9 Jun 2025
Annual report made to RCVS’ VN council revealed that 64 concerns relating to RVNs were registered in the year up to 31 March 2025, up from 46 over the previous year.
Chris Simpson
Job Title
Image © Syda Productions / Adobe Stock
The head of the RVN Preliminary Investigation Committee (PIC) has expressed concern over the mental health impact investigations can have on veterinary nurses, as new figures showed complaints made about VNs have increased significantly.
An annual report made to RCVS’ VN council revealed that 64 concerns relating to RVNs were registered in the year up to 31 March 2025, up from 46 over the previous year – an increase of 39% – although the numbers remain well below those made in relation to veterinary surgeons.
Although most of the concerns related to nurses’ execution of their regular duties – 40 of the 64 fell under the category of veterinary care – RVN PIC chair Mark Stobbs is concerned about the impact the investigative process can have in cases involving mental health issues or addiction.
Speaking at the VN council’s May meeting, Mr Stobbs said: “There seem to be a number of those [cases] which lead to behaviours, particularly around controlled drugs and other poor behaviours, where this is in the background and there are times where what [nurses] have done is serious [so] you have to forward it.
“But I do worry about the impact on the health of the individual as well. I’m not sure we make their health situation better.”
He added the PIC team “is very good signposting the registrants to Vetlife and the other support available” and that members are “extremely sensitive” regarding mental health issues “insofar as you can, where you know you are dealing with a complaint which could be career-threatening”.
In March, an RVN was struck off after admitting to stealing drugs from practices where she had worked.
The number of complaints registered in relation to RVNs has more than doubled since 2019-20, when 27 were lodged.
Concerns raised regarding vets have also risen in that time, going from 533 in the year up to 31 March 2020 to 602 for the same period in 2023-24; figures for 2024-25 are yet to be published.
Mr Stobbs believes an increased level of awareness of vet nurses – and the ability to complain to a regulatory body – accounts for some of the uplift, along with an expected rise coinciding with an increase in the number of RVNs over the period.
Of the 64 concerns raised, 40 were closed by the PIC at the first stage of investigation, while a further 17 were still in that phase at the time of the council meeting.
Mr Stobbs said: “A lot of the complaints that we see are very, very sad cases where an animal has been lost. It is one of those things which sadly you will see regularly, it is nobody’s fault.”
He added: “We’ve had a very busy year. I was told that in the past we had to cancel meetings because there wasn’t enough business, [that is] certainly not the case now.”
