The RCVS received a number of reports from vets/vet nurses on 3rd December about suspicious telephone calls made to vet practices in different areas of the country.   In each case, the caller has given a forename, eg Felicity or Christine, claimed to be calling from the RCVS and asked for bank or payment card details in order to refund an over-payment of £235.75 made in June 2014.  Please note that RCVS would never ask for payment card or bank details, take payments or make refunds over the phone.  If you have received a similar phone call, or are concerned that you might have inadvertently passed on private financial information, please contact your local police.  The RCVS has emailed this information to all UK-based veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses.
Check RCVS website for any updates.

In partnership with MSD and Volac, AVSPNI invites its younger members to attend a heifer rearing workshop – “Feed for Growth” – at Greenmount College on 8th December. This all day event will include talks by, amongst others, Mike van Amburgh of Cornell University, Jamie Robertson of Livestock Management Systems Ltd. and Steven Morrison, programme leader of Sustainable Livestock Production at AFBI.   The technical content of the day makes it especially suitable for young vets and the more progressive young farmer so, practice principals, why not send along your youngest team member(s) and ask them to extend a personal invitation to forward-thinking young farming clients too?  For full details of this excellent day, see the flyer.

The earlier post about ketamine rescheduling has been superseded. The latest advice from VMD tells us that, although the ketamine changes were supposed to be coming in UK-wide, as the amendment to the Misuse of Drugs legislation hasn’t yet come into effect in Northern Ireland, the changes re. ketamine have not yet come into force here.   A ketamine register and secure storage is still required, but it is an RCVS requirement as part of vets’ Professional Code of Conduct (section 4.35).  It is also a requirement under the Practice Standards Scheme.  The VMD do recommend that ketamine is stored and transported securely and that a CD register is maintained but until the NI amendment comes in, this is a recommendation rather than a legal requirement. If you have any further queries please address them to [email protected]

New guidance has been published by RCVS.  You can access it here.

Sheena Warman is eminently well qualified to deliver a talk on “Bleeding Disorders” for AVSPNI. She is a Senior Clinical Fellow in Small Animal Medicine at the University of Bristol in the UK and spent 4 years in mixed practice before undertaking a residency in Small Animal Medicine and Intensive Care at the University of Bristol.  She gained RCVS and ECVIM Diplomas in Small Animal Medicine in 2004 and will deliver a lecture to NI vets and nurses at VSSCo on 3rd December which will incorporate a brief review of the pathophysiology and causes of bleeding disorders in dogs and cats and case-based discussion of the diagnosis and management of such cases.  The evening is open to vets and nurses (nurses places are limited so register early!)  Full details are on the flyer.  E-mail [email protected] to secure your place.

Please see most recent post on this topic . . . this one has been superseded by NEW ADVICE from VMD.  We have been asked by VMD to remind you all that the rescheduling of ketamine to Schedule 2 takes effect from 30 November 2015. In due course, information should appear on the DHSSP (www.dhsspsni.gov.uk) website regarding this, at which point, please make your own investigations at to see exactly how changes will affect you. My (layman’s) understanding is that in a nutshell, each bottle needs its own register (a bound book); stock must be locked in a non-portable container and of course there are strict guidelines re. disposal of product and syringe wastage. This is applicable to each and every bottle so if you keep stocks in your vehicle, please ensure that you comply, especially re. non-portable container.  We have been promised a FAQ sheet from VMD on this subject and will make this available via this website as soon as we have it.