Your data on MRCVSonline
The nature of the services provided by Vision Media means that we might obtain certain information about you.
Please read our Data Protection and Privacy Policy for details.

In addition, (with your consent) some parts of our website may store a 'cookie' in your browser for the purposes of
functionality or performance monitoring.
Click here to manage your settings.
EmailIphone Application    Posted: 17th July 2014
If you would like to forward this story on to a friend, simply fill in the form below and click send.
Your friend's email:
Your email:
Your name:
 
 
Send Cancel

Hayley Walters presented with award at RCVS Day
hayley walters and kathy kissick
Hayley Walters receives the VN Golden Jubilee Award from VN Council chair Kathy Kissick.

Eventful day sees new council member welcomed and new charter approved

During a busy RCVS Day in London last week, members of the college voted unanimously to approve a draft Royal Charter that recognises the college as a regulator of veterinary nurses.

Commenting on the effect this will have on the profession, incoming RCVS president Professor Stuart Reid said: “Words like 'historic' should be used only sparingly, but on this occasion it is justified.

“We now have some 12,000 veterinary nurses on the books, nine-tenths of them being registered veterinary nurses. Yet the present charter does not so much as mention their existence.

“The new charter gives the RCVS a formal duty to keep the register of veterinary nurses and makes the Veterinary Nurses Council responsible for setting standards for their training, education and conduct.”

The move will effectively combine the list and register of veterinary nurses. Nurses who currently remain on the list will join those on the register, meaning they will be required to complete an average of 15 hours CPD each year, follow the code of professional conduct and will be subject to RCVS disciplinary procedures.

The proposed charter is expected to become effective from March 2015.

Amber Richards will be a new face on the VN Council after she officially took up her seat at the event in London on July 11.

Kathy Kissick was confirmed as the council's chair for a further year, joined by Liz Cox and Niall Connell as vice-chairs. It was confirmed that outgoing RCVS president Neil Smith will also be joining the VN Council.

During an awards ceremony on the same day, Hayley Walters was officially presented with the VN Golden Jubilee Award, which celebrates her exceptional contribution to her profession.

Hayley is an anaesthesia and welfare veterinary nurse at the University of Edinburgh Hospital for Small Animals and the Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education.

Col. Smith commented: “Hayley is a veterinary nurse who is dedicated to improving animal welfare and veterinary care both in the UK and abroad, and has demonstrated exceptional contributions to the profession.”

Some 16 veterinary nurses were also presented with Diplomas in Advanced Veterinary Nursing (DipAVN).

Image courtesy of RCVS

Become a member or log in to add this story to your CPD history

Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."