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RCVS and BVA welcome call to add vets to Shortage Occupation List
The RCVS and BVA Submission reiterated the importance of veterinary surgeons in areas such as disease surveillance, public health and food safety.
Recommendation dubbed "a huge win for animal welfare"

The RCVS and the BVA have welcomed a recommendation by the Government’s Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to add veterinary surgeons to the Shortage Occupation List (SOL).

Professions on the SOL are given priority for visas required to live and work in the UK. Moreover, employers wishing to hire professionals on the list are not required to complete the Resident Labour Market Test. This means they would not have to advertise vacancies locally before offering the role to somebody overseas.

Last year, the RCVS and the BVA made a submission to the MAC raising concerns about how an already-stretched veterinary workforce would cope with an increased need for some services after Brexit. It stressed that demand in areas such as export certification would likely increase and that fewer veterinary surgeons from the European Union will be joining the register.

The Submission also reiterated the importance of veterinary surgeons in areas such as disease surveillance, public health and food safety, amongst many others.

Welcoming the MAC’s response, RCVS President Amanda Boag said: “We are very pleased to see that our submission, made with our colleagues at the BVA, has been welcomed by the Committee and that this recommendation will now be going to the key decision-makers at the Home Office for consideration. While we are still unaware of how the process of the UK leaving the EU will pan out, this is a very important step in ensuring the future security of the profession and mitigating against worsening workforce shortages.
 
“We would reiterate to the Government that the UK is currently reliant on overseas registrants to meet the demand for veterinary surgeons, with veterinary surgeons from the rest of the EU making up around 50 per cent of new registrants each year. By adding veterinary surgeons to the Shortage Occupation List, and therefore reducing the immigration requirements needed to live and work in the UK, the Government will be helping ensure vital veterinary work continues to be done particularly in areas such as food safety and public health.”

The BVA dubbed the MAC’s response as a “huge win for animal welfare and a resounding vote of confidence in the veterinary community.”

Simon Doherty, BVA President, said: “We are absolutely delighted that the committee has heeded our calls and recognised the need to reinstate vets on the list to keep workforce supply and resilience high in the unpredictable times ahead.

“Working with our members and stakeholders, BVA has run a concerted campaign to restore vets on the list, and we are delighted that these efforts have paid off. While this is a very welcome boost, the profession itself is also doing a huge amount of work to understand and address recruitment and retention challenges both now and into the future."

 

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.