Picking your brains

RE: Picking your brains

FINNIGAN — Thu, 01 Sep 2016 20:20:56 GMT

Thanky

RE: Picking your brains

sananbaz — Thu, 01 Sep 2016 17:07:35 GMT

Onwards and upwards

Good luck in your new job x

RE: Picking your brains

FINNIGAN — Thu, 01 Sep 2016 14:15:09 GMT

Think it's awefull, I'm glad I'm leaving there

RE: Picking your brains

sananbaz — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 15:57:22 GMT

This is true that unqualified staff can be delegated these duties by a veterinary surgeon. However, the RCVS state that, in the absence of legal guidance on delegation to unqualified staff, their advice is that only minor medical treatments can be delegated, which CAN include oral medication and subcutaneous injections. The delegating vet must weigh up the individual case and staff member before delegating, and will be held accountable for this decision should complications arise. There is nothing to say that the veterinary surgeon needs to be directly supervising the staff member - it actually uses the phrase "directing veterinary surgeon", which implies that they wouldn't actually need to be present at the time!!

The guidance does identify i/v and i/m injections, placing i/v catheters and urinary catheters as things that should NOT be delegated to an unqualified member of staff.

It does say that clients should, where appropriate, be made aware of procedures that are going to be carried out by non veterinary surgeons, and that people registered with the RCVS (vets and RVN's) are not allowed to refer to unqualified staff as "veterinary nurses".

I'm also wondering if your website says that ooh patients are monitored by veterinary nurses, whether this would be classed as a misrepresentation of services??

Very messy for you, and don't think I'd Iike to have it happen where I work.

I'm hoping the the imminent review of schedule 3 may tighten up on these areas!

RE: Picking your brains

Tania Ford — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 09:00:46 GMT

Yep, unfortunately this is true! Anyone is allowed to work OOH etc, they just have to be under DIRECT supervision, which means a vet or RVN must be on the premises at all times supervising them. She will not be allowed to give medication (oral or injections) unless the vet/nurse is supervising them. There is a whole section about this on the RCVS website and as far as I remember it is under the Schedule 3 section. Unfortunately due to the lack of working RVN's, this is sadly going to be the way of the future. We will be back in the 1980's again when RVN's were pretty much unheard of, unless the training and cost of training changes Hope this helps