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RCVS opens nominations for 2025 Honours and Awards
Stuart Reid was the 2024 recipient of the Queen's Medal.
Nominations can be made across eight categories.

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has launched nominations for its 2025 Honours and Awards.

Nominations are open until Friday, 13 December 2024 for members of the profession to recommend colleagues, or themselves, for RCVS’ awards categories.

This year there are eight awards open for nominations, celebrating the careers of people from across the veterinary field. This includes veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and laypeople (those who are not an MRCVS or registered veterinary nurse) in the UK and abroad.

Among the RCVS awards which are open for nominations is the Queen’s Medal, for a veterinary surgeon who has had a distinguished career with sustained achievements throughout. Veterinary nurses can be nominated for the Veterinary Nursing Golden Jubilee Award, which celebrates veterinary nurses with distinguished careers who can act as an ambassador for the veterinary nursing profession.

The RCVS International Award is for veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses or laypeople who have significantly contributed to issues associated with the RCVS mission.

The RCVS Impact Award recognises a veterinary surgeon or veterinary nurse who has recently undertaken, or is currently undertaking, a project or initiative that has an impact on the veterinary sector. This includes animal health, animal welfare and public health.

The RCVS Inspiration Award celebrates veterinary surgeons or veterinary nurses who inspire and enthuse others throughout their career. For those who have demonstrated compassion to fellow professionals, as well as the animal-owning public, there is also the RCVS Compassion Award.

Students are recognised with the RCVS Student Community Award, for those who support their fellow students and the veterinary school community.

Finally, Honorary Associateship is awarded to laypeople who have contributed to the veterinary sector – such as scientists, journalists and charity-workers. This award is not open to those on the RCVS Register.

As with last year, several of the awards are open for self-nomination. These awards are the RCVS International Award, the RCVS Impact Award, the RCVS Inspiration Award, the RCVS Compassion Award and the RCVS Student Community Award.

RCVS has asked that those who self-nominate themselves complete their nomination form in the third person, using their own name and preferred pronouns, in order to prevent bias.

After the deadline, the RCVS Nominations Committee will produce a shortlist from all the valid nominations, which will be put to the RCVS Council at its March 2025 meeting, The Veterinary Nursing Golden Jubilee Award will be assessed separately by the VN Council.

RCVS president Linda Belton said: “Recognising the outstanding contributions that our friends and colleagues have made, and continue to make, as we all strive to advance and protect animal health and welfare, as well as public health, is so important.

“The power of recognition cannot be underestimated.”

For more information visit RCVS’ Honours & Awards page.

Image © RCVS

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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...
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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."