Views sought on proposed Royal Charter
Colonel Neil Smith, RCVS president
Veterinary nurses, surgeons and members of the public are being asked to share their views on proposals for a new Royal Charter, which would give the RCVS formal recognition as a regulator of the veterinary nursing profession.
Approved at an RCVS Council meeting in November, the new charter proposes to make veterinary nursing a formally regulated profession, similarly to veterinary surgeons.
Under new proposals, veterinary nurses who are removed from the Register due to serious professional misconduct would not be able to give medical treatment or carry out minor surgery under veterinary direction.
Nurses would still be subject to RCVS disciplinary procedures, and be required to abide by the Code of Professional Conduct and complete an average of 15 CPD hours each year.
The college has proposed to effectively combine the List and Register of Veterinary Nurses, so that the 1,100 listed veterinary nurses would join the 10,500 on the Register. In addition, veterinary nurses would become associates of the college and have the post-nominal letters RVN.
Alongside changes to the regulation of veterinary nursing, the college aims to state more clearly its role and remit, for example in advancing standards within the profession by promoting CPD and the Practice Standards Scheme.
A consultation paper has been launched to further explain the proposals, and the RCVS is calling on veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and members of the public to give their views on the new charter.
RCVS president Neil Smith explained: "The consultation paper explains why it is time to replace the 1967 Charter with a new version which sets out the role of the college.
"The present charter doesn’t explain what objects the RCVS should set out to achieve, and it is silent about veterinary nurses. The remit of the College should include being the regulator for the veterinary nursing profession, and we want a new charter to recognise registered veterinary nurses.
"We hope that the new charter will provide a solid basis for the work of the college for years to come. We would urge members of the professions and the public to let us know what they think and help us to make sure that we have got it right."
The consultation paper is available to download on the RCVS website, and those who wish to share their views must do so by email by Friday, February 7, 2014.
A meeting and webinar will be held by the RCVS early next year for those wishing to ask questions about the proposed charter. Contact the RCVS via email for further information about attending.
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
