End of Annus Horribilis for RCVS
The Royal College of Surgeons (RCVS) met for its AGM on Friday 6th July, and Dr Jerry Davies handed over the role of president to Jacqui Molyneux after a tumultuous year.
Significant changes and revelations have rocked the RCVS from 2011 to 2012, such as the McKelvey report, the resignation of the Registrar and continued dissatisfaction with several aspects of veterinary nursing - but it is to be hoped that change for the better will emerge from this annus horribilis.
Serious deficiencies at the RCVS were highlighted in the damning McKelvey Report published at the end of 2011. At the request of certain council members, the report was conducted by Professor Bill McKelvey and exposed many weaknesses in governance at the RCVS. An apology for the overspends was long in coming, however, and the veterinary profession's dissatisfaction with the College was apparent in the wide spread media coverage and veterinary forum discussions generated by the report.
Furthermore, the recent report by independent IT consultants has revealed that despite the massive overspend by the College, the system installed is not suitable and will soon need replacing. This has been a costly lesson for the RCVS treasurers who, trusted to oversee expenditure of membership fees, have spent the best part of half a million pounds on a database that is much smaller than many practice management systems.
The sudden resignation of the Registrar of 15 years, Jane Hern, and the fact the McKelvey report was never published in its entirety adds further unanswered questions about the state of affairs within the College and, perhaps as a result of this, Council elections this year attracted a record number of candidates.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the VN Council, for which only three candidates stood. This was surprising in light of the past year of mixed blessings for the VN profession. In October, long-standing dissatisfaction with VN training saw the RCVS divest its awarding body "RCVS Awards" - a positive step to separate the regulatory side of its duties from that of a qualification provider, thereby avoiding conflicts of interest.
But the issue of the new £190 enrolment fee, to be charged on top of the cost of awarding body registration, has caused much disappointment. The amount is widely considered to be beyond that necessary for regulatory purposes and Clare Fraser, President of the BVNA, questioned such a hefty fee increase at VN Council. However, there was no reconsideration of the cost.
A need for a change of culture at the RCVS has therefore grown more and more apparent over the past year, but luckily there is hope. A new Audit and Risk Committee has been formed and a new role of Chief Executive Officer created. Nick Stace, CEO of CHOICE, will join the College in September and will shortly be joined by a Head of Legal Services/Registrar, another new position within the College.
It is hoped that the refreshed RCVS Council will try to make College matters more transparent to restore trust in the College, and perhaps the culture of "them and us", so aptly highlighted in the McKelvey Report, will disperse.
With Colonel Neil Smith taking up the role of Vice-President at the AGM, new leadership is imminent, and perhaps too is change - maybe the RCVS will be able to leave its annus horribilis behind, and evolve into the effective and trustworthy regulatory body the veterinary profession deserves.
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
