VN Council controversy
Questions have been raised about the meeting of the VN Council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) on May 8th 2012 in light of the surprisingly short period those attending were given to consider the issues under discussion prior to the meeting. Furthermore, the designation of issues of profound importance to the veterinary nursing profession as 'Confidential' in spite of a stated commitment to openness by the RCVS has also been noted.
Despite the complexity and importance of matters under discussion at the meeting, which included a review of VN and lay roles in relation to anaesthesia, compliance with Ofqual conditions of recognition and the definition of objective assessment, the Council were only given one full working day in which to access, review and consider the issues under discussion. It is feared that such restrictions may not have allowed the Council to research and contemplate the issues in question to their full satisfaction.
The decision to release the agenda so close to the meeting itself has prompted questions about whether so short a time to prepare was adequate to satisfy the demands of good governance or whether the conditions under which the Council were obliged to operate are consistent with that which is necessary for a full and frank debate. It remains to be seen if this incident will lead to further queries in the veterinary press about the commitment of the RCVS to the implementation of reforms introduced in the wake of the McKelvey Report designed to improve openness and communications.
The full text of the agenda can be found here
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
