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RCVS Knowledge QI Champions announced
The awards recognise teams that have successfully implemented QI techniques.

The RCVS Knowledge Awards celebrate teams using quality improvement techniques.

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has revealed the veterinary teams which have won RCVS Knowledge awards for quality improvement in their practice.

The awards recognise professionals or practice teams which have implemented quality improvement (QI) techniques to improve the quality of their veterinary care, or promote antimicrobial stewardship.

Among this year’s Quality Improvement Champions is White Lodge Veterinary Surgery, in Devon. The surgery has been conducting pain management audits for patients undergoing bitch spays

This has enabled the surgery to improve these scores, and reduce how many dogs require analgesia.

Yorkshire Vets was also awarded the title, for work to reduce its carbon footprint. The project, led by the practice’s nurses, resulted in a reduction in both oxygen usage and volatile anaesthetic.

RCVS Knowledge named CVS Group’s South 4 Region team as its 2024 Antimicrobial Stewardship Champion.

The team has worked towards a 70 per cent reduction in its usage of long-acting antibiotics used for treating bite wounds and skin infections in cats. This supported them in using Highest Priority, Critically Important Antibiotics (HPCIAs) more responsibly.

RCVS Knowledge also recognised 21 applicants as ‘Highly Commended’, and five applicants as ‘Ones to watch’.

One applicant which RCVS Knowledge celebrated as 'Highly Commended' is Lauren Green, a student veterinary nurse at independent practice and FIVP member Warren House Veterinary Centre.

The student nurse engaged with the whole team to audit antibiotic usage in surgery, including creating new guidelines for peri-operative antibiotic selection. The practice has been able to reduce antibiotic use in routine surgery from 25 per cent to just six per cent.

Across both categories, the charity said that all the successful applicants had made use of its free resources to support their applications.

Ashley Doorly, head of quality improvement at RCVS Knowledge, said: "A massive congratulations to all of this year’s winners.

“The calibre of entries was extremely impressive, and it was fantastic to hear from so many veterinary professionals from across the country who’ve made quality improvement and antimicrobial stewardship a cornerstone of their work.”

Entries will open this summer for the 2025 awards. Applications go through a double-blinded peer review, and are scored based on their use of quality improvement techniques and their antimicrobial stewardship work.

More details about past winners and highly commended runners up are available here.

Image © Shutterstock

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Germany livestock import ban lifted

The UK government has amended its ban on the import of livestock, meat and dairy products from Germany.

Defra said the decision follows 'rigorous technical assessment' of the measures applied and the current situation. "If the situation changes, we will not hesitate to take necessary action in response to the FMD outbreaks in the European Union to protect our domestic biosecurity," it said.

The ban was implemented in January following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) near Berlin. Personal imports of meat, milk and dairy products will remain in place at a country level.