest and amounted to serious professional misconduct.

The Committee was satisfied that his conduct amounted to serious professional misconduct, with Committee Chair Paul Morris saying: “The Committee has no hesitation in concluding that the respondent’s dishonest conduct will have severely undermined the confidence of the public in the veterinary profession and, further, that his conduct fell far short of the standards and conduct properly to be expected of a member of the veterinary profession.

"The Committee is satisfied that this conduct by the respondent brought the profession into disrepute.”

The proceedings were then adjourned to allow a psychiatric report and other mitigation to be prepared.

At its resumed hearing in November 2022 the Committee considered what sanction to impose in relation to Dr Johnston’s actions.

At this point, the Committee decided to postpone its decision on sanction for a period of two years on the condition that Dr Johnston enter into undertakings to the Committee including refraining from any form of gambling, subjecting himself to a close regime of support and supervision, and repaying some of the sums he had defrauded.

The hearing reconvened in October 2024 to decide on an appropriate sanction.

The Committee noted that Mr Johnston had complied with the undertakings and provided the Committee with the interim reports required of him.

He also continued with the therapeutic interventions and programmes specified, as well as implemented measures designed to minimise the risk of a relapse into gambling.

The Committee also noted that reports from the gambling support services, to which Mr Johnston had signed up, all spoke positively about his involvements and confirmed the progress he had achieved in managing his addiction.

The Committee also took into account a psychiatric report as well as evidence under oath from Mr Johnston’s wife who confirmed his compliance with the undertakings.

As a result, the Committee was satisfied that the prospects of a repeat of the conduct which led to the charges laid against Dr Johnston were now greatly reduced.

The Committee said it was less impressed with the evidence provided by Mr Johnston.

While he had largely complied with the letter of the undertakings he gave in 2022, it remained troubled by his apparent unwillingness or inability, on account of lack of effort, to fulfil the assurances previously given that he was in the process of changing his name to Johnston, from Fegan, on official documentation in order to be consistent with his legal name, when he had not done so.

The only formal name change in place was on the RCVS Register, and he had failed to alter his name on his driver’s licence, on his registration with the Veterinary Council of Ireland, his passport, bank accounts, and one of his email addresses.

As a result, the Committee did not find Dr Johnston to be an entirely satisfactory witness.

Paul Morris, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “Having made the progress that he has over the period since the commission of the charges found proved in 2019, the Committee considers that the imposition of a sanction of suspension on top of the period of postponement would be excessive, in the particular circumstances of this case.

“For the same reasons, as stated above, it is considered that it would be excessive now to impose a sanction of removal from the register.

“That process of reasoning has driven the Committee to the conclusion that the sanction of a reprimand and warning as to future conduct is what the facts and circumstances of this case call for.

"That is because the respondent can be under no illusion about the outcome were he to appear again before this Committee.

"A failure to take advantage of the exceptional course adopted by this Committee on this occasion would be regarded as a serious aggravating factor were he to appear before the Committee at any time in the future.”

https://www.rcvs.org.uk/concerns/disciplinary-hearings 

Dechra has launched Zenalpha, an alpha-2 agonist and peripheral antagonist combination to alleviate the stress of sedation in dogs and maintain the stability of physiological parameters¹.

Zenalpha provides restraint, sedation and analgesia during non-invasive, non-painful or mildly painful procedures and examinations intended to last no more than 30 minutes². 

It is administered intramuscularly and takes effect within 5-15 minutes^{1, 2}. 

Dechra says patients also recover more rapidly², potentially avoiding hospitalisation and allowing them to get home sooner.

Zenalpha contains the active ingredients 0.5 mg/ml medetomidine hydrochloride and 10mg/ml vatinoxan hydrochloride. 

Medetomidine is an alpha-2 agonist used for its sedative and analgesic properties. 

Vatinoxan is a peripherally selective alpha-2 antagonist which Dechra says has limited penetration across the blood-brain barrier, so it works to antagonise only the alpha-2 receptors located in the periphery, reducing cardiovascular side effects without impacting the quality of sedation or analgesia.

In a study of 223 dogs¹ comparing a traditional alpha-2 agonist with Zenalpha, Zenalpha was found to minimise cardiovascular side effects while preserving reliable sedation and analgesia. 

Claire Westoby, brand manager at Dechra said: ‘The next generation of alpha-2 agonists have evolved to provide the same effective and reliable sedation and analgesia, but with reduced cardiovascular side effects and a reduced chance of vomiting.

"This improves the sedation experience for the canine patient, as well as reducing the associated stress commonly experienced by veterinary teams and dog owners.”

Matt Gurney FRCVS, an RCVS and EBVS European Specialist in Veterinary Anaesthesia and hospital director at Anderson Moores, said: “It is really exciting to see the launch of an innovative new product, especially one with a unique mechanism of action that will improve the sedation experience for the vet team and our patients. 

"Zenalpha not only provides a solution to cases where IV placement is not possible and a rapid onset IM option is required, but it also offers a rapid and complete recovery which ensures that dogs can be reunited with their owners and return home as soon as possible.”

Zenalpha is presented in a 10 ml glass vial in individually packed cardboard boxes. 

For more information: www.dechra.co.uk/zenalpha or contact your local Dechra territory manager. 

To watch Matt Gurney’s ‘Zennovation in sedation – the next generation of alpha-2 agonists’: www.dechra.co.uk/academy.

References

1. Turunen H. and Zimmerman N. Safety of a medetomidine- vatinoxan combinationdrug (Zenalpha®) in dogs - a clinical field trial. Proc. IVECCS 2022, IVECCS, San Antonio, 7-11 September
2. Zenalpha EU Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC). European Medicines Agency website. Available at: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/product-information/zenalpha-epar-product-information_ en.pdf. Accessed 29 June, 2022