The RCVS is to launch a consultation in the New Year on proposals to allow all RCVS-registered veterinary surgeons to use the courtesy title 'Dr'/'Doctor', and is seeking the views of all members of the veterinary and veterinary nursing professions, and the general public.

The proposals were raised by RCVS President Stuart Reid at RCVS Day in July 2014, with the aims of aligning the UK with international practice, providing greater clarity for the profession and offering reassurance to clients and the animal-owning public that all veterinary surgeons registered with the RCVS, regardless of where they qualified, have veterinary degrees of an appropriate standard.

In his speech in July, Stuart highlighted that most international veterinary surgeons use the title and that, in Australia and New Zealand, this is frequently tied to registration and professional standing, rather than necessarily academic attainment. He went on to outline that, of the three main clinical degrees in the UK, ie medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine, only veterinary surgeons do not use the courtesy title 'Doctor'.

Stuart added: "given the fact that all continental EU graduates carry the title 'Doctor', there is now a greater chance of confusion for the lay public than previously.

"This is now an opportunity to provide, for those UK veterinary surgeons who wish it, the legitimate use of a title that offers a level of parity with fellow medical professionals."

The key objective of the consultation is to gauge whether the public and the profession are in favour of the proposal, not in favour of it, or don't mind either way. If agreed, the use of the title would be optional, although the College would regulate its use through theRCVS Code of Professional Conduct.

Background information and draft guidance on using the title is available to read on the RCVS website at www.rcvs.org.uk/doctortitle, from where respondents can follow a link to answer the consultation questions.

The consultation will open officially on Tuesday, 6 January for six weeks (deadline for responses is 5pm on Monday, 16 February) although it is already available to view via the RCVS website, to allow more time for responses over the Christmas and New Year break.

Do you think vets should be called Dr? Discuss here.

The RCVS has published a guide for student veterinary nurses and providers of veterinary nursing education regarding fitness to practise issues.

The new guide, entitled Fitness to Practise – A Guide for UK Providers of Veterinary Nursing Education and Student Veterinary Nurses, was produced by a Working Party comprising representatives of the RCVS Veterinary Nurses Council as well as representatives from a variety of training providers and the British Veterinary Nursing Association. Although each training provider will have in place its own specific guidelines and procedures for dealing with fitness to practise cases, training providers are encouraged to have regard to this guidance as an example of good practice.

The guide, an equivalent of a previously published guide for student veterinary surgeons, is split into two parts: the first part provides guidance for training providers on recognising and addressing fitness to practise concerns; the second part sets out the broad principles of fitness to practise that student veterinary nurses should follow, and that training providers should expect and uphold.

Kathy Kissick, Vice Chair of Veterinary Nurses Council and Chair of the Working Party that produced the guide, says: “I am delighted with the completion of the student veterinary nurse fitness to practise guide. This guide will enable student veterinary nurses and educators to have clear guidelines and procedures to enable professional standards to be established and maintained throughout training, regardless of the training route being undertaken.

“This guide was produced with the input of veterinary nurse educational institutions and will help all training providers to prepare their veterinary nursing students for the rigours of professional registration and regulation.”

The guide can be downloaded for free from www.rcvs.org.uk/publications.

The Society for Companion Animal Studies (SCAS) has launched a distance learning course aimed at veterinary professionals working with individuals and families facing pet bereavement.

Officially accredited by the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA), the course considers many forms of bereavement including the loss of a pet through illness, disease, ageing, accidental trauma or enforced separation due to changes in the owner's personal circumstances.

SCAS says the 'Pet Loss Support in Veterinary Practice' course has been co-written by leading international experts in pet loss support and aims to provide the specialist knowledge and skills required by the entire veterinary practice team. It offers up-to-date, in-depth information on many aspects of pet loss, including euthanasia; specific guidelines for children and older people; after death body-care and effective communication skills.  The course provides practical guidelines and tips on how to introduce pet loss support protocols into practice management and also looks at self-care for staff, offering useful suggestions on how to recognise and minimise possible signs of stress and burnout. 

Elizabeth Ormerod BVMS MRCVS, Chairman of SCAS said: "We should not underestimate the potential effects of grief on people's mental health and well-being and as vets we need to recognise the impact of pet loss on our clients and support them more fully than we currently do. Failure to fully understand and support the human-companion animal bond also has an adverse impact on animal welfare, and a negative effect on the success of a veterinary practice. Fifteen percent of clients who are not supported following pet loss choose never to adopt another companion animal. Of those who do adopt again, there is generally an extended interval before adoption and the likelihood of registering the new pet at a different veterinary practice."

The 'Pet Loss Support in Veterinary Practice' course is delivered through a distance learning programme, and students can register at any point during the year. The course, which includes all materials (a workbook and CD), is currently available at the special introductory offer of £375.  SCAS members and members of BVNA receive a discounted rate of £325.  Upon successful completion, students will be awarded 45 hours of CPD learning.  For more information contact SCAS on 01993 825539 or email pbsstraining@bluecross.org.uk  

The British Veterinary Association has announced the results of the Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey, which found that 84% of veterinary surgeons give up time to work with animal charities and shelters. 

72% have a formal arrangement with charities to provide their time and veterinary expertise at a reduced rate, while more than 43% work completely unpaid for animal charities and shelters; treating thousands of abandoned, mistreated or injured animals each year.

The charitable work undertaken by practitioners varied from practice to practice, but included:

• Work with local animal shelters and national animal charities to provide a range of pro bono or reduced fee services, such as health checking, medicating and treating, neutering and vaccinating.
• Provision of veterinary care at animal shelters and rescue centres, ranging from treating injured wildlife to caring for abandoned and mistreated dogs and cats.
• Giving veterinary advice to homeless people and those in housing crisis, and care for their dogs as part of the Dogs Trust Hope Project. Vets also support other projects, such as the Freedom Project, which temporarily fosters animals belonging to families fleeing domestic violence.
• Teaming up with charities to provide neutering, especially for owners on limited incomes. Vets helped neuter 158,000 cats and kittens with Cats Protection in 2014 alone.
• Over 300 veterinary practices undertake work for the charity PDSA, providing treatment to animals of owners on means-tested benefits. The scheme ensures some of the most disadvantaged people in society can access veterinary treatment to keep their pets healthy.

On top of all that, veterinary surgeons also provide emergency treatment for stray and wild animals brought in by the public. Although they will sometimes receive a charitable donation towards the cost of treatment through schemes like the RSPCA Initial Emergency Treatment (IET) Scheme, that is by no means always the case.

RSPCA Chief Veterinary Officer James Yeates said: "Vets’ work in this area can go unrecognised but it is appreciated by the RSPCA that they are part of the team trying to help animals. The RSPCA is dedicated to helping animals most in need and relies on vets’ welfare work to help bring a stop to the suffering of all animals." 

BVA President Sean Wensley, said: "Behind these statistics are countless stories of veterinary teams – who already often work long, demanding hours – giving their time for free to support animal rescue staff and charities to care for abandoned, injured and neglected animals, as well as help owners to keep and care for much loved animals in times of hardship and crisis. The UK’s network of animal charities and rehoming centres do a fantastic job protecting wild and domestic animals each year. Animal welfare legislation is clear that animal keepers and owners are responsible for meeting their animals’ needs, and prospective animal owners must be aware of the cost and time commitment involved in animal ownership, but we appreciate people’s circumstances can change."

Photo: Javier Brosch/Shutterstock

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association has published a new edition of its Manual of Canine and Feline Musculoskeletal Disorders, revised and updated under the direction of a new editorial team.

The new editorial team is comprised of Gareth Arthurs and Rob Pettitt, both RCVS Recognised Specialists in Small Animal Surgery (Orthopaedics) and Gordon Brown (no, not that Gordon Brown), an RCVS Diplomate in Small Animal Surgery (Orthopaedics).

Given the considerable evolution in the diagnosis, understanding and treatment options for many orthopaedic disorders, this second edition includes the investigation of lameness, including the use of force plates and kinematics, the current understanding of elbow dysplasia and the wide array of available treatment options, and diagnostic and surgical arthroscopy.

New, advanced surgical techniques, such as tibial osteotomy for cranial cruciate ligament disease, cementless total hip replacement for hip dysplasia and replacement of the trochlear sulcus for patellar luxation have been covered, together with guidance on the level of training and experience necessary to achieve consistently good results.

The manual is divided into four principle sections:

• Lameness investigation
• Musculoskeletal disorders
• Principles of orthopaedic surgery
• Management of specific disorders, ordered by individual joints.

The joint-specific chapters all follow a similar format, comprising the main chapter and then, where relevant, imaging and operative techniques. 

Gareth Arthurs, one of three editors, said: "We feel privileged to have worked with such a broad range of talented authors whose combined international skills, knowledge and experience is impressive and very difficult to match. It has truly been a privilege to work with such a team of inspiring veterinary surgeons with expertise in various fields, and we are confident that the talent of each individual shines through their chapter".

The second edition of the BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Musculoskeletal Disorders is available from the BSAVA website: www.bsava.com or by phone: 01452 726700. The online edition is available from: www.bsavalibrary.com

The RCVS Disciplinary Committee has decided 'no further action' in a case against Bristol-based Nikolay Kirilov Radev MRCVS.

The committee considered 5 separate charges against Dr Radev, relating to his treatment of a Yorkshire Terrier and Shih Tzu cross called Pickles at a Vets4Pets veterinary practice in Oxford between 5 October 2015 and 1 November 2015. The charges related to Dr Radev failing to provide adequate and/or appropriate care to the animal and failure to keep detailed clinical records. 

After hearing the evidence from Dr Radev and the complainant, the College submitted that it wished to withdraw charges 1(i) and 1(ii) on the basis of insufficient evidence. In addition, Dr Radev had already admitted charges: 1(iii)(b), 1(iv)(d), 1(v), 4(i)(a) and 4(ii)(a) but denied the remaining charges. Of these remaining charges the Committee found charges 1(iv)(a), 2(i), 2(iv), 3(i) and 3(ii) proven with the rest not being proven. 

The charges admitted or found proven were that Dr Radev:

(1) On 5 October 2015, failed to provide adequate and/or appropriate care and/or treatment to Pickles, more particularly in that he:

(iii) Failed to offer and/or undertake adequate investigations into Pickles’ condition, more particularly in that he failed to offer and/or undertake:

(b)   urine tests;

(iv) Failed to put in place and/or document an adequate management plan for Pickles, more particularly in relation to:

(a) adequate direction and/or advice regarding a review of Pickles’ condition within a clearly defined number of days;

(d) collection of urine at home for analysis on review at the practice;

(v) Having noted that he suspected renal disease, prescribed meloxicam when the same was contraindicated for dogs with renal disease; 

(2)   On 28 October 2015, failed to provide adequate and/or appropriate care and/or treatment to Pickles, more particularly in that he:

(i) Failed to take and/or record an adequate history from Mrs Pancott in relation to Pickles’ condition and/or clinical signs since 5 October 2015;

(iv) Failed to provide adequate direction and/or advice regarding a date for a review of Pickles’ condition within a clearly defined number of days;

(3) On 30 October 2015, having been informed that Mrs Pancott had telephoned the practice with concerns about Pickles, including blood in the faeces;

(i) Failed to note the matter in Pickles’ medical records;

(ii) Failed to take sufficient steps to obtain more information from Mrs Pancott or to ensure that Mrs Pancott was advised to seek veterinary attention for Pickles in relation to her concerns;

(4) On 1 November 2015, failed to provide adequate and/or appropriate care and/or treatment to Pickles, more particularly in that he:

(i) Failed to interpret the blood tests adequately and/or take appropriate and adequate action in relation to the results of those blood tests, more particularly with regards to:

(a) blood glucose;

(ii) Failed to offer and/or undertake adequate investigations into Pickles’ condition, more particularly in that he failed to:

(a) offer and/or undertake urine tests.

In considering these charges the Disciplinary Committee found that only charge 4(ii)(a) – namely the failure to correctly interpret and act upon the results of a blood glucose test – amounted to serious professional conduct with the rest not passing the threshold of disgraceful conduct in a professional respect. The Committee did not consider that in addition the cumulative effect of all the proven charges taken together amounted to serious professional misconduct.

In relation to the cumulative effect of all the proven charges Professor Alistair Barr, chairing the Committee and speaking on its behalf, said: "The Committee noted that Dr Radev had made errors in relation to one patient but on four separate occasions. These were, for the most part, individual failures at the lower end of the scale of seriousness. Taking into account all of the failings, the Committee in its judgement did not consider that the nature and number of errors and the period of time over which they took place justified a cumulative finding of disgraceful conduct."

In considering the sanction for Dr Radev the Committee took into account a number of mitigating circumstances including the fact that Dr Radev had undertaken suitable training and development in the areas in which he made mistakes, had demonstrated good insight into his conduct and had made some open and frank admissions early on in proceedings. It also considered that the one charge that was found to be serious professional misconduct was a single, isolated mistake linked to Dr Radev’s inexperience.

Professor Barr said: "The Committee considered that taking ‘no further action’ was appropriate and proportionate having considered the history of the case, the Committee’s overall findings and the good reports of Dr Radev’s performance in the two years since the matter which had led to the finding of disgraceful conduct in a professional respect."

The decision to take no further action was also influenced by the length of time it had taken the charges to be heard by the Committee, the positive character references about Dr Radev from professional colleagues and the fact he was unlikely to repeat such conduct in the future.

Surrey-based North Downs Specialist Referrals reports that it has had 'extraordinary' results using electrochemotherapy, a form of targeted chemotherapy, after it eradicated all traces of disease in its first tranche of eight patients since the start of last November.

In one case, Tigga, a 17-year-old cat with an itchy and destructive tumour on her nose, was in complete remission within 44 days. In another case, a tumour vanished in a dog where the aim of the treatment was only to shrink the mass before an operation to remove it.

NDSR, which is based in Bletchingley, is the only referral centre in the UK and one of very few in the world offering electrochemotherapy in pets.

Electrochemotherapy is given in two stages.

First, the patient is given a mild dose of intravenous chemotherapy in the normal way and then, using a probe, a precise electrical charge is given to the area on or around the tumour.

This temporarily opens up tiny holes in the cells, big enough to allow the drug to enter, which then close again in microseconds. This means the drug will only attack cancerous cells, unlike normal chemotherapy, which also kills healthy cells. 

Gerry Polton, clinical director of oncology at NDSR, said: "Normal chemotherapy works on the principle of being more damaging to cancer than non-cancerous tissue. Some cancers are more resilient, so there are differences in how they respond to treatment, and this can cause more harm to the patient. 

"Electrochemotherapy involves clever anatomical targeting of a specific site and is an effective way of protecting healthy cells.

"The results we are seeing in cases like Tigga’s are unprecedented and we are learning about the procedure all the time. We are always looking for better ways of treating cancer without the effect of harming the patient indiscriminately and this has proved to be a very effective way of doing this."

According to NDSR, the results could help inform the development of the targeted treatment in humans, where electrochemotherapy is used in a small number of cases in the NHS.

At present, many clinical trials are carried out on laboratory animals which are bred with no immune system – but dogs have similarities in genetics to humans and have working immune systems, meaning they can provide a more accurate parallel for how the treatment may work in people.

Gerry said: "A pet dog would be a good model for human cancer studies. It's a mammal with a heartbeat, blood supply and working immune system.

"Progress with electrochemotherapy in animals is being made in parallel with progress in electrochemotherapy in the human field, and what we are learning may even inform what is happening in people.

"Electrochemotherapy is a form of treatment which Cancer Research UK describe as 'fairly new' on its website, with limited information about its effectiveness. So maybe something would be gained from learning together."

The RCVS has announced that it will be holding a free lunchtime webinar next week about its alternative dispute resolution (ADR) trial and its outcomes.

The webinar, titled ‘Who ADRs wins’, takes place at 1pm on Monday 7 December via The Webinar Vet and will be presented by RCVS Registrar Gordon Hockey and RCVS Council member Niall Connell who was part of the Advisory Panel to the ADR trial.

The trial, which has been administered by Ombudsman Services, began in November 2014 in order to develop a system that addresses the many concerns received by the RCVS about the conduct of veterinary surgeons which it cannot deal with under its statutory powers.

During the webinar, Gordon and Niall will explain the roles of Ombudsman Services and the Advisory Panel, as well as examine the outcomes of some of the concerns handled by the trial. 

They will also discuss the future of the ADR scheme. Following the presentation, listeners will have the opportunity to put their questions to the speakers.

Visit www.thewebinarvet.com/the-rcvs-alternative-dispute-resolution-scheme to register for the webinar. A recording of the webinar will be made available shortly after the event.

The RCVS has announced the launch of its final consultation in the latest review of the Practice Standards Scheme (PSS), and is seeking feedback on the proposed detail of the revised Scheme.

The College says that in particular, it needs feedback about the new system of Awards for RCVS-accredited practices.

Following the College's commitment to review the PSS every five years, this is the second such review since the voluntary practice accreditation system was launched in 2005. After gaining extensive feedback from PSS members and the wider profession through previous consultations and focus groups, and the collaborative approach taken by members of the Practice Standards Group, there have been a number of significant redevelopments to the Scheme, which are due to be rolled out later this year.

The revised Scheme will no longer just consider facilities and equipment at a particular site, but will focus on all areas of the practice, emphasising the outcomes and behaviours that impact on the veterinary care of animals. Whilst the existing accreditation categories of Core Standards, General Practice and Veterinary Hospital will remain, the revised Scheme will provide a pathway for practices to improve and more easily demonstrate where they excel.

Jacqui Molyneux, Chairman of the Practice Standards Group said: "One of the most significant additions to the Scheme is that practices will be able to apply to be inspected for additional Awards in specific areas. If successful, they would then be able to promote themselves as 'Good' or 'Outstanding' in these areas to their clients.

"The main aim of this consultation is to seek feedback on the Awards, and to check we have set the Awards criteria appropriately, so I would urge the profession to have a look at the proposed framework, and to send us their views."

The consultation, which is available to complete via the RCVS website, also seeks feedback on the guidance that's provided to help practices meet the Scheme requirements, along with a small number of questions about specific areas. The requirements themselves remain largely unchanged, so are not subject to review.

The modules, requirements, guidance and Awards framework for small animal, equine and farm animal practices are detailed in three separate documents that are available to download from www.rcvs.org.uk/pssconsult2015. This page also contains further details about the consultation and instructions on how to submit feedback.

The consultation is open until 5pm on Monday, 23 March 2015.

A new epidemiological study from the VetCompass Programme at the Royal Veterinary College has revealed that certain breeds of bitches are more predisposed to urinary incontinence.

The study, Urinary incontinence in bitches under primary veterinary care in England: prevalence and risk factors, which will be published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice, also found that other factors such as weight, neuter status and age also play key roles.

The authors hope that the study findings will provide an evidence base that allows veterinary surgeons to enhance their clinical recommendations for higher risk bitches.

The study was based on a population of 100,397 bitches attending 119 veterinary clinics across England. The main findings included: 

• Urinary incontinence affects 3.14% of bitches overall, but affects over 15% of bitches in some high-risk breeds
• High-risk breeds include the Irish Setter, Dobermann, Bearded Collie, Rough Collie and Dalmatian
• Bitches weighing above average for their breed had 1.31 times the odds of urinary incontinence compared with bitches weighing below average
• Older bitches were also predisposed, with bitches aged between 9 and 12 years old having 3.86 times the odds compared to younger bitches
• Neutered bitches had 2.23 times the odds compared with entire bitches

The study also gave evidence on the welfare impact from urinary incontinence. Almost half of cases (45.6%) received medical therapy for the condition. In addition, of the bitches that died during the study period, urinary incontinence was recorded as either contributory or the main reason for death in 16.7 % of these deaths.

RVC veterinary epidemiologist and VetCompass researcher Dr Dan O’Neill said: "This urinary incontinence study has uncovered dramatic breed predispositions that have previously been hidden to vets and owners.

"Overall, about 3% of bitches were affected but this rose to over 30% in the Irish Setter and over 20% in the Dobermann with many other breeds also predisposed.

"Vets can now use these results to alert owners to typical clinical signs in order to ensure earlier treatment and better outcomes. The study also suggests increased risk in heavier and neutered bitches.

"Following on from this study, a VetCompass Masters project supported by BSAVA PetSavers is working to unravel these associations in order to identify potential preventive strategies, especially in those highly predisposed breeds."

The paper is available in Early View on Wiley Online Library ahead of publication in the JSAP at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsap.12731/full

Reference

1. Urinary incontinence in bitches under primary veterinary care in England: prevalence and risk factors, D. G. O'Neill, A. Riddell, D. B. Church, L. Owen, D. C. Brodbelt and J. L. Hall. Journal of Small Animal Practice. Accessed online 7th December.

Photo: ©Diane Peace Collection / The Kennel Club

Ceva Animal Health has launched a new TV advertising campaign to raise awareness of the benefits of the veterinary behavioural product, Feliway.

The new advertisement, features the new 'Feliway' purple cat playing happily in the home with its family.

The advertisement will appear on the major UK channels including More 4, E4, ITV 1, Sky Channels and the Discovery Channel for one week from 16^th September 2013, with an additional three weeks coverage during October 2013.  Behind the scenes' footage of the filming of the advertisement can also be viewed on the Feliway YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtAXd5mReYc6JGufxRirvng?feature=watch

A Feliway video on demand and YouTube campaign will be available to viewers between 16^th September 2013 and 21^st October 2013 and will be repeated between 15^th November 2013 and 2^nd December 2013. 

An Adaptil video on demand campaign will be aired between 21^st October 2013 and 11^th November 2013 to raise awareness of Adaptil in the run up to and during the firework season. The video on demand will be available across ITV player, Sky Anytime On Demand, 4oD and YouTube.

For more information, call 01494 781510 or contact your local Ceva territory manager.

The RCVS and the BVA have called on the government to add veterinary surgeons to the Shortage Occupation List as part of the UK’s preparations for leaving the European Union.

The organisations made a joint submission to the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) as part of its review into the Shortage Occupation List which began in autumn 2018 and will report back in spring 2019.

The BVA and the RCVS had previously made calls for the profession to be added to the list in 2017 when the MAC held a call for evidence on the impact of the UK's exit from the EU on various professions. The latest submission is a development on this previous submission, focused on the need for the post-Brexit immigration system to recognise the issues affecting the veterinary workforce, which is already under-capacity, and reiterating its importance in areas such as public health, food safety, disease surveillance and control, education, research, clinical practice and animal welfare.

The submission details how the demand for veterinary services does not currently match supply and that the UK is therefore reliant on overseas registrants, particularly from the rest of the EU, who currently make up around 50% of new registrants in a given year.

The RCVS and BVA add that, in the post-Brexit immigration system, this reliance on overseas vets needs to be recognised by adding veterinary surgeons to the Shortage Occupation List, thus reducing the immigration requirements needed for overseas veterinary surgeons to live and work in the UK and streamlining the application process for employers.

Amanda Boag, RCVS President, said: "We wanted to use this submission as an opportunity to reiterate the circumstances currently facing the profession, particularly in light of the uncertainties around the UK’s exit from the EU and the impact this could have on the supply of veterinary workforce from the rest of the EU, which is crucially important in a number of areas. We need, therefore, for veterinary surgeons to be immediately added back to the list so that we can ensure that this flow of workforce continues and that animal health and welfare is protected.

"In the meantime we are continuing to work with BVA and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to look at how we can develop ‘home-grown’ veterinary capacity in the UK through expanding the UK veterinary education sector, increasing retention rates within the profession, and looking at how the veterinary team could be reformed to allow allied professionals, such as veterinary nurses, to take on extra tasks and free up veterinary time. However, these are all long-term projects and not quick fixes to the issues facing the profession."

As well as calling for a future immigration system to prioritise the veterinary profession, RCVS and BVA also recommend that veterinary employers be exempt from the Immigration Skills Charge to avoid additional barriers or burdens to the employment of overseas vets and recommend that there is no minimum earning cap for veterinary surgeons applying for work visas, on the basis that veterinary surgeons are "skilled professionals who may choose to work in the UK for reasons other than remuneration".

Simon Doherty, BVA President, said: "It is in MAC’s gift to reinstate vets on the Shortage Occupation List and this evidence makes a strong case for it to happen as quickly as possible.

"Vets deliver multiple benefits to animal health and welfare, public health and food safety, and they have a crucial role to play in future trade deals and keeping standards and confidence in UK exports high.  The profession is also indebted to a high proportion of skilled EU vets who have chosen to make the UK their home and place of work. 

"With this in mind, the future immigration system must be geared around preserving veterinary capacity rather than introducing new layers of bureaucracy or restrictions on flexible movement between roles. We have raised concerns that extending the Immigration Skills Charge to EU workers would hit some areas of the workforce disproportionately hard, particularly the abattoir industry where 95 per cent of Official Veterinarians hail from overseas.

"With uncertain times ahead and demand for some veterinary services predicted to spiral after Brexit, it has never been more pressing to take decisive action to safeguard against shortfalls in capacity and give a vital vote of confidence in the veterinary workforce."

To read the full submission, visit https://www.rcvs.org.uk/document-library/joint-rcvs-and-bva-submission-to-migration-advisory-committee/.