The group is being set up to ensure that the College meets its objective of working in the public interest, initially as a 12-month pilot.
Louise Allum, RCVS Council Member and Chair of the Public Advisory Group, said: “Animal owners and keepers play an essential role in supporting animal welfare, and it is therefore not only right, but necessary, that we actively seek to inform the public of our activities and take their opinion into account when making wide-reaching decisions.
“With the profession's help, we are inviting animal owners and keepers from all backgrounds - from companion animal, to equine and farm – to be a part of our Public Advisory Group to help us actively engage with members of the public and to ensure that the veterinary profession continues to meet the needs of clients and animals alike.
"We also hope that, by involving animal owners and keepers in our work, we can improve the ways in which we communicate our messages to veterinary service users."
Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO, added: “Through the Public Advisory Group, we hope to gain greater insight into the experiences and opinions of animal owners and keepers to determine how we can work together to achieve what is essentially, a joint goal.
"We all care deeply about animal health and welfare and should therefore be united in our mission to uphold high standards.
“We are looking for a pool of around 30 individuals, including, but not limited to, owners and keepers of companion animals, and equine and production animals, to join our group.
"We are asking veterinary professionals to help us recruit animal owners and keepers from all walks of life, by kindly sharing information about this initiative with anyone they feel would be an appropriate, enthusiastic and engaged member of the Group.”
For more information on the Public Advisory Group, including terms of reference and how to apply, visit www.rcvs.org.uk/pag or email Lisa Moffatt on l.moffatt@rcvs.org.uk.
The deadline for applications is 7 June 2023.
Entries should take clients through the microchipping journey, from microchipping through to registering the microchip, changing contact details and subscription services for when pets go missing.
The company is also urging practices to highlight the new law requiring that all cats are microchipped before they reach 20 weeks, which comes into force on 10th June 2024.
To take part in the competition, post pictures of your waiting room/window display on Facebook in June with the hashtag #MyNMMDisplay and tag @identibase.
Identichip has also launched a social media toolkit which can be downloaded via – https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15lHGJ2dhB_-sjSJjeJegw-Q9GuTVdFPB.
The toolkit contains a series of social media posts and images for practices to use on their social media channels.
Identichip says it will also have offers on its range of microchips throughout June.
For further info, email: contact@identichip.co.uk.
www.identichip.co.ukwww.identibase.co.uk
The VetCompass programme studied 10,313 English Cocker Spaniels from an overall sample of 336,865 UK dogs of all breeds under first opinion veterinary care during 2016.
English Cocker Spaniels made up 3.1% of all dogs, showing ongoing high popularity of this breed as a UK companion animal.
The most common disease was periodontal disease, diagnosed in 20.97% of English Cocker Spaniels each year.
In second place was otitis externa (10.09%), followed by obesity/overweight (9.88%), anal sac impaction (8.07%), diarrhoea (4.87%), and aggression (4.01%).
The order of these top disorders in English Cocker Spaniels was similar to those previously reported in dogs overall; however, the frequency of each disorder was generally higher in English Cocker Spaniels than the general dog population, possibly because several of these conditions are related to the longer ears and looser skin on English Cocker Spaniels.
Researchers say these results suggests that English Cocker Spaniels can be considered a typical dog in many respects, but with higher risk of some disorders related to their specific body shape.
Aggression was found to be relatively common in English Cocker Spaniels, although the frequency differed depending on the sex and coat colour of the dogs: aggression was more common in males than females, and in single-coloured than multi-coloured dogs.
The risk of aggression also varied widely between the four most common single-coloured coat colours: golden-coloured dogs showed the highest frequency of aggression (12.08%), followed by red (6.52%), black (6.29%), and liver (4.33%).
Additional findings include:
Karolina Engdahl, Epidemiologist at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and lead author of the paper, said: “English Cocker Spaniels are popular family dogs and can make fantastic pets.
"However, we found that aggression was relatively common in the breed, especially in golden-coloured dogs.
"This highlights the importance of focusing good breeding on behavioural as well as physical health, and that behavioural-related problems should be a key area for veterinary-owner discussions.”
Dan O’Neill, Associate Professor in Companion Animal Epidemiology at the RVC, co-author of the paper, said: “Everyone who loves dogs just wants their animals to live long and happy lives.
"This study provides the data to help owners to understand that preventing dental, ear, weight and anal sac problems can go a long way to helping English Cocker Spaniels to enjoy a better life.
"It really can be that simple.”
Developed in partnership with the Veterinary Client Mediation Service (VCMS), the course uses practical examples based on real-life experiences.
The course shows how to assess complaints from a client’s perspective and how building client relationships can help defuse complaints.
Jennie Jones, Head of VCMS, said: "Leveraging insights from the VCMS and involving our entire team with its production has enabled us to develop highly effective materials that ensure veterinary professionals are well-equipped to manage complaints."
The course takes one hour to complete.
academy.rcvs.org.uk
Worth two hours of free CPD, the course has eight bitesize modules of between five and 15 minutes.
Each session is designed to improve confidence in cytology, in particular knowing when it is needed and how to take and interpret skin and ear cytology samples.
The course also includes advice on the use of dermatopicals and how to choose between Douxo S3 Pyo and Douxo S3 Calm.
The modules are presented by Natalie Barnard BVetMed, a European Veterinary Specialist in Dermatology, Amy Elvidge, an RCVS Recognised Specialist in Veterinary Dermatology, and Daniel White, a Dermatology Veterinary Nurse.
Emelie Fogelberg BSc DVM MRCVS, veterinary advisor at Ceva Animal Health said: “Skin problems can be challenging, and recurrent skin irritations are particularly frustrating.
"Cytology is essential in the work up of these cases but is often overlooked.
“Our new skin and ear cytology online course will help both vets and nurses become more confident in sample taking and interpretation to support a diagnosis and management plan from the first consultation.”
To register, visit https://veterinarywebinars.com/community/ceva/.
www.douxo.com
The expansion has increased the hospital's footprint by 30%, adding three new operating theatres, six new consult rooms and new feline facilities, including a cat-only waiting room, consult room and treatment area.
Hospital owner, IVC Evidensia said the expansion has been driven in part by the pet ownership boom of the last few years and increased demand for the hospital’s services.
To meet the demand, Vale has expanded its office space, adding desk space for a further 25 vets.
There are also new ultrasound and cardiology rooms, a new dental suite and enlarged prep and recovery areas.
The existing kennel area has doubled in size with the addition of nine new walk-in kennels, a bespoke isolation ward and secure outdoor runs.
Richard Artingstall, clinical director at Vale Referrals, said: “We’ve been working on this expansion for a long time and it’s incredible to see it complete.
"Our new and improved facilities mean we can give even more pets across the Southwest the gold standard treatment that they deserve and support our colleagues from neighbouring vet practices with extensive referral services.
"The feedback from pets and owners so far has been very rewarding to hear.”
The feedback from pets?
Really?
VetSurgeon.org contacted recent patient Dougal McDoggins for comment.
He said: "Woof."
www.valereferrals.co.uk.
For the study, urinalysis results from 2,712 UK feline urine samples submitted and analysed by Axiom and Finn over a period of 14 months2 were reviewed.
Urine samples had to have been obtained by cystocentesis and signalment information recorded by their submitting vet3.
These samples did not have to come from cats presenting with FLUTD signs and the researchers therefore say that consideration should be given to a different (potentially even more increased) prevalence in cats presenting with LUT signs.
Bacterial urinary tract infections in cats with FLUTD are estimated to be present in around 8 – 19% of cases4.
However, FLUTD is one of the most common reasons for the use of antimicrobial drugs in veterinary medicine and is therefore an important condition to consider to minimise antimicrobial use and development of antimicrobial resistance5.
The study found that 15.7% of the samples had a positive culture, with E. coli (43.7%), other Enterobacterales (26.4%) and Enterococcus spp (14.9%) being the most common isolates identified.
Antimicrobial susceptibilities and resistance were also tested.
Notably, Enterococcus species were frequently found to be resistant to multiple antibiotics, and several other isolates demonstrated resistance to frequently used antibiotics.
The data showed Enterococcus spp. were much less susceptible to trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole (TMPS) than have been previously documented (with 94% of isolates resistant).
Additionally, other Enterobacterales had resistance against cephalosporins and penicillins.
The authors say that data surrounding cephalosporin resistance is particularly notable and problematic; recent data has indeed shown that the cephalosporin cefovecin is a commonly prescribed antibiotic3 for cats presenting with lower urinary tract disease.
The authors also say that data in this study adds to the existing evidence that the use of cephalosporins such as cefovecin may be ineffective in many cases (intrinsic resistance of Enterococcus spp) and therefore should be avoided unless cystocentesis and signalment results support their use.
The inappropriate use of antibiotics for bacterial cystitis could not only be ineffective to manage bacterial cystitis in cats but promote further antimicrobial resistance.
Clarisse D’Août, lead author of the research and Internal Medicine Specialist at Lumbry Park Veterinary Specialists, said: “Even though feline lower urinary tract disease is one of the most common reasons for vets to prescribe antibiotics, the prevalence of bacterial strains in the urine of cats with this condition, and their resistance to commonly used antibiotics, had not been widely studied in the UK to date.
"So we hope that this study can add to the current evidence to making well-justified and practical recommendations in practices about which antibiotics to choose and those to avoid.
"We see this ongoing susceptibility testing as clinically important to avoid the development of further resistant bacteria.”
References
This year, there are 3 RVN seats and 2 Student seats available.
The RVN candidates for three available seats are: Kimberley Boparai, Felicity Caldwell, Victoria Foulkes, Declan Jones, Krishna Mistry and Cheryl Plimmer
The Student candidates for two available seats are: Kate Davies, Julia Hamilton, Poppy Meredith and Ell Stokes
BVNA President, Charlotte Pace said: “It takes courage and dedication to run for BVNA Council, and the lucky candidates will be shaping the direction of veterinary nursing.
"Now is when our members have the chance to vote for the people that they think will represent their voice best on BVNA Council for the next 3 years.
"I would urge everyone to read the manifestos, engage with the social media content throughout the election period, and vote.”
www.bvna.org.uk/blog/bvna-council-elections-2023--candidates-announced
Louise O’Dwyer (pictured right) was a highly respected veterinary nurse who dedicated her expertise to developing ECC medicine and teaching others.
She spoke at many congresses across the globe and for a while was a speaker for Improve Veterinary Education before she died in 2019.
The Scholarship is for a place on Improve's ECC training programme, which can be done online or face-to-face. Topics include:
Dr Charlotte French, Head of Business Development UK at Improve, said: “Louise O’Dwyer was a dear friend of ours and we were honoured to have her share her expertise and talents with so many veterinary nurses eager to learn more about ECC.
"This scholarship in her name is our way of thanking her for all that she contributed to the veterinary community and to keep her memory alive by giving someone the wonderful opportunity to gain an achievable postgraduate qualification in an area she was passionate about.”
Applications will be accepted until 31st July 2023: https://subscriptions.improveinternational.com/louise-odwyer-scholarship-entry
Cornerstone Veterinary Clinic, which was founded by Peter Herold in 2011, currently employs a 15-strong team, who are all now practice owners and shareholders in the business.
Peter got the inspiration from reading about how Pennard Vets had become the world’s largest employee-owned practice in order to protect both its independence and core values.
He then contacted the directors at Pennard Vets, who helped guide him through the process.
Peter said: “After starting Cornerstone 11 years ago, we have developed a longstanding, loyal and dedicated team who are all very popular with our established client base across Belfast and beyond.
"I genuinely love Cornerstone, and so do our team and clients, and although I’m not ready to retire yet, the end of my professional life will come in the next decade, so I wanted to start planning for it.
“The obvious option would be to sell the practice to a corporate chain, but I knew that would change how we worked.
"There would be much more emphasis on profit levels, and we’d be forced to make decisions that we were uncomfortable with.
"We have an amazing team who are full of ideas about how to make Cornerstone even better and to guarantee a successful future, the practice needs to continue growing in a way that works for its people, our clients and their pets.
“When I read about Pennard Vets becoming an EOT, it immediately resonated with me, and I hoped it could be an option for Cornerstone.
"I then attended a webinar with speakers from Pennard Vets, and I kept in touch with them afterwards.
"They explained the set-up and how it benefits their team, as well as putting us in touch with specialists in EOTs.
"Ultimately it was Pennard Vets’ knowledge and enthusiasm that convinced me it was the right route for us.”
Peter added: “Our senior team at Cornerstone are all very skilled and share common values in relation to customer service, veterinary care and client charges, and it’s this ethos that makes us popular with clients.
“Making the business an EOT will ensure this continues by safeguarding the future of the business, whilst giving each member of the team the benefit of being a business owner without them having to buy in.
"It also means I can continue to work as a vet, but share the management side of the practice with the entire team who can help to make the important decisions, which is an exciting prospect for everyone involved.”
Matthew Flann from Pennard Vets said: “We became an EOT to maintain our independence and give everyone in our team both autonomy and a voice, as well as preserving our core values around compassion, client focus and continually improving everything we do.
"This came at a time when it’s increasingly difficult for vets to buy into practices and the traditional partner progression model no longer works, which makes EOTs even more appealing and a positive step for the profession as a whole.
“It’s been genuinely transformational for Pennard Vets, and we now regularly hear from practice owners who are exploring becoming an EOT.
"There are now several other successful businesses currently on the journey and when Peter contacted us, we were happy to offer our help and guidance.
"Cornerstone is a successful practice, with a highly skilled and dedicated team, so its independence is worth protecting, and becoming an EOT will give it a bright future.”
Companion Consultancy Director Susan Mackay, herself a veterinary surgeon, started Companion Consultancy in 2002.
She said: “We added a design team to the agency two years ago and it’s been fantastic to have this resource available in-house.
"In the digital space people increasingly consume their content as images and sound as much as the written word and it has become key to delivering communication projects that really work.”
VetNurse.co.uk editor Arlo Guthrie said: "I couldn't agree with Susan more. As a news editor, I get a barrage of press releases every day.
"Those with powerful photos or video that will stand out on all the different social media platforms get prioritised.
"Those that have poor images, or none at all tend to get ignored."
Susan added: “For complex projects we can have one or more of our vets working alongside the designer to get all the technical nuances exactly right.
"Infographics for instance are a great way to overcome language barriers but explaining the complexities of how vaccines work in pictures needs veterinary input and our designers then come up with visual ways to represent those concepts so we can work through those together.
"On simpler projects, clients don’t have to waste time explaining why they don’t want to show a dog wearing a choke chain or carrying a stick, because our designers already bring an additional level of understanding to their work.
"We want to make it clear that you don’t have to be a Companion Consultancy client to benefit from this great resource.”
Companion Design Studio is offering a free, no obligation 30 minute design consultation to the first 10 applicants from the veterinary community who want expert input on their existing branding and how it has been applied, or to gather ideas for new design projects.
www.companiondesignstudio.co.uk or call Tom on 07925 133302.
Called 24/7 Pet Hospital, the 10-part series will be broadcast every weekday morning at 10am until Friday 17 February.
Ben Harris, Wear’s Clinical Director, said: “Opening our doors to the BBC will help us to show the public what happens in a specialist veterinary hospital when a pet is unwell – and highlight the incredible care they receive by vets, nurses and support staff.
"The programme follows all aspects of our work, from initial consultations to the moment pets are reunited with their owners."
You will be able to view all 10 episodes on iPlayer here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001hz7n/broadcasts/upcoming.
Led by the RVC’s VetCompass Programme, the study included 1,000 CCL rupture cases and a random selection of 500,000 other dogs without CCL injury.
The research found that the breeds at most risk of CCL rupture, compared with crossbreeds, were Rottweiler (x 3.66 times risk), Bichon Frise (x 2.09), West Highland White Terrier (x 1.80) and Golden Retriever (x 1.69).
Conversely, the breeds with the lowest risk were Cockapoo (x 0.26), Chihuahua (x 0.31), Shih-tzu (x 0.41) and German Shepherd Dog (x 0.43).
Additional findings included:
The study also showed that insured dogs and dogs weighing over 20 kg were more likely to receive surgical management, while dogs older than 9 years and those with another major clinical problem at the time of diagnosis with CCL rupture were less likely to receive surgical management.
Camilla Pegram, VetCompass PhD student at the RVC and lead author of the paper, said: “This study has used the power of “big data” to robustly address the risk factors for cruciate ligament rupture diagnosis and management in dogs.
"The factors affecting the decision to surgically or non-surgically treat dogs with cruciate rupture are now clearer, with future work underway to address the clinical outcomes of this decision.”
Dr Dan O’Neill, Associate Professor in Companion Animal Epidemiology at the RVC and co-author of the paper, said: “After centuries of reshaping by mankind, dogs now come in over 800 distinct and recognisable breeds that each has its own unique pattern of health and disease.
"This new study helps owners of breeds such as Rottweiler, Bichon Frise and West Highland White Terrier to understand that sudden lameness in a hindleg could indicate a ruptured cruciate ligament that needs urgent veterinary care.”
The course has been put together by the charity's Investigations Team with the help of Mark Naguib BVMS(Hons) CertAVP(ZooMed) MRCVS.
The course has been designed to help you identify animals which have been targeted by illegal shooting, trapping and poisoning, and how to make sure valuable evidence is preserved for any investigation by the police.
The course includes:
The course is open to anyone in veterinary practice, and is worth 2 hours CPD: https://www.rspb.org.uk/rspb-vet-cpd
In what the company says is a European first, IVC vets will be recognised for the skills they already have, as well as supported to achieve new skills within the GP framework.
The programme is also intended to increase GP's status within the profession, boost confidence, develop ability and provide a clear path for career progression.
Edward Davies BVSc MRCVS, IVC's new Aspirational GP Lead, said: "The plethora of skills a GP vet has is unparalleled when you look at other professions.
“This programme is about recognising the core and expansive knowledge sets we as GP vets possess, not just at an individual level, but an organisational and professional level.”
An initial two cohorts of up to 20-30 vets from across the business will take part over the next 12 months, and the expectation is that it will take around two years for every cohort to complete.
The programme is structured around a portfolio-based assessment by peers, with six core and three elective categories.
The core section includes the elements seen as fundamental to being a successful GP vet, complimented by the individual vet’s selection of three elective modules which best fit their clinical interests.
IVC says it plans for the GP Vet Futures Award to be externally accredited.
The toolkit includes a 15-minute CPD webinar: ‘How to best use ProZinc to successfully manage diabetes in cats and dogs’, hosted by Dr Jamie Adams BVSc PhD MRCVS, Senior Brand Technical Advisor at Boehringer Ingelheim.
Vet nurses who watch the webinar can enter a competition for a coffee machine for their veterinary practice by answering three questions at the end.
The toolkit also has a diabetes management reference guide covering how to make a confident diagnosis and start treatment with ProZinc, how best to monitor and reassess the patient and how to adjust the dose for optimal control.
There are also glucose curve charts, pet owner guides, home care journals and a link to the ProZinc pet owner website, www.prozinc.co.uk, which contains information to help owners feel confident in managing their pet’s diabetes.
The webinar and toolkit are available from: www.boehringer-academy.co.uk.
On hand to answer your questions is Adam Gregory, RVN NCert (Anaesth) DMZAA DipVNZS APVN, Head Nurse at Great Western Exotics.
Before putting your questions to Adam, you're invited to read his article on the subject here: https://www.veterinary-practice.com/article/pain-management-in-the-avian-patient
Then join the Clinical Article Club here: https://www.vetnurse.co.uk/vetnurse-clinical-article-club and post your question or discussion point in the forum.
Remember, you can claim time spent reading or participating in the discussion towards your annual CPD requirement: press the 'Claim CPD' button at the top right of the discussion thread.
The business is led by RCVS Specialists in Small Animal Orthopaedics, Professor John Innes and Ben Walton, alongside American veterinary orthopaedic specialist and investor, Dr Brian Beale.
Two more Specialists are due to join the senior team in May.
Building work is apparently well underway on the 8000ft2 premises in Abbots Park, Preston Brook, which will be equipped with CT, high-field MRI, and three operating theatres.
The centre, which is located near Junction 11 of the M56, will provide referral services to veterinary practices from the conurbations of the North of England and the surrounding English and Welsh counties.
Ben Walton said: “For me, it is an honour to team up with John and Brian who have unparalleled international reputations, and I’m eagerly anticipating the arrival of our two additional colleagues.
"For veterinary professionals and clients, we are concentrating on responsive and clear communication, high clinical standards, and fair pricing.
"And finally, for prospective employees, we’re determined to foster a positive and supportive culture where vets, nurses and support staff can grow, thrive and enjoy a career.”
Until the opening of the new centre, Movement Referrals offers a peripatetic orthopaedics referral service based out of third party veterinary practices in the North West of England and North Wales.
www.movementvets.co.uk
Photo: from left to right: Prof. John Innes, Ben Walton, Dr Brian Beale
In the Horiba-sponsored webinar, Kit will draw on personal experience and case study examples to illustrate how the innovative use of adjunctive tests can support rapid clinical decision-making when triaging patients.
For example, Kit will consider whether inflammation markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A can be used to assess if current signs are likely associated with inflammatory diseases, such as pancreatitis, or whether further investigation is required to determine cause of illness.
Kit will also consider the case of Ollie a 10-year-old German shorthaired pointer presenting as vaguely unwell with reduced appetite.
Is this just a flare-up of his chronic osteoarthritis and likely to respond to pain relief and anti-inflammatory treatment, or something else?
Attendees will be able to questions in a live Q&A session at the end of the webinar.
Horiba's team will also be on hand to answer questions on in-house diagnostics.
For free registration, visit: https://bit.ly/3wGADcm
The survey of 1,019 dog owners was conducted by petbuzz in December 2022.
Veterinary cardiology specialist, Dr Rachel James, said: “The CKCS has long been a very popular breed of dog in high demand, due to their loving and placid nature making them perfect family pet.
"We know that sadly at least 50% of CKCS have evidence of MVD disease by the time they are five, with 98% of dogs affected in their lifetimes.
"However, we can help our clients when selecting this breed to choose a puppy that is less likely to develop MVD at an early age, by utilising the heart testing scheme (Doppler heart testing).
"Prospective owners should be asking to see test results for the parents, grandparents, and even better great grandparents too, on both maternal and paternal sides.
"In addition breeders need more support and education to encourage the use of the heart testing scheme and how this can enable them to choose the best dogs to breed from.
"Furthermore we should be encouraging breeders to breed from dogs only when they are at least 3 years of age.”
Vita Animal Health commissioned the survey to raise awareness of the condition and to remind owners to use their vet’s expertise.
Vita’s veterinary nurse, Tara Evans, said: “The CKCS is a very popular breed of dog, perhaps set to be more so now King Charles III is reigning monarch.
"This survey has shown that awareness of mitral valve disease – which is very common in this breed – is not as good as it could be.
"We want to support vets in raising awareness and have useful resources such as our heart disease infographic (www.vitaanimalhealth.com/common-signs-of-heart-disease) that we welcome all vets in using.”
Speakers include Dr Ian Stroud, founder and veterinary director of Pet People, an independent small animal practice in Richmond, South West London, Jack Peploe, a veterinary IT expert and Certified Ethical Hacker, and Ciaran Milford, ezyVet’s EMEA sales manager, who has worked with every type of veterinary practice, from aspiring independents right through to established universities and corporate groups.
Lance Rice, creative director at ezyVet, who will moderate the webinar, said: “Our speakers are all vastly experienced and ideally positioned to explain what makes a successful launch, as well as the key mistakes and common traps that new owners fall into.
"Ian has a unique understanding of the challenges and opportunities involved with starting a veterinary practice.
"Jack is an expert in helping practices leverage technology to save time, whilst delivering exceptional patient care and bolstering their security posture.
"Ciaran is passionate about helping practices find the right solutions for their needs and business goals."
To register, visit: https://www.ezyvet.com/webinar/starting-a-vet-practice-uk
Andy said: “High functioning practices, revolve around the nurses. Naturally, they are a communication hub.
"It makes sense to recognise the essential role they play and develop a nurse-centric structure.”
“Start by making sure you’ve enough nurses and look at how the rota is set up.
"Ensure everyone understands the practice’s vision and mission, as well as the shared values and the behaviours which demonstrate those values.
“When there’s alignment between individual and organisational goals and values, you all naturally pull in the same direction.
“Then it’s about how the day is set up and who runs each part.
"In our practice, the nurse is responsible for the running order, for allocating who’s doing what and making sure everyone understands their roles, and liaising with the vets.
"It’s about ‘working in flow’.”
Helen (pictured right) says empowering nurses is as much about how the team interacts, as its structure: “Like anyone else, nurses need to be acknowledged and have a psychologically safe space to discuss ideas and challenges.
“We can all build trust by being curious and asking lots of different questions.
"Experienced team members need to be fallible and humble, setting the scene so that everyone in the team has voice.
"Ideas should be expected, and welcomed – after all, the outcome of a patient is rarely due to just one person’s expertise.”
She added: “Where nurses’ contribution and potential are recognised, and the hierarchy is shallowed, they make incredible leaders."
“At BSAVA Congress 2023, I’ll be speaking about delegation.
"As leaders we feel we have to ‘own’ tasks and that inevitably means doing it ourselves.
"But that’s not always the best option.
"It can leave leaders feeling overwhelmed, whereas delegating tasks can empower others, build resilience within the team and help with retention.
“Small practices often have that traditional command and control structure – it’s the classic triangle, where the owner sits at the top with others underneath.
"Broadening that hierarchy is both possible and practical.
"Leverage the talent on the team, grow it, develop it and you’ll be nurturing next level of the leaders.”
Andy says he has sometimes found it a challenge to let go: “Like many vets, I used to be a bit of a control freak and had to consciously learn to delegate.
"It’s accepting that others may do it differently, and at first, not as well or as quickly as you.
"The temptation is do it yourself but it immediately blocks others from learning the skill and hampers growth within the team.”
Helen says that when considering promoting anyone into a leadership position, it is important to remember that it isn’t always an innate skill.
“Often, nurses become experts clinically, and then get asked to become leaders in that area.
"This is difficult for some people.
"They feel they should be able to do it, but have had very little training on the subject, don’t have the knowledge or skills and therefore feel unsupported in their role.”
"As the pressure mounts, stress levels rise and it starts to impact on their wellbeing, potentially great leaders step down.
“When this happens everyone loses, and is why I’m so passionate about leadership training.”
www.bsavaevents.com/bsavacongress2023.
Bringing together people working at the cutting edge of small animal and equine osteoarthritis treatment with the companies driving technology, supplies and services, the Veterinary Osteoarthritis Congress is open to both VOA members and non-members, including veterinary surgeons, nurses, physiotherapists and others engaged in hydrotherapy and rehabilitation.
Day 1 has two small animal streams – session headings include ‘Managing OA’ and ‘Dealing with chronic pain’; and an equine stream looking at ‘Multidisciplinary management of OA’, ‘OA treatment options’ and ‘Unusual presentations’.
On day 2, ‘Biomodulation in OA’, ‘Working dogs’, ‘Mobility clinic’, and ‘Feline OA focus’ will run alongside sessions on ‘Rehab in action’, ‘Surgery in OA’ and ‘Dietary supplements’.
There’ll also be case presentations and interactive sessions on both days, with demonstrations and lectures from some of the leading firms.
Seven sessions in each stream offers two days of CPD.
After the first day’s sessions there’ll be a happy hour followed by a gala dinner in the Kings Hall. The event is being sponsored by Animalcare (Platinum), TVM UK and the Canine Hydrotherapy Association (Gold) with more to be announced soon.
Professor Stuart Carmichael, co-founder and director of the VOA, said: “Exciting developments are happening in veterinary OA, so we felt now is the right time to put this event on.
"There’s nothing specialist about osteoarthritis treatment and management: every small animal and equine practice deals with OA every day.
“There’s a real need and enthusiasm for bringing the latest thinking to as wide an audience as possible, so VOACON offers sessions for all members of the practice, whatever their interest is, along with rehab and physio teams.
"It’s actually been pretty difficult fitting everything in, but we’re confident we’ve got a great programme offering real, practical CPD that will benefit practices, their clients and their patients.”
Delegate rates for VOA members are:
Non-members (who can join the VOA when booking to qualify for members’ rates):
Rates include a hot buffet lunch, congress book and CPD certification.
To book or to download the programme, visit www.vet-oa.com/voacon.
The poster gives information about things like lillies, chocolate, raisins, fertilisers, weedkillers and adders.
TVM will also be running its annual social media campaign about the most common spring dangers, giving practices digital content which they can share with clients.
To get a poster for your practice, contact your local TVM territory manager or visit https://www.tvm-uk.com/pet-dangers-order-free-display-materials-for-your-practice.
During the day, visiting RVNs will be treated to a tour of the state-of-the-art, £16 million, 40,000 sq ft hospital, which opened last summer.
Nicola Barrigan, Head of Nursing Services at Southfields, said: “The open day will give visitors an informal opportunity to speak to members of our nursing team in relaxed surroundings to find out a bit more about what life is like here at Southfields.
“There will also be the chance for them to attend nurse-led presentations, including Q&A sessions, chat with our clinicians and discuss progression opportunities with the Linnaeus professional development team.
"Information will also be available on our post-registration programme.”
The open day will begin with pastries and refreshments at 8:45am.
Hospital director Daniel Hogan, himself an RVN, will then give an introduction to Southfields after which there will be a presentation about Linnaeus's referral nursing post-registration programme (PRP) and progression at the hospital.
There will then be a meet the team session with both vets and RVNs, plus a Q&A session before a lunch is provided at 12.30pm, followed by a tour of the hospital and oncology building.
To end the day, there is an optional CPD featuring bite-size nursing sessions from 2pm to 4pm.
To sign up, visit: https://southfields.co.uk/nurse-open-day.