Awards celebrate achievements in veterinary advancement

Winners have been announced in the 2023 RCVS Knowledge Awards, which included a new category for those tackling antimicrobial resistance in practice.

The awards, which have been running for five years, celebrate achievements in the profession for initiatives using quality improvement methods to advance veterinary care. They are open to anyone in the profession.

A new category was added for 2023 – Antimicrobial Stewardship Champions.

Winners

Quality improvement

The 2023 Quality Improvement Champions are:

• David Charles, who conducted an audit across multiple UK practices to gather data on ovine lambings and caesareans, and implemented training and recommendations related to the use of analgesia, antibiotics and adjunctive medications. The practices saw a reduction in prophylactic antibiotic use and an improvement in the provision of analgesia.
• Rosemullion Veterinary Practice, which conducted an audit aimed at improving infection control and cleaning methods in clinical and non-clinical areas. By updating protocols and providing training and education, the team significantly decreased the risk of environmental contamination.
• Leanne McLeod, who introduced a hypothermia audit that focused on pre-warming patients before general anaesthesia. By implementing new warming protocols, her team reduced the incidence of hypothermia from 100% to 16%.
• The RVC School of Veterinary Nursing, which incorporated quality improvement initiatives into post-registration qualifications, offering resources and guidance on conducting clinical audits and group discussions on the topic.

Antimicrobial stewardship

The 2023 Antimicrobial Stewardship Champions are:

• White Lodge Veterinary Surgery, which conducted a prospective audit to review antibiotic use in cat bite abscesses and treated 86% of their patients successfully without antibiotics.
• Rachel Forster, who reduced neonatal antibiotic use by 75% by implementing the Farm Vet Champions mantra “Plan Prevent Protect”, and conducting CPD sessions and client awareness meetings.
• Paragon Veterinary Referrals, which focused on preserving critically important antimicrobials through establishing an antimicrobial stewardship team, the development of guidelines and in-house CPD.
• Tonia Simms, who created a risk assessment and policy to reduce the routine use of prophylactic antibiotics in surgical calf castrates, which resulted in an increase in confidence and morale around antibiotic prescribing.

Applications

Chris Gush, executive director at RCVS Knowledge, said: “We were pleased to receive so many high-quality applications for the RCVS Knowledge Awards this year, which is a real testament to the profession’s growing dedication to using quality improvement techniques and advancing veterinary care.

“At RCVS Knowledge, we’re actively expanding our work in the antimicrobial resistance field, which is an issue in both veterinary and human medicine. Through the awards, we’re delighted to recognise those who are making valuable contributions towards combating the threat of antimicrobial resistance.

“Congratulations to all of the winners.”

The awards will be officially presented at Royal College Day on 7 July and more information is available at its website.