Zoetis says the Vetscan OptiCell represents a significant leap forward in technology and offers meaningful time, cost and space savings for veterinary healthcare teams, contributing to better patient outcomes and a more efficient clinic workflow.
It uses cell-focusing and AI-powered classification technology for CBC analysis, delivering a claimed lab quality accuracy at the point of care.
Dr. Richard Goldstein, DVM, DACVIM, DECVIM-CA, Global Chief Medical Officer and Head of Medical Affairs at Zoetis said: “Vetscan OptiCell delivers high-quality results, enables improved efficiency, and provides a compact footprint.
"For the first time, we are able to use advanced AI image recognition technology to characterise the blood cells instead of relying on their size or other physical parameters.”
Pre-orders will be available in the UK later this year.
TVM says DogStem, which is currently the only UK/EU-licensed stem cell treatment for this condition, is clinically proven to reduce pain and lameness while improving mobility and quality of life for dogs over one year.
The training materials include downloadable teaching guides and two videos fronted by Dr Russell Chandler BVSc CertSAO MSc(OrthoEng) MRCVS, an Advanced Practitioner in Small Animal Orthopaedics (pictured).
The videos are designed to help GP vets become more confident about performing intra-articular injections in the hip and elbow, sharing principles and techniques which are also useful for performing arthrocentesis.
Specifically, the videos show the precise procedures, in both elbow and hip, for accessing joint spaces, confirming accurate placement by the appearance of synovial fluid and injecting DogStem.
The training guides offer supporting diagrams and explanations of the approaches to each joint.
Russell, who works at Alphavet Referrals in Newport, Gwent said: “We are proud to have been involved in the production of these training videos, which will support veterinary clinicians everywhere in providing pioneering stem cell treatment to improve the quality of life of dogs suffering from osteoarthritis.
“We have been using mesenchymal stem cell therapy for dogs with osteoarthritis, as part of a multimodal approach, for many years.
"The availability of an off-the-shelf stem cell product, namely DogStem, for the first time promises to greatly widen the applicability of stem cell therapy to these kinds of patients in veterinary practices.
“The early responses to treatment that we have seen with DogStem have been very encouraging.
"I look forward to following up these cases as they progress through their osteoarthritis journey.
"DogStem is simple to administer, once you have the skills to inject joints, and the support from the UK suppliers, TVM, has been excellent."
https://dogstem.co.uk/resources
For the study, 21 owners were interviewed and transcripts thematically analysed.
Owners who reported positive experiences with their vets described the value of comprehensive initial explanations of their dog’s condition, seeing the same veterinary surgeon for each consult, and individual attributes of vets, including current knowledge on epilepsy management and good communication skills.
The authors say these factors are likely to contribute to improved two-way vet-owner communication, owner satisfaction and adherence to care instructions.
The implications of a negative relationship were also highlighted by the study.
Owners’ dissatisfaction with perceived insufficient expertise from their general practice vet (resulting in referrals to specialists), and when referred, poor communication between referral specialists and their primary care vet.
Owners’ pre-existing views and values were identified as drivers of negative experiences including strong dog-owner bonds leading to extremely high expectations for veterinary care.
Another factor was pre-existing distrust and perceived biases of the veterinary pharmaceutical industry.
Owners who had a more negative experience with veterinary surgeons were found to be more likely to perform their own personal research, putting them at higher risk of being influenced by the large amount of misinformation online.
The authors say that vets often report that they find epilepsy challenging to manage, particularly as a high proportion of dogs do not respond sufficiently to available medications.
This study aimed to help provide a better understanding of owners’ wants and needs.
Dr Rowena Packer, Primary supervisor on this study and Lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare Science at the Royal Veterinary College, said: “Epilepsy is a challenging condition to manage for dog owners and veterinary surgeons alike.
"Owners’ emotions often run high due to the trauma of witnessing their beloved dog’s seizure, and the ongoing stresses of caregiving for their dog.
"In tandem, vets can feel frustrated at not always being able to reduce seizures as much as they’d hope.
"Combined, the capacity for disappointment and conflict is high.
“Forging strong, trusting partnerships of care between owners and vets is key to maintaining wellbeing for all three members of the ‘treatment triangle’ – affected dogs, owners and vets."
Amy Pergande, Royal Veterinary College Veterinary graduate who conducted this research as part of her Master of Research degree, said: “Improving availability of reliable information sources for epilepsy management could help veterinary teams to confidently prescribe ’information prescriptions’ that boost owner confidence and help them to feel empowered to contribute more actively in decision-making for their dog, in partnership with their vet.”
Dr Zoe Belshaw, EBVS Recognised Specialist in Small Animal Medicine, of EviVet Evidence-based Medicine Research Consultancy and co-author of the study, said: “Our research suggests owners really value vets taking the time, once the initial shock has receded, to share information, answer questions and signpost to external resources, including peer-to-peer support forums.
"Ensuring that owners feel confident and competent about caring for their dog with epilepsy is likely to benefit the dog, its owners and the veterinary team providing their ongoing care”.
Registration will start at 9am, with the first lecture from 10am.
As usual, abstracts will be presented during the day, and there's an exhibition to visit during breaks and lunch.
Hot ophthalmology topics such as rhytidectomy and facial reconstruction will be discussed, with lectures presented by renowned veterinary and human ophthalmologists.
The day will end with a Q&A session where all lecturers will take part.
There is a reduced price of £90 for vet nurses to attend.
For more information, visit https://bravo.org.uk
For the study, Luisa De Risio, clinical research and excellence director at Linnaeus and a co-investigator, is collaborating with neurology specialists and primary care vets at Linnaeus practices to recruit cases.
Luisa said: “Canine idiopathic epilepsy is a disease that is common in many breeds of dog and can significantly impact the quality of life of both affected dogs and their owners.
"However, there is limited knowledge concerning the role of genetic factors in susceptibility to the disease in most breeds.
“The overarching aim of this large-scale collaborative study is to identify the genetic factors contributing to the risk of developing idiopathic epilepsy as this could help develop tools to lower the incidence of the condition in future generations.
“The study will initially focus on the Border Collie and Italian Spinone, as they can suffer from a particularly severe and life-limiting form of epilepsy, before expanding the study to other breeds in the future.
Dr Sally Ricketts, the geneticist leading the study at the Kennel Club Genetics Centre in the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge, said: “We are very excited about this collaboration, which will facilitate our sample collections to enable study of this debilitating disease.
For more information on the study, visit www.canine-genetics.org.uk/research/epilepsy.
Photo: Sally Ricketts, senior research associate at the Kennel Club Genetics Centre, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge; Luisa De Risio, clinical research and excellence director at Linnaeus and Christopher Jenkins, research assistant at the Kennel Club Genetics Centre, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge.
The roles were confirmed by Buckingham Palace this month as part of a recent review of royal patronages.
RCVS President Dr Sue Paterson FRCVS said: “We are delighted that His Majesty the King is our new Royal Patron, continuing his mother’s support for the veterinary professions.
“We know that His Majesty is a keen advocate for animal health and welfare, the environment and biodiversity, and so his interests align very much with ours in areas such as sustainability, tackling antimicrobial resistance, and in supporting veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses to best meet their professional standards.
British Veterinary Association President Dr. Anna Judson said: “We’re honoured to welcome His Majesty King Charles as our Patron.
"This ongoing royal commitment recognises the vital contribution vets make to animal welfare and their critical role in society, from taking care of the nation’s pets through to ensuring animal welfare in food production, public health and international trade.
"On behalf of our members, we’d like to thank His Majesty for his commitment to BVA, our profession and the work we do.”
For those new to the club, the idea is that every two weeks, we pick an article in Veterinary Practice and invite the author to join us on VetNurse.co.uk, so that you can ask questions and discuss the subject with one another.
As a bonus, you can claim time spent reading or participating in the discussion towards your annual CPD requirement.
Just press the claim CPD button at the top right of the discussion thread.
For this first discussion of 2023, author Shelly Jefferies RVN, NCertPT, a clinical coach with over twenty years experience as a veterinary nurse (and founder of the Facebook group SVN2RVN) will be joining us this week to answer questions about 'Becoming a Cat-friendly Clinic'.
To take part, first read her article here: https://www.veterinary-practice.com/article/becoming-a-cat-friendly-clinic
Then come and join the VetNurse Clinical Article Club and post your questions here: https://www.vetnurse.co.uk/vetnurse-clinical-article-club/
VetNurse.co.uk Editor, Arlo Guthrie said: "I hope lots of you will come and join the club. It really is a great opportunity to learn from experts in a professional, moderated forum, where you can be confident of a friendly welcome."
The survey was sent to all UK veterinary practices on the 25th November with a deadline to respond by the 1st December and received 186 responses, a response rate of 6%.
The survey found that during this period:
Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO, said: “Thank you once again to all the practice staff who took the time to complete this survey, it really is very useful for us to have a clear picture of how coronavirus and its restrictions are affecting day-to-day activities, as it has an impact both on our decision-making and policies, and what we can tell others about the impact on the professions, such as the UK and national governments.
"The overall picture from this survey is that, while for most it is not business as usual, veterinary practices and members of the professions are, to an extent, getting used to the disruption and have plans and policies in place to help mitigate the impact of the mosaic of different restrictions across the UK.
"While there is hope on the horizon with the start of the roll-out of coronavirus vaccines, we will continue to review and keep up-to-date our advice and guidance to ensure that you can practise to the best of your abilities, while keeping safe and within the rules.
“Of course, we also recognise the toll that the pandemic has taken on many people’s mental health and wellbeing, and this is reflected in some of the more concerning statistics around the impact that staff absences can have on the rest of the team.
"We also asked practices what might help them manage from a staff mental health and wellbeing point of view, and will take these suggestions into account when planning further support via our Mind Matters Initiative mental health project. In the meantime, we would like to remind those who are feeling stressed or are in distress that there are sources of help available during these difficult times – these can be found at www.vetmindmatters.org/help-links/help-during-covid-19/.”
The full report of the survey is available to view at www.rcvs.org.uk/publications
The company says it wanted to give vet nurses a chance to kick back and relax with some first-rate comedy talent at the end of what has been an incredibly challenging year.
The Christmas Comedy Cracker is being hosted by stand-up comedian, Rhys James, who regularly appears on Mock the Week and Russell Howard’s Stand Up Central.
The line-up also includes the actress, comedian, ventriloquist and British Comedy Award winner, Nina Conti.
Nina will be joined by special guest comedian, Zoe Lyons, whose TV credits include Mock the Week, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, The Paul O’Grady Show and The Wright Stuff.
The final act is The Noise Next Door, a musical comedy troupe which has performed alongside the likes of Michael McIntyre, Al Murray and Harry Hill.
Jemima Mead, marketing lead at Boehringer Ingelheim said: "There’s no doubt that 2020 has been an incredibly challenging year for the whole profession. We know that COVID-19 has also meant work Christmas celebrations have been cancelled. So, as part of our ongoing support for the profession we are bringing festive cheer direct to the homes of veterinary professionals to help round off the year with first-rate comedy talent and enable them to kick back, relax and hopefully laugh their festive socks off.”
To register for your free place at BI Animal Health’s Christmas Comedy Cracker online event, visit www.christmascomedycracker.co.uk.
This year’s programme includes five live streams running in parallel throughout the conference with clinical research presentations also returning after the Covid-enforced hiatus.
The first plenary lecture will be presented by Pat McCue who will review events that have shaped current practice in equine reproduction before looking at what the future holds.
The second plenary lecture, being delivered by Celia Marr, will look at 'evidence in perinatology'.
David Lloyd, Congress Scientific Programme Chair, said: “Whilst we are sure most delegates will be clamouring to attend the lectures and discussions in Liverpool in person, the programme also includes a virtual stream available live online.
“Also, to help reduce our carbon footprint, we are holding one virtual session concurrently across all lecture theatres.
"Global leaders in the field of infectious disease, imaging, nursing, reproduction and sports medicine and rehabilitation, will present virtually to the lecture hall rather than travelling to the congress.
"This session will have 25 of the “best of the best” speakers, presenting and discussing topics that challenge us in practice.”
Early bird tickets for BEVA Congress are available from 28th February 2022.
Early bird BEVA member prices are £187 for vet nurses for all three days (with concessions available for those on a lower salary).
Virtual tickets are £40 for nurses.
BEVA has a 'peace of mind' bookings policy to reassure those who are concerned that the Covid-19 situation may change between booking their ticket and the event.
For more information, or to book, visit http://www.bevacongress.org/
Lisa first helped-out at the Coventry practice as part of her Duke of Edinburgh’s Award whilst still at school and soon realised that working in a vets was what she wanted to do.
She continued volunteering at Broad Lane until she was old enough to gain a place as a student veterinary nurse.
Then, after qualifying as an RVN, she worked her way up to become Head Veterinary Nurse and later Practice Manager, whilst at the same time growing her family with 3 children.
Practice Principal Elly Pittaway said “Lisa began her career here in 1984 when it was a traditional mixed practice, often assisting the vets on farm visits before rushing back to help with the small animal evening surgery, and attending overnight emergencies as needed.
"The practice has changed hugely over the years, but Lisa remains an absolute lynchpin here.
"One of my first memories, when I’d been qualified as a vet for barely 6 months, is of her helping me and a Student Nurse with a GDV on a Guide Dog out-of-hours on a Monday evening, staying really late, keeping us both calm and getting stuck in as needed.
"That work ethic and devotion to the practice has remained unchanged over the years, and is especially remarkable, given she’s had to put up with me and the other Partners’ various demands for all that time!
"There are so many receptionists, nurses and support staff who owe their careers to Lisa, as she recruited, supported and trained them.
"And there are literally thousands of Coventry pet owners who may not realise it, but who have Lisa to thank for keeping the practice running efficiently and effectively over the years, whatever the weather, through staff shortages and pandemics, always working hard in the background so that the Broad Lane team could make their pets better.”
Congratulations Lisa, and here's to the next 40 years!
https://www.broadlanevets.co.uk
The book highlights some of the ways that action is being taken in the profession to retain and develop female talent, build women’s economic empowerment, support women into leadership, decision-making and business, and create infrastructure that meets the needs of women.
Profiles include Dr Katrin Jahn, who is paving the way for female veterinary professionals in the Middle East and Dr Jyotika Sangle, who works in regulatory affairs in India, where the veterinary profession is not considered to be a career choice for women, and its importance is not well understood.
Also profiled is Perdi Welsh, who is working to enhance career progression options for veterinary nurses, and Samantha Lympany-Tier, who is advocating for the role of veterinary care assistants and patient emotional welfare in clinical practice.
Veterinary Woman editor, Jenny Langridge, said: “When we’re feeling worn down by work pressures it can be difficult to envisage change for the better, but the veterinary professions are bursting with people driving innovation and development in many different ways.
"I hope that our ‘Champions for Change’ eBook will help vet professionals of all types to find inspiration from the stories of the amazing efforts taking place within the sector to drive new thinking and improvements to wellbeing, career prospects, equality and inclusivity.”
https://www.veterinarywoman.co.uk/2024/03/champions-for-change-e-book
The one-hours session: "How do you recommend parasite treatments to your clients?" will be presented by Zoetis Veterinary Consultant Ruth Moxon MVB MRCVS.
Ruth will discuss how to structure advice and how to take the conversation away from the idea of ‘selling’ and towards a confident recommendation based on the pet’s needs.
The course will cover:
Ruth said: “We are aiming for attendees to leave the session feeling confident about discussing recommendations to clients on parasiticides.
"The talk will enable them to comfortably explain the features and benefits of the right parasiticide for that pet and owner in an objective way.”
The course is free to BVNA members.
Non-members are welcome to join the webinar at a cost of £15.00 per ticket.
To book, email: cpd@bvna.co.uk
Photo: BVNA
The FAQs cover everything within the College’s guidance on veterinary medicines, including questions around controlled drugs, their storage, destruction and prescription, supplying medicines under the cascade, and prescriptions in general including topics such as what written information to provide, broach dates, and repeat prescriptions.
Lisa Price, RCVS Head of Standards, said: “Queries about veterinary medicines are some of the most frequent questions that our Standards & Advice Team deal with and we recognise that this is quite a complex and potentially confusing area of practice, with information being contained in a variety of places including the RCVS Codes of Professional Conduct, the Veterinary Medicines Regulations and the Practice Standards Guidance.
“We felt it would be helpful to try and draw much of this information into one place and provide answers to questions applicable to common scenarios that veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses encounter within everyday practice.
“The 17 questions and answers have all been approved by the RCVS Standards Committee and we hope members of the professions find them useful.
"We are also open to feedback and suggestions for further questions to be added to the FAQs and you can contact us on advice@rcvs.org.uk if you have any.”
The full FAQs can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/medicines-faqs
The RCVS Code of Professional Conduct’s chapter of supporting guidance on veterinary medicines can be found at: www.rcvs.org.uk/medicines
James Beaumont, Product Manager at Animalcare, said: “Microchipping is an essential but simple way to safeguard the welfare of the UK’s horses. Animalcare was the first company to offer a microchipping service with its identichip microchips, so we know from first-hand experience that microchipping is the most important step owners can take to ensure that lost, abandoned or stolen animals are quickly identified.
“Ensuring the welfare of their patients is a guiding principle for equine vets and we know that they are working very hard to remind owners of the need to ensure that their animals are microchipped and to then keep their contact details up to date. We hope that they will find our social media toolkit useful and that, between us, we can ensure that as many horses as possible are microchipped in time for the new law coming into force.”
To request your social media toolkit, contact your Animalcare Territory Manager or ring 01904 487687.
The new platform offers video tutorials, podcasts, webinars, scientific studies, blogs and downloadable resources, all designed to ensure users understand how the HT Vista screening device can support their day-to-day work.
Users can also ask for a free one-on-one training call with HT Vista for personalised guidance.
HT Vista’s Managing Director, Liron Levy-Hirsch said: “We’re excited to introduce this new platform for veterinary professionals alongside our latest diagnostic update to the device.
"Our goal with HT Vista Academy is to support users in expanding their expertise, not just in operating the device but also in understanding the technology behind it and learning the best practice of dermal and subcutaneous mass management.
"By offering valuable educational resources and hands-on support, we hope to enhance the overall experience for veterinary teams and, ultimately, the care they provide to their patients.”
The company says the screening device is being widely used in nurse clinics around the world and its academy is suitable for both vets and veterinary nurses.
www.ht-vet.com/academy
The new packaging uses fewer plastic components and a new cardboard box.
Sabrina Jordan, Virbac’s Equine Product Manager said: "The new cardboard component is a substantial step forward making the new packaging more environmentally friendly."
She added: "This new Equimax packaging has a fresh new look and is now available at wholesalers."
The group is being set up to ensure that the College meets its objective of working in the public interest, initially as a 12-month pilot.
Louise Allum, RCVS Council Member and Chair of the Public Advisory Group, said: “Animal owners and keepers play an essential role in supporting animal welfare, and it is therefore not only right, but necessary, that we actively seek to inform the public of our activities and take their opinion into account when making wide-reaching decisions.
“With the profession's help, we are inviting animal owners and keepers from all backgrounds - from companion animal, to equine and farm – to be a part of our Public Advisory Group to help us actively engage with members of the public and to ensure that the veterinary profession continues to meet the needs of clients and animals alike.
"We also hope that, by involving animal owners and keepers in our work, we can improve the ways in which we communicate our messages to veterinary service users."
Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO, added: “Through the Public Advisory Group, we hope to gain greater insight into the experiences and opinions of animal owners and keepers to determine how we can work together to achieve what is essentially, a joint goal.
"We all care deeply about animal health and welfare and should therefore be united in our mission to uphold high standards.
“We are looking for a pool of around 30 individuals, including, but not limited to, owners and keepers of companion animals, and equine and production animals, to join our group.
"We are asking veterinary professionals to help us recruit animal owners and keepers from all walks of life, by kindly sharing information about this initiative with anyone they feel would be an appropriate, enthusiastic and engaged member of the Group.”
For more information on the Public Advisory Group, including terms of reference and how to apply, visit www.rcvs.org.uk/pag or email Lisa Moffatt on l.moffatt@rcvs.org.uk.
The deadline for applications is 7 June 2023.
Led by the RVC’s VetCompass Programme, the study included 1,000 CCL rupture cases and a random selection of 500,000 other dogs without CCL injury.
The research found that the breeds at most risk of CCL rupture, compared with crossbreeds, were Rottweiler (x 3.66 times risk), Bichon Frise (x 2.09), West Highland White Terrier (x 1.80) and Golden Retriever (x 1.69).
Conversely, the breeds with the lowest risk were Cockapoo (x 0.26), Chihuahua (x 0.31), Shih-tzu (x 0.41) and German Shepherd Dog (x 0.43).
Additional findings included:
The study also showed that insured dogs and dogs weighing over 20 kg were more likely to receive surgical management, while dogs older than 9 years and those with another major clinical problem at the time of diagnosis with CCL rupture were less likely to receive surgical management.
Camilla Pegram, VetCompass PhD student at the RVC and lead author of the paper, said: “This study has used the power of “big data” to robustly address the risk factors for cruciate ligament rupture diagnosis and management in dogs.
"The factors affecting the decision to surgically or non-surgically treat dogs with cruciate rupture are now clearer, with future work underway to address the clinical outcomes of this decision.”
Dr Dan O’Neill, Associate Professor in Companion Animal Epidemiology at the RVC and co-author of the paper, said: “After centuries of reshaping by mankind, dogs now come in over 800 distinct and recognisable breeds that each has its own unique pattern of health and disease.
"This new study helps owners of breeds such as Rottweiler, Bichon Frise and West Highland White Terrier to understand that sudden lameness in a hindleg could indicate a ruptured cruciate ligament that needs urgent veterinary care.”
It will compare current prescription levels with two-year retrospective data to gain an understanding of prescribing behaviour.
It will also look at the proportion of prescriptions that are Highest Priority Critically Important Antimicrobials (HPCIAs).
Individual practice data will then be given to a dedicated AMS representative at each surgery who will be responsible for sharing it with their team - to gain an understanding of their prescribing for these conditions and to review actions which can be taken at practice level.
CPD on antimicrobial stewardship will be given to all practices to encourage responsible antimicrobial usage.
The research project will then capture ongoing data - from August 2024 until July 2025 - to show changes in antimicrobial prescribing.
The research is expected to provide an opportunity to build upon ongoing veterinary antimicrobial stewardship strategies.
This could include: using diagnostics to ensure accurate diagnoses and appropriate treatment plans, informing a change in prescribing behaviour, selecting antimicrobials responsibly, educating pet owners on antimicrobial resistance and using evidence-based guidance.
The clinical research project is being run by Kezia Wareham, Doctor of Philosophy student at Bristol Veterinary School (supervised by Dr Fernando Sanchez-Vizcaino, Dr Emi Barker, Dr Nicola Rooney and Dr Irene Bueno Padilla) and Deb Komianos, Regional Clinical Lead at CVS.
Deb said: “Antimicrobial resistance is one of the top ten global health threats and the figures projected by the WHO for attributable deaths are truly startling.
"To address the development of drug-resistant pathogens requires a One Health approach.
"It is not enough to pay lip service to AMS, we need to be leading the change."
Willows' Head of Imaging Andrew Parry, an RCVS and European Specialist in Diagnostic Imaging (pictured on the left with Clinical Director, Toby Gemmill), said: "There are very few veterinary hospitals anywhere in the country which would have the case-load or the complexity of cases to justify such a sizeable investment. Additionally, this magnet will bring multiple opportunities for clinical research which could ultimately lead to improvements in animal health."
Andrew added: “To my knowledge, we are the only centre in the UK that has fully replaced a high-field magnet MRI with a complete new solution.
"This is very unusual as scanners tend to be upgraded from a high field to higher field, rather than replaced altogether.
"However, our aim wasn’t to purely upgrade the equipment, it was to have access to the best diagnostic imaging equipment available, in order to ensure high quality images are obtained and interpreted, providing the most accurate and rapid diagnosis for our patients. This can make a significant difference to the level of care we are able to provide for pets."
For more information, visit: willows.uk.net
The awards recognise individuals and teams who drive continuous improvements for better outcomes for patients, better service provision to clients, an improved business or environmental case, or better working conditions for the team. In addition, applicants will be assessed on their passion for QI, and for encouraging and championing QI.
Applications are invited from anyone who works within the veterinary industry or veterinary education, including educators and learners from under- and post-graduate education and everyone working in a practice setting, including the administration team, veterinary nurses, practice managers and surgeons at all levels.
Individuals can nominate themselves, their team, or their colleagues.
Louise Northway RVN and RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Clinical Lead (pictured right), said: “QI has completely changed the way I approach my role as clinical lead RVN in practice. It has provided me with helpful tools to help me measure how we are doing and guidance on improving areas that require further work.
“QI is a continuous, reflective process that stops you doing things the way they’ve always been done and enables you to review the systems, measure the outcomes and consider how things can be improved for the benefit of your patients and team.
“I encourage anyone who is passionate about implementing QI to apply for the 2022 Knowledge Awards, or nominate a colleague who is championing QI in your workplace.”
Winners will be named ‘Knowledge Champions’ or ‘Champion Practices’ and receive a £250 prize, tickets to the awards ceremony and the chance to work with RCVS Knowledge to continue promoting their Quality Improvement work.
The winners of the 2021 Knowledge Awards were recognised for a range of QI initiatives:
The deadline for nominating colleagues is 18 October 2021, and the deadline for applications (whether you have applied directly or have been nominated) is 4 December 2021. Winners will be announced in early 2022.
For more information, visit: www.rcvsknowledge.org/KnowledgeAwards/
The VetDebt Recovery Compass tool provides a way for practices to understand how outstanding payments affect their cash flow and practice value, and what steps to take next.
Mike Brooks, Chairman at DSL UK (pictured), said: “The VetDebt Recovery Compass offers a quick and easy way to see the true financial impact of unpaid debt.
"By making this information free and accessible to everyone, we hope to empower veterinary teams to take control of their finances.
DSL says that the new tool, which is available at www.dsluk.net, allows practices to see both the immediate recovery potential and the long-term value impact of their debts in less than 30 seconds.
The calculator also provides a species-specific breakdown, helping to identify where debt issues may be most significant and where to target first.
Mike has also appeared on the Federation of Independent Veterinary Practices (FIVP) Practice Matters Podcast, discussing how practices can better manage the topic of debt: https://fivp.org.uk/ep023-fivp-practice-matters-at-spvs-the-farm-vet-journey-practice-debt.
The films, which include information and practical advice based on the pillars of lifestyle medicine and the neuropsychology of hormones, are aimed both at individuals who are directly affected and those who want to support them.
Wellvet co-founder Liz Barton MRCVS said: “We now know that nearly half of veterinary team members experience a moderate-severe impact of perimenopause symptoms on their mental health, and a third report a significant impact on their working life and career."
Dr. Claire Gillvray, GP, Lifestyle Medicine specialist and psychiatrist with a special interest in women’s health, who introduces the films, said: “While we tend to focus on the individual, we all have friends, family, colleagues and clients who will experience symptoms impacting their mental and physical health and relationships.
"Although some women transition through the menopause with no problems, many women suffer a multiplicity of debilitating symptoms.
"These symptoms can be devastating and the medical advice they receive can be extremely variable, with some doctors dismissing perimenopause.
"Though onset can be earlier, symptoms typically occur between the ages of 40-60 years and can last for a decade or more, and there can be severe health impacts including cardiovascular, neurological and orthopaedic disease."
“These videos will empower individuals to take control of their symptom monitoring, have meaningful conversations with medical professionals, and trial lifestyle adjustments that may improve their health and wellbeing.”
The first instalment of nine 5-30 minute bitesize videos are accessible now on the WellVet website: https://www.wellvet.co.uk/resources/menopause-resources-for-veterinary-teams/.
Of particular note is the guidance that prescriptions should no longer be written in mg/kg, as it may lead to errors when the dose is calculated.
The Standards and Advice update also answers questions about:
https://www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-views/features/prescribing-pom-vs-joint-guidance-from-the-rcvs-and-vmd/