a special report from the royal college of veterinary ... · by 1 april 2009, all veterinary...

Premises registration, Working Time Regulations,properly-registered staff – is your practice

operating legally? This special issue of RCVS NewsExtra for practice managers offers an update onCollege developments and activities that affectpractice managers, with guidance on what to donext and where to go for more information.

Plus there’s news on postgraduate education –the Professional Development Phase, Certificatein Advanced Veterinary Practice and Diploma inAdvanced Veterinary Nursing.

Finally, we fill you in on plans for the PracticeStandards Scheme and where you can meet usto discuss issues in person.

We hope you find it useful!

R C V S N E W SA SPECIAL REPORT FROM THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF VETERINARY SURGEONS FEBRUARY 2009

Got all your ducksin a row?

ccording to our Survey of theVeterinary Profession 2006,

40% of practices have apractice manager. I am sure thefigure has risen since, as morepractices recognise the benefitsof an in-house expert to managethe business side of the practice.We encourage veterinary

surgeons to focus on management areas as part ofthe new modular Certificate in AdvancedVeterinary Practice (CertAVP) - the compulsoryProfessional Key Skills unit includes topics suchas human resources, financial and businessplanning, training and marketing. But a dedicatedpractice manager remains a vital asset.

Practice managers come in all shapes and sizes,including vets, veterinary nurses and non-clinicalstaff who have developed their role from withinpractice, to those bringing specialist expertisefrom outside, many of whom have worked beyondthe veterinary field.

Round upAs the regulatory body for veterinary surgeonsand, increasingly, veterinary nurses, the RCVS hasregular dialogue with vets and VNs through ourpublications, RCVS News and VN Standard,our annual report and mailings throughout theyear, not to mention our frequently-updatedwebsite and regular communications via the press.

However, while we hope that veterinary colleaguespass on relevant information to their practicemanagers, we thought it might be worthwhile toproduce a round-up of recent RCVS activities thataffect the practice as a whole - responsibility forwhich may fall to the practice manager. So, thisspecial issue of RCVS News Extra will be circulateddirectly to practice managers. We cover a range oftopics, from the launch of the Register of Veterinary

Practice Premises to progress on the ProfessionalDevelopment Phase and VN regulation: I hope youfind the information useful.

Find out moreThere are lots of opportunities to find out more.RCVSonline (www.rcvs.org.uk) contains a wealth ofinformation on all of the topics included in thisnewsletter. Or you can contact the relevantdepartmental heads directly – see the back pagefor details. We also regularly hit the road with ourRegional Question Time meetings – all membersof the practice team are welcome to attend. Thenext meeting will be held near Kidderminster on26 March, and will be preceded by one of ourPractice Standards Workshops, where those on theScheme, or those interested in joining, can signup for a free session with myself or one of theScheme inspectors. If you live near Kidderminster,more information will be coming your way soon.We will also be going to my home patch ofCornwall on 18 June – venue to be confirmed.

Meet the teamIn addition, practice managers are very welcometo attend our Meet the RCVS Days, when we offera small group the opportunity to see what goeson behind the scenes at Belgravia House and tomeet the Officer team and Heads of Department.The next events will be held on 16 March and9 June. Lunch is laid on and we pay reasonabletravel expenses, so if you have questions on any ofthe issues covered in this publication, or wouldlike to find out more about what we do at theCollege, please contact Fiona Harcourt to registeryour interest in a place: [email protected] or020 7202 0773.

I look forward to seeing some of you at one of ourevents or in the College soon!

Jill NuteRCVS President

Here’s a round-up of our recent activities

A

People, places, qualifications

“We cover a range of topics, from thelaunch of the Register of VeterinaryPractice Premises to progress on thePDP and VN regulation.”

2 RCVS NEWS EXTRA - FEBRUARY 2009

Are your premises registered?

Legal medicines supply

By 1 April 2009, all veterinary practice premisesfrom which medicines are to be supplied need

to be registered with the RCVS. This is to enable theUK government to fulfil its obligations underEuropean law to maintain and improve traceabilityof, and accountability for, veterinary medicines.We have agreed to take on the Register on behalf ofthe Veterinary Medicines Directorate – it makessense, as we already hold a lot of information aboutpractices, making it more cost-effective for us to dothis than another organisation starting from scratch.

We have sent a registration form to all practicepremises that are listed with us as eitherRCVS-accredited under the Practice StandardsScheme, or as part of the voluntary Directory ofVeterinary Practices. For others, a form isavailable on request from our Registration Dept –[email protected] or 020 7202 0744/07or to download from RCVSonline.

A payment of £40 per premises is due annually,although thosealready payingannual fees underthe PracticeStandards Schemedo not have to pay.Neither are PSS-

accredited andcandidatepremisessubject to theVMD’s four-yearlyinspection,which carriesa charge of£250. So, ifyour practiceis not alreadyon the

Scheme, it might be worth considering: for not agreat deal of extra outlay, you can become part ofa Scheme that ensures the practice is up to standardacross a wide range of areas, not just medicines.

Practices also need to keep a record of otherplaces where medicines are stored, so these canbe considered during an inspection – such as vets’homes or cars, or perhaps a charity premises fromwhich veterinary work is carried out and wheremedicines are stored. Some of these may need tobe registered in their own right. If you are unsure,please call us for guidance.

The Register will be published online and updatedquarterly. It will be an offence under the VeterinaryMedicines Regulations for veterinary surgeons tosupply medicines from unregistered practicepremises. On the plus side, from 1 April it willbe possible for SQPs to supply certain categoriesof medicine from veterinary practice premises thathave been registered with us, whereas previouslythose premises would have to have beenseparately registered with the VMD expressly forthe purposes of SQPs working from there.

For more info, application forms and FAQ, visit:www.rcvs.org.uk/premisesregister

• If you are going to BSAVA this year, join ourmaster class “An Inspector Calls…” for detailedadvice on meeting both the PSS and the VMDmedicines inspections. The session takes placefrom 10am on Saturday 4 April and attendanceis by free ticket – contact Fiona Harcourt [email protected] to reserve your place.

“Practices also need to keep a recordof other places where medicines arestored, so these can be consideredduring an inspection.”

FEBRUARY 2009 - RCVS NEWS EXTRA 3

PREMISES REGISTER

Ensuring a good career progression for the vetsand veterinary nurses in your team is a key way

of reducing staff attrition, and offering support forthose considering furthering their qualifications canplay a part in this.

For vets, our Certificate in Advanced VeterinaryPractice (CertAVP) has been specifically designed toallow better access for those working in clinicalpractice. It’s modular in approach, which meansthat if candidates’ clinical interests change, theydon’t have to throw the baby out with the bathwaterand start all over again. The final Certificate will listall of the modules achieved, acting as a usefulreference tool when interviewing job applicants, too.

The enrolment period has also been doubled, toten years, which makes the qualification morefeasible to obtain for those who might anticipate acareer break.

Are you involved with organising work experiencefor school students? Or helping out at local

careers events? Stuck for careers materials? Thenhelp is at hand! Together with the veterinary schoolsand the Department for Environment, Food and RuralAffairs, we secured matched funding from theDepartment of Innovation, Universities and Skills todevelop new careers materials to showcase therange of opportunities for veterinary graduates, andalso to encourage groups currently under-representedin the profession – namely boys, those from the ethnicminorities and those from lower socioeconomicgroups – to consider applying to veterinary school.The aim is to ensure that the profession does notmiss out on potentially excellent vets who may beput off by the current profile of the profession –which is predominantly middle-class, 98% white andincreasingly female-dominated (nearly 80% of first-year vet students were women this year).

We produced a brochure, DVD and interactivewebsite under the banner of ‘Veterinary science…for all walks of life’, and sent a copyof the brochure and DVD to every school andsixth-form college in the UK last year. A copyof the brochure has also been sent to all

veterinary practices, but if you missed yours,or you would like more copies of either thebrochure or DVD, please contact us [email protected]. You can also view theDVD modules via www.walksoflife.org.uk or onwww.youtube.com/vetcareers. The materialsare aimed at 14-18 year olds – not our regularaudience – and we would appreciate anyfeedback you might have from school studentsand their parents or teachers.


For all Walks of Life...

Modules can be used in three ways: as stand-aloneCPD, which can later be converted to a Certificateif the candidate is enrolled with the RCVS (makingit cost-effective for the practice paying for CPD –you can kill two birds with one stone); towards aCertAVP; or, if specific modules are completed,towards a CertAVP in a named area such as SmallAnimal Practice or Diagnostic Imaging.

Module assessment – and in some cases, thecourses that support the modules – are availablefrom RCVS-accredited universities. Over 80modules are now available: for the full range, visitwww.rcvs.org.uk/modcerts. Vets graduating since2007 must have completed their PDP before theycan enrol with the RCVS.

Meanwhile, a similar modular structure isavailable to veterinary nurses wishing to study fortheir Diploma in Advanced Veterinary Nursing

Advanced qualifications

EDUCATION

Encouraging applicants to vet schools


EMS: we want your views ProfessionalDevelopment Phase

At our recent Regional Question Time meeting inCardiff, there was some discussion about the

future of Extra-Mural Studies. Our Junior Vice-President, Professor Sandy Trees, called it ‘the jewelin our veterinary educational crown’ and there wasgeneral agreement that although communicationbetween practices and vet schools could be better,EMS was valuable for both students and the practicesthat support them.

Having said that, things can always be improved,and mounting student debt, new models ofteaching at veterinary schools and the increasingimportance of the veterinary schools’ first-opinionpractices mean that it’s time for a thorough reviewof the role EMS plays within the undergraduateveterinary degree. We have set up a Working Groupto look at this, under the chairmanship of Past-President Barry Johnson. The Group would welcomeinput from anyone involved with EMS. We knowthat practice managers are often involved in theco-ordination of EMS, so if you have views onstrengths and weaknesses in the system; problemsand possible solutions; what should be retained andwhat could change, please let us know bycontacting Freda Andrews, Head of Education [email protected] by 16 February 2009.

(DipAVN), which, like the CertAVP, includes bothcore modules and optional modules. For theDipAVN, core modules include law, ethics andprofessional practice. Before enrolling, VNs needto have at least one year’s clinical experience.More information is available on RCVSonline:www.rcvs.org.uk/dipavn

The Professional Development Phase (PDP), ouronline tool to help new graduates consolidate

their theoretical knowledge into practice-basedskills, has entered its second compulsory year. Allnew graduates need to complete the PDP during theirfirst year in practice, regardless of where they havegraduated. So far, 65% of the 2008 cohort of UKgraduates have signed up. The onus is on graduatesto contact us for their password ([email protected])but we would appreciate support from practicemanagers to ensure any new graduates in theircharge have joined the PDP.

Review of EMS launched

Get your grads signed up!

We provide new graduates with information aboutthe PDP during their final year at vet school andon graduation. We have also recently published a24-page guide for employers (above), which can bedownloaded from www.rcvs.org.uk/pdp or is availablein hard copy on request from our EducationDepartment (see back page for contact details).If you are unsure as to the role of the practice inPDP – in terms of mentoring, appraisals and sign-off – it could be a useful read.

To view a demo of the PDP, visithttp://pdp.rcvs.org.uk and choose ‘preview’.


Occasionally, we hear about people applying for –and in some cases securing – full-time or locum

posts as veterinary surgeons or veterinary nurseswithout holding the relevant qualifications andregistrations. In considerably less time than it takesto make a cup of tea, you can check online to see ifyour candidates or potential locums are properlyregistered. Look at www.rcvs.org.uk/checkregister forvets or www.rcvs.org.uk/vnlist for veterinary nurses.

It is also worth pointing out that unregisteredveterinary surgeons should not be employedto carry out Schedule 3 veterinary nursingactivities. This has happened recently, particularlywith overseas-qualified members who do notalways appreciate the UK systems. Schedule 3procedures amount to the practice of veterinarysurgery, which in UK law can only beundertaken by a veterinary surgeon or certainother categories of people who are specifically

authorised by the Veterinary Surgeons Act, suchas Listed/Registered VNs.

The other part of the equation is making surethat job titles in practice reflect qualifications andregistration status. This is a particular issue withveterinary nurses, where we have come across‘Head Nurse’ badges on staff who are neitherqualified nor Listed/Registered as veterinarynurses. Job titles should reflect the experience,qualification and legal status that a member ofthe public might expect from that person.In particular, unqualified nursing staff should bereferred to as ‘Veterinary Nursing Assistants’.

“Unregistered veterinary surgeonsshould not be employed to carryout Schedule 3 veterinary nursingactivities.”

Checking up

Over 5,700 veterinary nurses have now registeredwith us, and are abiding by the RCVS Guide to

Professional Conduct for Veterinary Nurses andcompleting their CPD (an average of 45 hours overthree years). In 2010, we will introduce adisciplinary system for veterinary nurses that willmirror that for veterinary surgeons (and VNs willsit on the committees involved).

Once the disciplinary system is in place, chargescould be brought against VNs on exactly the samebasis as for vets, that is, if found guilty of fraudulentregistration, criminal convictions which renderhim or her unfit to practise as a veterinary nurse,or allegations of disgraceful professional conduct.

Veterinary nurse regulation reflects the growingstature of the VN profession and RegisteredVeterinary Nurses (RVNs) signal that they areprepared to account for their professional practice,which sends a strong message to the public andtheir colleagues. If your veterinary nurses have notyet registered, please encourage them to do so!

More information is available at:www.rcvs.org.uk/vnregister

REGULATION

Are your VNs registered?

Some of your veterinary colleagues may have beencontacted on our behalf by Cognition Market

Intelligence in the autumn of last year to find outabout how your practice tackles 24/7 emergencycover. We were particularly interested to find outhow well practices were managing to balance theprofessional need to offer 24/7 cover with the legalrequirements of the Working Time Regulations, whichinclude 11-hour rest periods, a maximum 48-hourweek and minimum break periods and holidays.Home visits were also considered.

The results of survey are the subject of discussionby our 24/7 Working Party and our AdvisoryCommittee. If any significant changes areenvisaged to the current guidance, a consultationwith the profession and the public is envisaged, sothere will be time for you and your colleagues tohave a say.

In the meantime, if you need a reminder of thecurrent 24-hour emergency cover guidance, it canbe downloaded from www.rcvs.org.uk/guide - seeannex a. We would also urge practices to takelegal advice to ensure they are complying with theWorking Time Regulations.

We received twice as many applications to joinour voluntary Practice Standards Scheme in

2008 than in the previous year. More and morepractices are recognising the benefits of being ableto say to the profession and the public that theymeet our rigorous standards.

When the Scheme was launched in 2005, wecommitted to not changing the standards for thefirst five years, unless this was required by achange in legislation. The Practice StandardsGroup, which comprises representatives from allof the key veterinary groups, including VPMA, isnow working through a process of reviewing the

Standards, with the aim of rolling out the revisedset in 2010. It’s important that they remain up todate and relevant to current veterinary practice.

Practice managers are heavily involved in theimplementation and maintenance of practicestandards. If you are on the Scheme, orconsidering joining, and have any comments onthe existing standards or recommendations fornew areas for consideration, please let yourVPMA representative, Carole Clarke, know([email protected]).

If you are in an accredited practice and wish tostay up to date with developments on the Scheme,sign up to our Practice Standards e-newsletter,launched in January, by emailing your name andpractice to [email protected], quoting‘e-news’ in the email header.


“If you are in an accreditedpractice and wish to stay up todate with developments on theScheme, sign up to our PracticeStandards e-newsletter.”

24/7 – watch this space

PSS – standards review underwayGive us your ideas about future standards

Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons,Belgravia House, 62-64 Horseferry Road,London SW1P 2AF | www.rcvs.org.uk


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Got a question? We’re here to help

You never call...We’re a regulatory body. We strike people off.That’s what we are often known for – but it’snot all that we do! If you have questions aboutany aspect of our activities, do contact us.

There’s a team of 60 people working atBelgravia House and we are here to help youas much as we can.

Department For questions on… Contact details

Communications Media, policy, government and publicrelations, events, publications, corporatecommunications and RCVSonline

020 7202 [email protected]

Corporate Services IT systems, purchase of publications,data rental


Education Undergraduate degree accreditation anduniversity visitations, postgraduatequalifications (PDP, CPD, Certificates,Diplomas, Fellowships, Specialists), StatutoryMembership Examination


Executive Office Matters relating to the President, Registrarand RCVS Council


Facilities Management Room booking and catering 020 7202 [email protected]

Finance All financial matters, including fees forpractices, members and VNs


Professional Conduct Complaints, preliminary investigation anddisciplinary issues, Guides, requests foradvice and Practice Standards Scheme policy


RCVS Trust Library Book loans, database searches, historicalcollections, information services


RCVS Trust Grants, donations and fundraising 020 7202 [email protected]

Registration Membership and registration - vets, VNs (forfirst registration contact the VN Dept, below) andpremises – Practice Standards administration


Veterinary Nursing VN training and examinations, firstregistration (otherwise contact the RegistrationDept), regulation and VN Council


a special report from the royal college of veterinary ... · by 1 april 2009, all veterinary...

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