A survey commissioned by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and conducted amongst 2,000 members of the public has found that veterinary surgeons are amongst the most trusted of UK professionals. The survey was conducted with a nationally-representative sample of 2,000 UK adults who were asked questions about satisfaction with the service they and their animals received from veterinary surgeons, levels of trust in the profession, and whether the service provided by vets represents value for money. In terms of trust, the survey found that a very high proportion of the public (94%) either completely trusted or generally trusted (34% and 60% respectively) veterinary surgeons. This put veterinary surgeons at number three in the league table of most trusted professions – below opticians and pharmacists, but above general practitioners and dentists. The ranking is the same as was found in a 2015 survey carried out as part of the joint RCVS and British Veterinary Association Vet Futures project. ...

Ahead of its new policies on continuing professional development (CPD) coming into force at the beginning of 2020, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has developed a range of new resources to support the profession in understanding and adapting to the changes. From January 2020 the RCVS is changing the way in which it assesses CPD compliance – moving to a simpler and easier-to-understand annual CPD requirement of 35 hours a year for veterinary surgeons and 15 hours a year for veterinary nurses (rather than the previous rolling average over three years). The changes will also enable the College to measure CPD compliance and address any non-compliance in a more meaningful way. Allied to these changes, on 27 January 2020, the RCVS will also be introducing 1CPD, its new digital CPD recording platform, which will replace the current Professional Development Record (PDR) for both vets and vet nurses. The 1CPD platform supports the ‘plan, do, record, reflect’ cycle of CPD, with a pa ...

If two heads are better than one, then it is fair to assume that the combined brainpower of dozens will add up to a formidable analytical tool. So it proved at the BSAVA summit in London on December 16 and 17 2019, when veterinarians from all parts of the profession put their minds to tackling some of the main challenges that they are facing today and tomorrow. The event consisted of five parallel workshops on each day in which attending vets from private practice, industry, academia and the charity sector examined an issue and proposed ways forward that would benefit practitioners, animals, clients and broader society.  The outputs from the discussions were captured and will be summarised and analysed, with the results fed back to the participants and the wider profession. They will help inform the future work of the BSAVA and, it is hoped, will prove valuable to other veterinary bodies, including the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Over the two days, the discussions focussed on impor ...

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) is pleased to release its review of the buying and selling of racehorses which was completed earlier this year.

The review was independently led by Justin Felice and we thank him and his team for their work and all those in the industry who contributed.

• Review of the Buying and Selling Practices of Bloodstock and Racehorses
• Appendix 1: Terms of Reference
• Appendix 2: Bloodstock Industry Code of Practice

The BHA’s comments on the publication are included in this statement from the Bloodstock Industry Forum, of which the BHA is a member.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is leading the profession this week in celebrating the first 100 years of women being allowed onto the veterinary register. To mark the occasion the BVA Officer team visited the Parliamentary Archives to personally view the historic act which opened the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Register to women on 23 December 1919. The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 removed the legal barriers that prevented women entering these professions as well as the civil service. It allowed universities to award women degrees and paved the way for Aleen Cust to become the first female veterinary surgeon to be recognised by the RCVS in 1922. Women now make up around 60% of vets on the register and around 80% of vet students. BVA President Daniella Dos Santos said: “I am honoured to be a female president celebrating this centenary. Thanks to those women who went before me I have been able to join this amazing profession and do a job I love. Their d ...

The President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has chosen two charities that help to treat some of the most vulnerable animals for the College’s annual Christmas donation. The recipients of the £3,000 donation are StreetVet and The American Fondouk – each will receive £1,500 – which were both chosen by Dr Niall Connell. StreetVet, which became a registered charity earlier this year, provides free veterinary care to the animal companions of the homeless community in cities in England, Scotland and Wales, with hundreds of veterinary and veterinary nurse volunteers helping with tasks such as vaccination, microchipping and administering pain relief as well as antibiotics to control infection. Niall Connell commented: “Since it started in 2016 I have been a great admirer of the work that StreetVet has been carrying out amongst some of the most vulnerable people and animals in the UK. It’s a sad fact that homelessness levels have increased in recent ye ...

The outline programme for the 28th National Equine Forum has been confirmed. This annual event will be held in London on 5th March 2020 and will cover a breadth of important global and national topics related to the equine sector. A key element of the programme will explore the impact of human behavioural science on horse care and welfare. The National Equine Forum provides a dynamic platform for government officials, vets and equestrian industry leaders to share their knowledge and inspire debate with representatives from all areas of the UK’s equine sector. Audience members can participate during Q&A segments at the end of some presentations and those watching the live stream can submit questions during the Forum via social media channels. Questions for specific presentations can also be sent in advance, from 2nd March via a web-based Q&A platform. The 2020 programme is pertinent to anyone with an interest in horses. The human behavioural science session introduced by a member of The Behavio ...

Professor Renate Weller Dr Med.Vet, PhD, MRCVS, FHEA has received the Worshipful Company of Farriers (WCF) Honorary Fellowship in recognition of her “outstanding contribution to the craft of farriery and the welfare of the horse”. The presentation at a recent Court meeting in London was made following nomination for this distinguished award. Renate is only the 33rd recipient of this award, made by the Court “to a person who has rendered distinguished service to the Company and/or the craft of farriery”, since its introduction in 1923. The WCF Honorary Fellowship came as a “total surprise” to Renate, and is a particularly special one. “To be recognised within your own industry is one thing but to be recognised in such a special way by an allied profession is another. It is an amazing award and I am delighted to accept it”. Renate’s interest in farriery developed through recognising that farriers have an essential role to play in “preventing lamenes ...

Jane at the End of Life Service provides an update for BEVA members on the service that is now available.