The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has set up a new Veterinary Legislation Group to consider proposals for changes in veterinary regulation, in the light of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee's inquiry into the current Veterinary Surgeons Act, and the Government's response to the EFRA Committee's report. 

The new group, which will be chaired by RCVS Council Member and Dean of Glasgow Veterinary School, Professor Stuart Reid, will be tasked with taking a fresh look at changes that need to be made to the current legislative framework, and how these might be accomplished. It will not restrict itself to looking at a replacement for the Veterinary Surgeons Act, but will consider other ways that changes can be made in the short- and long-term.

The Group will meet in September, and comprise RCVS Council members and non-members - both lay people and veterinary surgeons. Once the RCVS position has been clarified, further discussion will follow with DEFRA, the BVA and the profession. 

Responding to the Government's response to the EFRA Committee report, RCVS President Jill Nute said: "We welcome the fact that DEFRA is willing to consider any detailed proposals that might come forward from the profession, although we accept that DEFRA itself does not have time or resources to be proactive at this stage. 

"We are also pleased that Government acknowledges that the veterinary nursing profession has come of age and that the time is right for the regulation of veterinary nurses to be taken forward, although again it is disappointing that DEFRA does not have the resources to progress this at present.

"Finally, we welcome the suggestion that the Presidents of the BVA and the RCVS meet with the Chief Veterinary Officer to discuss plans and to what extent DEFRA can help us - accepting the fact that DEFRA, like the RCVS, feels that a piecemeal approach may not be the most effective," she concluded.

The RCVS has launched a research project into the extent to which veterinary surgeons are able to meet its requirement that steps are taken to provide 24-hour emergency cover.

The College's 24-hour Emergency Cover Working Party (24-7 WP) has been considering the ongoing practicality of the current requirement in the Guide to Professional Conduct, and whether it should remain, be removed, or be amended in some way. The research aims to build a sound evidence base on which a decision can be made.

"Changes in practice profiles and owner demands, health and safety issues, the desire for an improved work-life balance, veterinary and animal density... all these factors affect the ability of veterinary practitioners to meet our 24-7 requirement. The Working Time Regulations - which prescribe maximum working hours and minimum rest periods - have also affected practices' ability to run out-of-hours services," according to RCVS President Jill Nute. 

"However, we are frequently reminded by members that the profession is proud to offer a 24-hour emergency service to animals and their owners. There seems to be no single majority view in the profession, so we need to understand exactly how people are meeting the requirement before any changes are made," she says.

To ensure that the research is independent and representative, the RCVS has contracted a specialist market research agency, Cognition Market Intelligence.

The first step is to build a robust and unbiased questionnaire that takes account of all of the issues. To this end, in-depth interviews will be carried out over summer with a small number of veterinary surgeons from a range of different practice types, and across different gender/age/role categories.

The 24-7 WP will then meet in September to hear the findings and agree the questionnaire, which Cognition Marketing Intelligence will then use during autumn as part of a quantitative phone interview exercise with 440 veterinary surgeons, again covering a spread of individuals, practice types and geographies. The phone interview approach will ensure that the views of a range of different practitioners are heard, which is not always the case with a paper survey.

Should changes to the Guide to Professional Conduct be recommended by the Working Party on the basis of the findings, a consultation exercise may be undertaken. 

The RCVS President has sent a letter to all home-practising members to explain the activities. She has urged veterinary surgeons to assist the research team, saying "your contribution will make a difference".

Mrs Jill Nute has been invested as president of the RCVS at the AGM and Awards Day, held on 4th July in London.

Mrs Nute graduated from Liverpool University in 1970 and initially assisted in mixed practice in the Lake District, Droitwich and Leominster. In 1976, she established a mixed practice with her husband Geoff, a fellow Liverpool graduate, in Wadebridge, Cornwall. 

The practice is now an eight-veterinary surgeon concern, a veterinary nurse Training Practice, an RCVS Accredited Tier 2 Small Animal General Practice and Farm Animal General Practice, and an equine practice accredited to Tier 1; it is also a Meat Hygiene Service approved contractor. 

Mrs Nute has been an RCVS Council member since 1993, serving on all of its committees. She has chaired many of these committees and additional working parties, including the Advisory and Public Affairs Committees. She served on the Officer team as Treasurer for three years, from 1996-1999, and is currently Chairman of the Practice Standards Group. Spending several years on the Councils of the British Veterinary Association and the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS), she was elected President of SPVS in 1991.

RCVS Day also brought other changes to the RCVS Officer team: Dr Bob Moore, outgoing President, became Senior Vice-President, and Professor Sandy Trees took up the role of Junior Vice-President. 

Professor Sheila Crispin stood down as Senior Vice-President, with Dr Moore commenting that: “The veterinary profession is privileged to have such a knowledgeable and committed advocate.”

Retiring Council members included David McDowell, Debby Reynolds, Neil Smith and Wendy Harrison. New lay observer to the Preliminary Investigation Committee, Catherine Harvey, will replace retiring observer Diane Mark. The President paid particular tribute to long-standing Council member and past-President Stephen Ware, who retires from Council but will remain active in veterinary politics as Vice-President and Treasurer of the Federation of Veterinarians in Europe, he also remains Chairman of the RCVS Trust. 

As part of the AGM, newly-elected Council members Richard Stephenson, Charles Gruchy and Bertie Ellis were welcomed. A fourth new member, Catherine Goldie, was not present. It was also announced that Professor Michael Herrtage and Professor Duncan Maskell have been reappointed for further four-year periods by the University of Cambridge, and Professor Sandy Tress has been reappointed for the same term by the University of Liverpool.

Dot Creighton was re-elected to the Veterinary Nurses Council and Katherine Kissick was elected for the first time. New lay member Penelope Swindlehurst and appointed veterinary surgeon Helen Torrington were also welcomed to the VN Council and the President thanked retiring VN Council members Diane Guinan, Donna Hunter and Neil Smith.

President Dr Bob Moore conferred a range of awards, including an Honorary Associateship upon Petplan and Petplan Trust founders Mrs Patsy Bloom and Mr David Simpson who, he said, have had a “remarkable effect on the veterinary profession, animals and their owners.” 

Honorary Associateship was also awarded to Mr Geoff Davies, who has dedicated his 30-year career at the University of Bristol Veterinary School to the training, support and development of future veterinary surgeons. He has also served as a valued member of the RCVS Extra-Mural Studies Committee for many years. “It is his enormous contribution in supporting and encouraging the students that is being recognised today,”
said Dr Moore. 

Honorary Fellowships were awarded to Mr Gary Clayton Jones, Professor Paul Flecknell and Dr Christine Gibbs, and the Dame Olga Uvarov Award, a cash prize for a researcher under the age of 40, was awarded on behalf of the RCVS Trust to Dr Harriet Smythe (in her absence)

A report published by the Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs committee this week has concluded that The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 is in need of updating. However, lack of available budget in the current Comprehensive Spending Review period means that further work on a White Paper won't happen till 2011 at the earliest.

In particular, the report found consensus within the profession that the disciplinary procedure is in urgent need of updating. However, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons does not have majority support for its proposals on compulsory practice standards and compulsory continuing professional development.

The report crticised the RCVS for not having done enough to provide a clear picture of its proposals for a new statutory framework for the regulation of the profession.

However, an RCVS spokesman said: "In fact, we have invested considerable time and resources in the development of proposals, led by a working party that included stakeholders. However, we have been awaiting further input from Defra before taking matters further."

Chairman of the Committee the Rt Hon Michael Jack said: "We urge the profession to coalesce round some specific proposals to amend the disciplinary process for veterinary professionals. We believe that a working party should be set up between Defra, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and the British Veterinary Association to produce a new Bill for introduction in 2009."

Responding to the publication of the report, BVA President Nick Blayney said: "While we will certainly consider EFRACom’s proposal that BVA work with Defra and RCVS to produce a draft bill, the BVA is a voluntary association and our focus is the benefit of our members. Given that we are not even persuaded of the need for a new Act, it is likely that our contribution will be advisory and not financial."

Click here for the full report

The RCVS Officers will be heading to Somerset, home ground of President Bob Moore, on Thursday 22 May for RCVS Question Time.

The Shrubbery Hotel in Ilminster is the venue for the final Regional Question Time of Bob Moore’s Presidential year, where he looks forward to seeing lots of familiar faces for a lively debate.

Veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and others involved in the profession are all welcome to attend the meeting, which kicks off at 6:30pm with a relaxing drink, a bite to eat and a chance to catch up with colleagues, followed by Question Time at 7:15pm. The meeting will finish at approximately 10:00pm.

Bob Moore will be chairing the meeting and the panel will be made up of the Officer team and Veterinary Nurses Council Chairman Andrea Jeffery, who will be answering your questions and concerns regarding the veterinary profession.

Hot topics expected to be raised on the night include the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme, a new Veterinary Surgeons Act, RCVS modular certificate, 24-hour cover, the Professional Development Phase and the non-statutory Register for veterinary nurses.

To book your place contact Fiona Clark at the RCVS on 020 7202 0773 or f.clark@rcvs.org.uk before 9 May 2008, or download an invitation at http://www.rcvs.org.uk/ and post it to the address supplied. All veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses living within reasonable travelling distance of the meeting venue will be sent a personal invitation.

If you are unable to attend the meeting, but have a question you would like to raise, please do write in.

The RCVS has published a revised complaints procedure on RCVSonline.

The procedure represents the culmination of 12 months of work from the College's Preliminary Investigations Committee, with the aim of making the decision-making processes more transparent.

There are four information packs about the complaints procedure, all of which are available on RCVSonline. These are for complainants, veterinary surgeons who are complained about, those involved in decision-making at the RCVS and additional guidance for Lay Observers who provide independent, lay input to the process.

View an introduction to the RCVS complaints procedure and download the protocols by clicking here

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