VetNurse News

Accord launches lower-cost dexmedetomidine option for UK practices

2026-06-03T11:00:00Z

Accord Animal Health has launched Dexmedocord in the UK, giving veterinary practices a new dexmedetomidine injection option for dogs and cats that the company says is competitively priced and supported by commercial rebates.

Dexmedocord is a dexmedetomidine 0.5 mg/ml solution for injection for dogs and cats and is available through all major UK veterinary wholesalers.

It is indicated in cats and dogs for non-invasive, mildly to moderately painful procedures and examinations requiring restraint, sedation and analgesia.

In dogs, it is also indicated for deep sedation and analgesia in concomitant use with butorphanol for medical and minor surgical procedures, and as a premedication in dogs and cats before induction and maintenance of general anaesthesia.

Dexmedetomidine is the active dextrorotatory enantiomer of medetomidine.

Bob Ferguson, Director of Animal Health at Accord Animal Health, said: "Veterinary practices need trusted products backed by accessible pricing and reliable supply."

"Dexmedocord marks an important milestone as our first POM-V pharmaceutical launch in the UK and reflects the established expertise and strong heritage in high-quality pharmaceuticals that we bring through the wider Accord group."

accordanimalhealth.com

The Pet Vet and Optivet partnership brings specialist ophthalmology referrals to London

2026-06-03T07:00:00Z

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

BVNA launches 2026 awards recognising compassion across the veterinary team

2026-06-02T07:00:00Z

The British Veterinary Nursing Association has opened nominations for its 2026 awards, giving veterinary teams, families and friends a way to recognise colleagues for compassion and empathy.

The awards will be presented at BVNA Congress 2026 and finalists from each category will be invited to attend the Dinner Dance and Awards Ceremony on Friday 9th October 2026.

The 2026 BVNA Awards are being presented in memory of individuals from the association's history.

Categories are The Jean Turner Award - RVN of the Year, The Des Thompson Award - Veterinary Team Member of the Year, The Jennifer Townson Award - SVN of the Year, and the VNJ Writer of the Year Award.

The RVN, SVN and veterinary team member categories are open to nominations from registered veterinary nurses, student veterinary nurses, other members of the veterinary team, and family and friends of the nominee.

The VNJ Writer of the Year Award is open to nominations from BVNA members only and covers articles published in the VNJ between September 2025 and July 2026.

BVNA President Sarah Holliday said: "We are delighted to launch this year's BVNA Award nominations, to recognise and celebrate the exceptional individuals that make up the veterinary nursing and wider veterinary professions.

"The BVNA Awards recognise the skilled care that individual RVNs and SVNs provide, and the unwavering compassion and empathy that they demonstrate every day.

"We know that veterinary nurses are not only powerful advocates for animal welfare, but also the wellbeing of the people around them.

"We're also thrilled to include an awards category for members of the wider veterinary team, who provide such valuable support to their veterinary nursing colleagues."

She added: "Simply being put forwards for an award also provides much-deserved recognition to all of our nominees, so we would really encourage colleagues, friends and family to nominate an individual you feel should be celebrated.

"We're looking forward to showcasing the special individuals within the veterinary profession and welcoming the worthy finalists and winners to BVNA Congress."

The deadline for nominations is 31 July 2026.

https://bvna.org.uk/bvna-awards-2026/

New diagnostic tool aims to show where practice owners are carrying too much pressure

2026-06-01T07:00:00Z

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

BEVA Congress 2026 to run dedicated stream for equine veterinary nurses

2026-05-28T07:00:00Z

BEVA Congress will run a dedicated Friday nursing stream at the ICC Birmingham from 9-12 September 2026, giving equine veterinary nurses a programme aimed at supporting them from early career through to head nurse level.

The programme has been designed to support early-career nurses looking to build confidence, as well as experienced and head nurses seeking progression or new challenges.

Sessions will combine clinical and non-clinical skill development.

They will also encourage nurses to strengthen their voice within practice, particularly around patient advocacy and welfare.

Content throughout the day will support nurses in identifying and responding to pain and stress more effectively.

It will also cover advocating confidently for patient welfare, translating observations into action within the clinical team, and applying welfare-focused nursing approaches in real-world scenarios.

Topics include pain recognition and management, reducing stress during clinical procedures, ethical decision-making in practice, opportunities within ambulatory nursing, and the future direction of the veterinary nursing profession.

Kassie Hill, VN programme stream guardian at BEVA Congress, said: "I really wanted to create a stream that covers all bases."

"From newer nurses who are building confidence, to experienced head nurses asking 'what's next?' - everyone should come away with tools they can actually use back in practice."

The session "Nursing: Prioritising welfare in our patients and team", chaired by Kassie Hill, is scheduled for Hall 10 on Friday at 11am.

It includes "Keep the bloody thing still!" Taking the stress out of procedures and handling for calm, presented by Jenny Hindmarsh.

It also includes "See what horses can't say: The vital role of nurses in equine pain care", presented by Ruth Morgan.

A later session, "Equine veterinary nursing profession", chaired by Marie Rippingale, will take place in Hall 10 on Friday at 15:40.

It includes "The VN Vision Project - RCVS", presented by Julie Dugmore.

It also includes "On the road with responsibility: Ethics in ambulatory nursing", presented by Cassie Woods.

Super early bird tickets are now available.

They include access to all lecture theatres and exhibition halls, full access to the virtual Congress hub, and on-demand access to Congress content for six months after the event.

BEVA members receive 50% off ticket prices.

An additional 15% discount is available until Wednesday 1 July 2026.

Nurse members can attend all three days for £188.37, or a single day for £89.70.

www.bevacongress.org

Vet locums and practices to be scored publicly on cancellation history

2026-05-27T07:00:00Z

Ronda.vet, the veterinary locum platform which launched last year, has introduced a public reliability score for locums and practices, giving UK veterinary professionals a way to check cancellation history before confirming shifts.

The feature is live on Ronda.vet and calculates a reliability score for every practice and every locum based solely on confirmed shift cancellations and the notice period given.

The score appears publicly on each profile, and practices and locums can view each other's reliability rates before confirming a booking.

The system allows practices to see how often a locum has cancelled shifts and with how much notice, while locums can see which practices have cancelled confirmed shifts at short notice.

The reliability rate is calculated using a standardised penalty points model.

Cancellations made 14 days or more before a shift incur 0.5 penalty points, while cancellations with less than 24 hours' notice, or no-shows, incur five points.

For practices, the same logic applies, and a practice which cancels a confirmed shift with less than 24 hours' notice accrues the same penalty points as a locum doing so.

New practices and locums with no confirmed shifts display "N/A", while those with penalty points but no offsetting completions may show 0 per cent.

The system applies automatically to every confirmed shift on the platform.

Ibra Hernando, co-founder, Ronda.vet, and veterinary surgeon, said: "Reliability is the foundation of trust in locum work but, until now, it has largely been invisible until something went wrong."

"By making reliability rates visible and reciprocal, we are giving both practices and locums the same tool to assess each other."

Ronda.vet has also confirmed that exceptional circumstances such as illness or emergency can be reviewed by the support team, and the score is not intended to permanently penalise anyone for isolated incidents.

Veterinary nurse struck off after conviction for stealing drugs from her practice

2026-05-26T11:00:00Z

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.”

Horiba enters veterinary diagnostics with multispecies haematology system

2026-05-26T07:00:00Z

Horiba has launched Yumivet, its new veterinary diagnostics brand, and the Yumivet VH2500 haematology analyser, which gives veterinary teams a new in-house option for multispecies blood testing with results in approximately 30 seconds per test.

The Yumivet VH2500 measures 57 parameters including Complete Blood Count (CBC) with a 9-part differential, reticulocyte analysis, and dual platelet measurement methods.

The analyser enables open tube or continuous sample loading and includes pre-configured species profiles with automatic selection or easy switching between species.

It also has an intuitive touchscreen interface, a simplified reagent system, and automated quality control features.

The Yumivet VH2500 is compatible with a slide maker and stainer called Yumivet SPS, a track system called Yumizen T6000, and middleware called Yumizen P8000, and offers connection to laboratory and practice management systems (LIS/PMS).

The Yumivet VH2500 is built on a hybrid analytical platform combining electrical impedance, fluorescence, flow cytometry and spectrophotometry, which Horiba says delivers robust and reliable performance across a wide range of sample types, including challenging or low-volume samples.

https://www.horiba.com/int/veterinary/products/detail/action/show/Product/yumivet-vh2500-7004/

BVA publishes CMA compliance guides for vet practices

2026-05-25T07:00:00Z

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 elected to chair RCVS VN Council

2026-05-22T07:00:00Z

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."

Moores Orthopaedic Clinic reaches 2000th patient and continues free advice for UK vets

2026-05-21T07:00:00Z

The Moores Orthopaedic Clinic is celebrating its 2000th patient and continuing to offer free case advice to UK vets.

The clinic, which is led by RCVS Recognised Specialists in Small Animal Orthopaedics, Andy Moores and Chris Jordan, focuses on delivering affordable care and supporting general practitioners.

Last year, the team sent over 900 free advice emails to UK vets who had asked for guidance.

Clinical Director Andy Moores said: "We would like to thank all of our referring vets for their ongoing support and for putting their trust in us.

"Our goal at The Moores Orthopaedic Clinic has always been to provide excellent, affordable care, and I am pleased to say that we deliver that day in day out."

He added: "We are in a unique situation at The Moores Orthopaedic Clinic, whereby our veterinary team consists solely of RCVS Specialist surgeons.

"This allows us to be efficient and offer great value TPLOs and hip replacements for example but also to offer cutting-edge services such as 3rd generation TATE elbow replacements and be entirely confident in the level of service we provide.

"We are supported by our incredible nursing team and support staff who all have a deep knowledge and understanding of orthopaedic issues in pets."

For case advice, email: info@mooresortho.com

www.mooresortho.com

Virbac launches free CPD module on feline hyperthyroidism for UK practice teams

2026-05-20T07:00:00Z

Virbac has launched "Hyperthyroidism 101 - A Toolkit for the Modern Veterinary Team", a free six-part CPD refresher series on the diagnosis, treatment, monitoring and prognosis of the most common endocrine disorder in cats.

Presented by Dr Sam Taylor BVetMed(Hons) CertSAM DipECVIMCA FRCVS, the series is aimed at the whole practice team, from new grads to experienced surgeons and nurses.

The sessions are:

Session 1 - Introduction: Thyroid health in the modern UK feline population
Session 2 - Clinical Signs: From classic presentations to subtle, easily missed indicators
Session 3 - Current Treatments: Overview of available options and where medical management excels
Session 4 - Practical Monitoring: Achieving and maintaining euthyroidism
Session 5 - Prognosis: Supporting long-term quality of life and managing owner expectations
Session 6 - Thyronorm Overview: How Thyronorm can be integrated into clinical practice.

Virbac says the series "provides a practical, flexible learning format that fits around busy clinical schedules, offering clear guidance on diagnosis, treatment and longterm management."

https://www.virbac-hub.co.uk

VetThing business model gains momentum as four new vet practices join the group

2026-05-19T07:00:00Z

VetThing reports that seven practices with eleven sites have now joined the group, which offers a unique business proposition by which practice owners become shareholders, whilst retaining the clinical freedom to continue to run their businesses their way.

The new joiners are The London Cat Clinic in Bermondsey, Grace Lane Vets in Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, Midsomer Vets in Somerset, and Orchard House Vets, which operates across three sites in Northumberland.

VetThing is part of Vetopia, which has more than 200 practices across nine countries.

Practices that join VetThing from Vetopia's network, resources and approach.

VetThing CEO Dr Ben Hanning MRCVS said: "As a vet myself, I know how much of a practice owner's identity is tied up in their practice and the people within it.

"That's precisely why VetThing has been built the way it has.

"Every practice that joins us does so on the basis that what makes them special is protected, not compromised and given space to flourish.

"The support that we provide enables practices to develop their clinical services and invest in technology, equipment and most importantly, their people."

www.vetthing.co.uk

Vetsure launches online medicines platform to help independent practices compete

2026-05-18T07:00:00Z

Vetsure has launched vetsuremeds.com, a VMD-approved online dispensary platform for UK independent veterinary practices that allows practices to retain an income stream that might otherwise be lost to corporate competitors.

The platform allows vets to write prescriptions for medications which clients can buy instantly at the point of care, with delivery to their home later.

Practices then receive a share of the revenue from medicine sales that have been fulfilled through vetsuremeds.com, mitigating against the losses if practices simply direct clients to the Internet, where there is a strong chance they will end up in the arms of a corporate-owned dispensary.

VetSurgeon understands that Vetsure is not aiming to compete with the cheapest online dispensaries, but is expecting that clients will be happy to pay a little bit more for the frictionless process which means they don't have to think, the medication will just arrive, and for the knowledge that they are supporting their independent practice.

In addition, the company highlights that because the prescription is processed at the point of care, vetsuremeds.com eliminates the risk of fraudulent multiple use of prescriptions.

In terms of revenue to the practice, the system will not completely replace the profit margin on drugs sold in practice, but against that, there is a reduction in the administrative burden and it also mitigates against the risk of clients giving their details to a corporate-owned group which may later decide to open in the local area.

The platform is rolling out across the Vetsure network in coming weeks and is currently in beta testing, with wider market availability planned later in the year.

Ashley Gray, Managing Director of Vetsure, said: "As a company founded, owned and run by vets, we were driven to act in the face of a rapidly changing marketplace.

"Our mission has always been to champion independent clinics.

"The CMA investigation highlights a very real risk to practice income, particularly when such a significant proportion is tied to medicine sales.

"Vetsuremeds.com enables practices to meet evolving regulatory expectations, deliver outstanding client service, and continue to thrive as independent businesses."

vetsuremeds.com

www.vetsurevet.com

Tickets open for 2026 veterinary patient safety summit in Birmingham

2026-05-15T07:00:00Z

VetLed and VetSafe have opened ticket sales for the Veterinary Patient Safety Summit 2026, taking place at The Studio, Birmingham on 16 October.

This year's theme is: Patient Safety in Action: Being a Champion for Safe Patient Care.

Over the course of the day, delegates will take part in practical workshops, shared experiences, expert-led discussions, and have the chance to connect with colleagues who are equally passionate about improving veterinary patient safety.

Hannah Godfrey, Client Relationship Lead at VetLed, said: “This year’s theme really focuses on patient safety in the real world. It is more than a day of discussing theoretical concepts; we want our delegates to leave feeling inspired, empowered, and equipped.”

There are 30 Early Bird tickets priced at £135 inc. VAT available until midnight on 15 June 2026.

Once sold out, the price will be £145 inc. VAT until 31 July 2026.

Group discounts for five or more tickets are also available.

https://vetled.thinkific.com/courses/vpss2026