19 May 2021
Views sought on the provision of 24/7 cover, the interpretation and application of an animal being under the care of a vet, as well as issues around remote consulting in the form of vet-to-client telemedicine.
Rachael Buzzel
Job TitleThe RCVS has launched the second stage of a major review of its guidance around the definition of “under care” and the provision of 24/7 emergency cover, with a survey that seeks the views and feedback of vets and vet nurses.
The three-stage review was recommended to RCVS council by the college’s standards committee in 2019, following its detailed exploration of the implications of new technologies for both animal health and welfare, and veterinary regulation.
The main areas under consideration include the provision of 24/7 emergency cover, and the interpretation and application of an animal being under the care of a veterinary surgeon.
The review also encompasses, but is not limited to, consideration of issues around remote consulting in the form of vet-to-client telemedicine.
Analysis of the information gained from stage one was used to develop the format and questions for an anonymous online qualitative survey, which asks veterinary professionals to reflect on what, for them, should underpin good regulations and guidelines for practice, as well as how these principles should be applied in particular situations relating to 24/7 emergency cover and “under care”, before inviting their views on how they would like regulations on these two areas to deal with any tensions between different desirable regulatory aims.
The feedback received from the survey will be used to help produce any changes to the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct, and its supporting guidance concerning “under care” and the provision of 24/7 emergency cover, which, under stage three of the review, will then be put out for full public consultation later this year.
Melissa Donald, who chairs the RCVS standards committee, said: “This review addresses fundamental questions about how we should continue to interpret ‘under care’ in a profession, and a society, that is largely unrecognisable to the one that first defined the term, and, at the same time, how we can continue to provide 24/7 emergency cover for those animals under our care.
“The original Vet Futures report also emphasised the impact technological advances may have on the veterinary professions, so we must ensure we have in place a regulatory framework that gives consideration to these potential changes, while ensuring animal health and welfare remain at its heart.”
The survey opened today (19 May) and will close on Wednesday 16 June at 5pm.
More information about the review can be found online.
