NVS Group is launching the Big Chill, a new initiative to promote wellbeing in the veterinary workplace.

As part of the campaign, vet nurses are invited to share their top tips for maintaining a calm workplace for staff and patients at: https://www.nvsweb.co.uk/products/big-chill.

Veterinary professionals are being asked to share their top tips in two areas.

Firstly, how they prioritise self-care for themselves and teammates, and secondly, how they best deal with nervous, stressed or anxious patients.

All respondents will be entered into a prize draw for a VetYogi practice subscription.

Gemma Vardy, Senior Category Specialist at NVS Group, said: “Mental health and wellbeing have never been more important within the veterinary industry which is why our dedicated Big Chill campaign supports the wellbeing and mental health of veterinary professionals while also shining a light on animal calming products, such as our select healthcare calming chews, which help support calm and enhance patient experiences.”

https://www.nvsweb.co.uk/products/big-chill 

Warwick John Seymour-Hamilton, a former veterinary surgeon who was struck off 27 years ago, has had his ninth application to be restored to the Register rejected on the basis that he would pose a risk to animal welfare if he were to practise as a veterinary surgeon.

Mr Seymour-Hamilton made previous unsuccessful applications for restoration in 1995, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Mr Seymour-Hamilton was originally removed from the Register in 1994 following an inspection of his veterinary practice premises in Orpington, Kent, that found that the condition of the practice, including the equipment and facilities, were of such a risk to animal health and welfare that it brought the profession into disrepute.

In considering his current application, the Committee had to take several factors into account, including: whether Mr Seymour-Hamilton had accepted the findings of his original hearing; whether he demonstrated insight into his past conduct; protection of the public and the public interest; the future welfare of animals committed to his care should he be restored; length of time off the Register; his conduct since removal; and evidence that he’d kept up-to-date in terms of the knowledge and skills required of a practising veterinary surgeon.

Mr Seymour-Hamilton accepted the facts of the original charges but did not accept the conclusions of the two veterinary surgeons who inspected his practice, who, he claimed, had falsely accused him.

As a result, the Committee concluded that Mr Seymour-Hamilton did not accept the seriousness of the original findings against him, nor had he demonstrated any insight into either the original charges, nor what was required of him to enable a successful application for restoration.

Judith Webb, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “The Committee is driven to the conclusion that the applicant has displayed total disregard for rules and regulations. In his evidence he stated that he is professionally competent to spay a cat  and  he had done so in Calais. This was in recent years and whilst struck off by the RCVS, and after more than 25 years out of the profession. He was unable to see that he had done anything wrong in this.”

As to protection of the public and the future welfare of animals committed to his care, the Committee found that Mr Seymour-Hamilton continued to display a lack of understanding of the role and purpose of regulation. He had shown no insight into previous decisions or of what was required of him to enable a successful restoration, despite being given advice in that regard. He presented no compelling evidence to indicate that he would be safe to practise veterinary surgery were he to be restored to the Register.  

Regarding Mr Seymour-Hamilton’s conduct since removal from the Register, the Committee found he did not demonstrate sufficient relevant conduct in relation to his fitness to practise. The Committee noted that, on previous occasions, he had indicated he had illegally practised veterinary surgery and admitted using his own animals to experimentally administer new and untested remedies.

The Committee found that, in relation to the 27 years since removal from the Register, Mr Seymour-Hamilton had not undertaken the prolonged, intensive and formal retraining needed to ensure he was now fit to practise. It also found that, since the last restoration hearing in 2020, Mr Seymour-Hamilton had undertaken very little continuing professional development, maintaining that he was too busy with his work relating to herbal remedies to attend formal veterinary training.

Judith Webb added: “He claimed that he does not find it difficult to keep up-to-date, because he is able to perform online searches if he is in need of information. He thinks that he is competent to operate even after 27 years out of the profession, and maintains that he could operate now. In the view of the Committee, the applicant is totally unaware of current veterinary principles such as it being an evidence-based profession, use of clinical audit and reflective learning. He does not appear to have accepted the purpose of the regulator in protecting public interest, including maintaining public confidence in the profession, nor its role in upholding professional standards and promoting animal welfare. 

The Committee considers that where some 27 years have passed since the applicant has practised, there will inevitably be a serious risk to the welfare of animals if he is restored to the Register. In addition, the Committee is firmly of the opinion that it would not be in the public interest for the application for restoration to the RCVS Register to be granted in this case.”

The full documentation from the restoration hearing can be found at: www.rcvs.org.uk/disciplinary

International Cat Care, the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM), the British Small Animal Veterinary Association and a further eight cat charities and welfare groups have contacted Universal Pictures to express their disapproval of the starring role given to a Scottish Fold cat in the studio's forthcoming blockbuster, Argylle, which is coming out on 2nd February.

The Scottish Fold is bred for a cartilage abnormality which gives them their distinctive folded ears.

However, that same cartilage abnormality affects their joints, meaning that they go on to develop painful arthritis, even from a young age.

The charities say the impact of using this breed in a Hollywood film cannot be overstated and is likely to significantly increase their popularity with potential cat owners. 

Nathalie Dowgray, Head of ISFM, said: “International Cat Care (iCatCare) and its veterinary division, the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM), believe that it is simply unethical to continue to breed cats with a genetic mutation that is known to cause significant painful disease – the rationale for breeding these cats was purely for traits considered attractive to humans, as some people believe the folded ears look appealing.

"This is an unnatural appearance for a cat, and the underlying genetic defect has far-reaching and severe consequences for the health of the cat.

"Health should always be more important than looks.”

The trailer for the film also shows a cat travelling in a backpack and subjected to rough handling, including being picked up by the scruff and thrown from a building.

ISFM says that although these scenes have been created using digital animation, the organisations share concerns that suggesting these interactions with cats are acceptable or entertaining may have a negative impact on the welfare of cats. 

Sarah Ellis, Head of Cat Mental Wellbeing and Behaviour at International Cat Care, said: “Scruffing a cat is an unacceptable form of restraint that can cause a cat considerable discomfort, fear and even pain, as the weight of its body is completely unsupported, and the cat cannot escape the pressure from its skin being grasped.

"Backpacks are not a cat friendly way to transport a cat; they can leave a cat cramped, without enough ventilation, struggling to control body temperature, and uncomfortable due to the unpredictable movement from being worn on a person’s back.

"Backpacks are simply not cat friendly - they do not respect the cat as a species and run the risk of psychological and physical suffering to the cat.”

The organisations have contacted Universal Pictures, asking them to adopt Cat Friendly Principles in future, and not to promote cat breeds with extreme features in future.

Congratulations to Kent-based Pennard Vets, an employee-owned, seven-practice group which has become the first veterinary practice in Europe to become B Corp certified.

Certified B Corps are companies that meet exceptionally high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.

The process examines a company’s full range of processes, from supply chain to charitable giving and employee benefits.

Other well-known names that have achieved B Corp status include Patagonia, The Body Shop, BrewDog, TOMS, Ben and Jerry’s and Innocent Drinks.

Dr Caroline Collins, from Pennard Vets, said: “We’re extremely proud to achieve B Corp status and there’s no doubt that it will be transformational for the business, in the same way that becoming an employment ownership trust has been.

"Being employee owned and socially minded is a huge draw for vets and nurses seeking a change in their career, who want to be part of an organisation where they can have a real say in the running of the practice and make a tangible difference to the environment.

“It also means that we can now make very long-term decisions, that could even take several decades to pay off, which would be very difficult to do in a traditional shareholder business, and that gives our team the authority to always do the right thing.”

Veterinary Woman is running a campaign to put challenging health topics on the agenda throughout October and into November.

The campaign comprises of a series of live interviews, articles and surveys aimed at exploring the impact of breast cancer, menopause, infertility and baby loss women, and men, and how the veterinary profession can better support people having to cope with these issues in the workplace.

The campaign includes free access articles and live online sessions with VetYourBreasts campaign organiser, veterinary surgeon Anna Beber, as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month; VetMINDS co-founder, vet Nat Scroggie, on 12^th October during Baby Loss Awareness Week; Dr Karen Morton, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist on World Menopause Day 18^th October; and SPVS Senior Vice President, Catriona Curtis, talking about her personal experiences with infertility on 2^nd November during National Fertility Week.

A survey on the impact of the menopause, particularly on working life, is being run in partnership with SPVS in the run up to World Menopause Day. The survey seeks to gain a broad understanding of both awareness and experience across the profession, and responses are encouraged from all ages and genders, whether personally affected or not. The survey can be accessed here until 15^th October: https://bit.ly/2FVXIkv

SPVS President, Anna Judson, said: "Having experienced the effects of the menopause working as a practice owner, I wish I had known more about the impact and that I was not alone in how I was feeling. There is a growing appetite to tackle these issues and we want to hear from anyone affected by the menopause, in order to put the right support mechanisms in place. We're proud to sponsor the menopause webinar and partner with Veterinary Woman on raising awareness about health issues, which are often brushed under the carpet."

Liz Barton, editor of Veterinary Woman, said: "I have been incredibly moved to see the deep empathy and encouragement amongst veterinary colleagues beginning to open up about the impact of health challenges, particularly at work. When I realised the campaigns in October were topics we need to talk about more as a profession, it seemed right to use this as a platform to tackle some of the hidden, emotive health challenges we bear throughout our life and work. We are looking for partners to help us develop the conversations and practical assistance for individuals and practices, to better support those who are silently living with these burdens."

Companies and organisations wishing to support the work should contact liz@veterinarywoman.co.uk. Individuals can register for updates about how to access the sessions by joining the Veterinary Woman email list for updates (www.veterinarywoman.co.uk), or following Veterinary Woman on social media.

Canine Arthritis Management has announced the launch of a new training course for canine professionals, designed to help educate influencers. 

The CAMadvocate course (http://www.cameducation.co.uk), which is delivered online, consists of 10 modules with video presentations, course notes, downloads, owner-focused tools, further online learning, and social media uploads.

The course is designed to help canine professionals improve their understanding of canine arthritis, and to define their role in the identification, diagnosis, and management of the condition.

Hannah Capon MRCVS, the founder of Canine Arthritis Management said: "Dog walkers, groomers, trainers, kennel owners, etc., are all influencers! They have the ability to support a long-term veterinary-derived management plan. Or they have the ability to destabilise it!

"Owners listen to these people because they have more available time; they may appear less like a business and more like a friendly service or even a peer; or they may offer advice that seems more convincing. Whatever the reason, we should harness their powers and ensure they are disseminating reliable information whilst servicing their own needs!"

Canine Arthritis Management believes that a multidisciplinary team is required to better manage this disease, that this includes professionals outside the veterinary practice, and by harnessing their influence, the profession can educate more owners, identify this disease earlier, action appropriate management plans and give owners more years with their pets.

Hannah added: "I hope the profession will support this initiative and consider applying it to other chronic diseases that are prone to misinformation due to lucrative product sales."

Comment
A training course / qualification developed by a veterinary surgeon and designed to educate influencers. It's genius. Surely there's huge scope for this kind of initiative beyond canine arthritis? What do you think pet owners are most ill-informed about, where it could be really effective to better educate canine influencers, so that they in turn will pass it on. Post your thoughts here. 

The Veterinary Osteoarthritis Alliance (VOA), in association with Nupsala and The Veterinary Edge, will be holding the first veterinary osteoarthritis congress (VOACON) at the Grand Hotel, Leicester, on 24th and 25th May.

Bringing together people working at the cutting edge of small animal and equine osteoarthritis treatment with the companies driving technology, supplies and services, the Veterinary Osteoarthritis Congress is open to both VOA members and non-members, including veterinary surgeons, nurses, physiotherapists and others engaged in hydrotherapy and rehabilitation.

Day 1 has two small animal streams – session headings include ‘Managing OA’ and ‘Dealing with chronic pain’; and an equine stream looking at ‘Multidisciplinary management of OA’, ‘OA treatment options’ and ‘Unusual presentations’.

On day 2, ‘Biomodulation in OA’, ‘Working dogs’, ‘Mobility clinic’, and ‘Feline OA focus’ will run alongside sessions on ‘Rehab in action’, ‘Surgery in OA’ and ‘Dietary supplements’.

There’ll also be case presentations and interactive sessions on both days, with demonstrations and lectures from some of the leading firms.

Seven sessions in each stream offers two days of CPD.

After the first day’s sessions there’ll be a happy hour followed by a gala dinner in the Kings Hall. The event is being sponsored by Animalcare (Platinum), TVM UK and the Canine Hydrotherapy Association (Gold) with more to be announced soon.

Professor Stuart Carmichael, co-founder and director of the VOA, said: “Exciting developments are happening in veterinary OA, so we felt now is the right time to put this event on.

"There’s nothing specialist about osteoarthritis treatment and management: every small animal and equine practice deals with OA every day.

“There’s a real need and enthusiasm for bringing the latest thinking to as wide an audience as possible, so VOACON offers sessions for all members of the practice, whatever their interest is, along with rehab and physio teams.

"It’s actually been pretty difficult fitting everything in, but we’re confident we’ve got a great programme offering real, practical CPD that will benefit practices, their clients and their patients.”

Delegate rates for VOA members are:

• Veterinary surgeon: two days £250; one day £140
• Veterinary nurse/physio: two days £160; one day £90

Non-members (who can join the VOA when booking to qualify for members’ rates):

• Veterinary surgeon: two days £310; one day £170
• Veterinary nurse/physio: two days £210; one day £125

Rates include a hot buffet lunch, congress book and CPD certification.

To book or to download the programme, visit www.vet-oa.com/voacon.

CVS has launched a new ‘Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for All’ course and is offering it to all veterinary practices in the UK.

Believed to be the first course of its type produced specifically for the veterinary sector, it aims to help educate colleagues about the subject of Equity Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and is relevant to anyone working in the veterinary community, including non-clinical staff.

The course looks at how to create a more inclusive environment for colleagues and clients.

It also covers definitions of diversity and inclusion, and investigates the difference between equity and equality - and why it is so important.

Course learning materials also consider the topics of bias, prejudice, protected characteristics and discrimination - and how colleagues might challenge any non-inclusive behaviours through interactive veterinary context scenarios. 

Nimisha Patel-Cook and Claire Dennison, Learning Partner and Employee Experience Lead at CVS, who jointly developed the course, said: “We want to increase the levels of diversity within the veterinary community, but to achieve and sustain more diverse workforces we know we need to foster inclusive and equitable workplaces. 

"Everyone plays a part in that.

“So we have created this new course and are making it available to any colleague working the veterinary community.

"In time we hope that it contributes to an inclusive and psychologically safe culture for all within the sector.”

The course is available at https://knowledgehub.cvsukltd.co.uk. 

The RCVS has set up a new Working Party tasked with increasing disabled people's access to the veterinary profession.

The aim of the Working Party is to compare options, such as limited licensure, for increasing inclusion, source evidence both from the UK and other countries, and to identify any potential unintended consequences of change.

The College says that it is inviting representatives from the Association of Veterinary Students (AVS), British Veterinary Association (BVA), British Veterinary Chronic Illness Support (BVCIS), the British Veterinary Nurses Association (BVNA) and Veterinary Schools Council (VSC) to join the Working Party.

Sue Paterson will be Chairing the Working Party.

She said: “The formation of this new Working Party is a significant and very welcome step in helping to make the veterinary professions more accessible for people with a disability.

"Fellow members of the Working Party include a broad range of colleagues, students and veterinary bodies, to ensure we take into account as many perspectives as possible when we propose recommendations.

"We recognise that many organisations have already begun to explore what we could do to make the veterinary professions more accessible, and we are keen to work collaboratively with them to ensure we keep up the momentum on this vital work.

"The Working Party will endeavour to find a way that those wishing to undertake a veterinary degree or a veterinary nursing qualification in the UK are not faced with barriers due to disability."

For more information, contact Rosie Greaves, Policy and Public Affairs Officer: r.greaves@rcvs.org.uk 

The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) has issued a consensus statement which sets new global standards for how primary care and practitioners should treat seizure patients.

The new directive, set out in a consensus statement led by neurologist Dr Marios Charalambous, Neurology Consultant at Blaise Veterinary Referral Hospital, champions a stage-based and prompt approach which targets the abnormal impediments responsible for sustaining seizure activity and establishing refractory stages.

Marios said: "This consensus statement is the culmination of extensive research and experience in managing complex neurological emergencies.

"By formulating clear and universally applicable guidelines for all vets, it presents both a novel perspective in terms of how seizures should be treated, and a huge step forward in this specific field."

Marios was joined by a panel of clinicians including Karen Muñana, Ned E. Patterson, Simon R. Platt, and Holger A. Volk, who have jointly made these recommendations based on prevailing evidence in peer-reviewed literature, as well as their own extensive clinical experience.

It was then validated by the ACVIM Board-Certified Specialists before being distributed globally by ACVIM to form official guidelines for vets across the world.

Marios will be presenting and discussing his findings at the BSAVA Congress 2024 in Manchester this weekend as part of the neurology agenda on Saturday 23 March 2024.

Dan Lewis, National ECC Lead at IVC Evidensia, said: “Being presented with an actively seizing animal can be incredibly stressful for owners and clinicians and has potentially dire consequences.

"Decision-making under such circumstances is often very difficult, even for the most knowledgeable teams, and access to these straightforward treatment guidelines will make a massive difference to how these cases progress.”

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvim.16928.

VETcpd is holding its annual CPD Congress, the largest of very few CPD events held in the south-west, on 25th and 26th September at Sandy Park Conference Centre, Exeter.

There are two main streams – veterinary and nursing – alongside which there will be a number of workshops on dentistry, ophthalmology, electrosurgery and wound management

Speakers will include: Alasdair Hotston Moore, Matthew Oxford, David Williams, Sarah Heath and Molly Varga.

New for this year, there will be a separate two-day SPVS Leadership & Management programme (at extra charge) and interactive mental health sessions run by Vets in Mind.

There will also be sessions run by SCAS/Our Special Friends on 'the bond-centred practice'.

There's a commercial exhibition, a happy hour on day one, a hot buffet lunch, and tea, coffee and biscuits throughout both days.

For overnight accommodation, the organisers have secured a preferential rate (£125) at the on-site hotel – the Courtyard by Marriott – that includes breakfast and parking.

To book, use this link: https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1709042444468&key=GRP&app=resvlink. There are lots of other options nearby.

Book directly at https://form.jotform.com/240863511432349.

To be invoiced rather than pay now, apply INVOICEME at checkout. 

www.vetcpdcongress.co.uk.

VetNurse.co.uk has been upgraded and refreshed to offer veterinary nurses a new and more professional but also more fun and rewarding way to share clinical information, knowledge and experience. 

Probably the most noticeable part of the upgrade is the work we've done to make the site more mobile-phone friendly. But there are also a load of new features, including leaderboards so the most active contributors to the site can be rewarded, a group-based structure so that members can focus on their area of interest, more options for sharing content with colleagues and a brand new format designed especially for veterinary professionals, called the VetNurse Expert Help Forums. Mobile and desktop notifications of new content are also in the pipeline. 

All of this builds on VetNurse.co.uk's existing strengths: providing the most popular job board for the veterinary nursing profession (made free of charge to support the profession during the pandemic) and the latest veterinary nursing news. 

But it's the VetNurse Expert Help Forums we're most excited about, as they overcome the problems involved with discussing clinical issues on Facebook. The biggest of these is that Facebook gives everyone's opinion equivalence. In other words, it matters not whether you're the country's leading expert in something, or someone who really doesn't know what they are talking about, your post and your opinion is given the same level of prominence. That is fundamentally misleading.

Other problems inherent in Facebook are the fact that good quality replies get drowned in a sea of 'me too' responses, information is poorly curated, there is a lack of transparency because Facebook is not designed to highlight your professional qualifications, and experts get little or no recognition or reward for giving up their time and sharing their knowledge. 

The VetNurse Expert Help Forums are designed to overcome all these issues. The concept is simple. Any veterinary nurse can come and ask a clinical question about any of thirteen nursing disciplines. But ONLY veterinary nurses and others who have advanced qualifications or experience can reply. When they do, you can verify their post as answering your question, which awards them points on a leaderboard and allows them to display a logo and contact details in their post (so they get recognition for their business or their employer). 

What's more, both the person asking the question and the expert can claim the time spent towards their annual CPD requirement. Just press the 'Claim CPD' link at the top of the page and collect your certificate from the CPD section of your profile.

In due course, there will also be prizes for the most helpful experts and the best questions. 

The system is already up and running on VetSurgeon.org, where it has proven very popular because it means members can ask questions without fear of having their question savaged, and know that the answers have come from people with advanced qualifications displayed in their profiles.

The VetNurse Expert Help Forums will be rolled out discipline-by-discipline in the coming weeks. We're currently looking for more nurses to become VetNurse Experts, so if you're interested, email: support@vetnurse.co.uk. The minimum requirements for being an expert are an advanced qualification and/or at least 10 years experience in a given field. 

If you are a teacher at veterinary nursing college or a training practice, being VetNurse Expert is a great way to promote your courses or recruit new staff. Likewise if you are a nurse working in industry, it's a good way to highlight your employer's products or services. And finally, if you offer your own services, like referrals or locuming, it's a great way to promote those too. 

Finally, we'll also be offering prizes for nurses who contribute to the normal discussion forums on VetNurse.co.uk. So come and get talking in the forums ... and get your name on the new leaderboard early! 

Photo: VetNurse Publishing Editor Arlo Guthrie (Sorry, I couldn't think of anything else to illustrate the story with!)