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 info@vetni.co.uk to secure your place.
Rescheduling of ketamine
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 this one has been superseded by NEW ADVICE from VMD.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.
RCVS launches new Practice Standards Scheme
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) launched the new Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) on 20 November 2015 to the veterinary and veterinary nursing professions. It is now open for applications for both practice accreditations and the brand new system of PSS awards.
The new Scheme is all about offering a pathway to improvement for practices of all shapes and sizes that want to aspire to excellence, and then highlighting these achievements to the animal-owning public in a way that is clear and easy to understand. Over half of all veterinary practice premises in the UK are already RCVS-accredited. The main changes to the Scheme, which was established in 2005, have been based on feedback from the profession and input from the Practice Standards Group (PSG), with the dual aims of making it more accessible for those practices which aren’t yet PSS members, and even more rewarding for those who are already accredited.
Whilst retaining the existing accreditation levels across small animal, equine and farm animal practices (current RCVS-accredited practices will be automatically transferred to the new Scheme), a new modular structure helps to make the Scheme more flexible and ensure all types of veterinary practice – from ambulatory services to veterinary hospitals – can join. This structure also recognises the contributions of the whole practice team, helping to raise standards across the board. Once accredited, practices can now apply for a range of optional awards that focus on outcomes and behaviours in specific areas, such as ‘In-patient Service’, ‘Team and Professional Responsibility’ and ‘Client Service’.
As an introductory offer, the RCVS is now inviting applications from practices that would be willing to help with a final round of testing of the new Scheme, to be in with a chance to win one of 20 free assessment days, worth £350. The offer is open from 20 November until Friday 4 December, and the first 20 practices drawn at random on 7 December will be allocated the free assessments.
Full details about the draw, the new Scheme and how to apply for accreditation and/or awards are available at www.rcvs.org.uk/newpss
Leading health orgs. call for proper use of antibiotics
Leading health organisations call for proper use of antibiotics.
Leading human and animal health organisations – the British Medical Association (BMA), British Dental Association (BDA), British Veterinary Association (BVA) and Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) – join forces for the first time to promote a ‘One Health’ approach to ensure responsible guardianship of antibiotics and their proper public use this European Antibiotics Awareness Day (EAAD, 18 November 2015).
Antibiotics are a vital medicine for both animal and human health, and modern health systems rely on the availability and effectiveness of a range of antimicrobials to treat and prevent infections. Yet inappropriate use – such as prescribing for self-limiting infections, not finishing a prescribed course of antibiotics or habitual prophylactic use in healthy animals to prevent disease – all contribute to the development of resistant bacteria in both humans and animals.
The effectiveness of antibiotics has led to greater pressure from patients to be prescribed antibiotics as a panacea for all cases. According to a recent BVA survey, three out of five vets see clients who expect antibiotics to treat their pets. Yet despite the expectation to prescribe, there is still a lack of understanding about responsible antibiotic use with 70% of vets reporting poor owner compliance and a recent study showing nearly 6% of households with leftover antibiotics prescribed for humans, meaning patients had stopped their treatment early.
For further information about EAAD 2015, please visit www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/EAAD
To mark EAAD 2015, BVA has produced a range of new posters to promote the responsible use of antibiotics for use in veterinary practices or as a source of information for pet owners which can be found on their website www.bva.co.uk/eaad.
SPVS salary survey
Below is a link from SPVS for the salary survey. This is a survey for all practice employees and partners if they wish anybody who replies will get a full set of results back. The finished results give a break down of salaries paid to vets , nurses , receptionists and practice managers broken down in a number of ways , region / years qualified / type of work they are doing etc. It also has a section on extras i.e. cpd allowances pension and etc.
The results are of great insight to both employers and employees looking to hire or be hired!! Of course the means , averages and median values take on more significance the more people that reply from each region. It only takes 4 to 5 minutes.
Your response would be appreciated.
http://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/SPVSsal2015/
Ever considered using your veterinary skills abroad?
Thinking of working abroad? The World Veterinary Service has helped many vets do just that and Managing Director James Florence is coming over to Northern Ireland to tell us more about the work of WVS. The NIVA Winter meeting, which is always highly social and includes seasonal refreshments, canapés and mince pies will be held on 2nd December at the Ramada, Shaw’s Bridge. For more details, see the flyer.
Our thanks go to MSD for their generous support of this event. We look forward to seeing lots of you at the Ramada!
Useful information from VMD
NIVA held a meeting on VMD Inspections and Anti-microbial Resistance in March last year which many NI vets attended.
For those of you who couldn’t attend this meeting the presentation slides are available to view by clicking the links below:
click here to download – What a VMD inspection entails and how best to comply by Jackie Catterall
click here to download – Antimicrobial Resistance – Why does it matter to me? by Robert Huey
click here to download – Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance by Helen Harley
YVN NI Meeting – An Introduction to AFBI’s Veterinary Science Division
The YVN NI have scheduled an interactive afternoon at the AFBI Stormont Laboratory. The event takes place on Wednesday 25th November between 2 and 5pm.
To register, contact yvn.ni@hotmail.com
For full details, see the flyer: YVN AFBI event 25.11.15.
Rick Sanchez – Ophthalmology CPD Meeting
A very successful CPD meeting was held in VSSCo , Ballinderry Road, Lisburn last Thursday evening, 5th November 2015. The meeting was so popular that it was fully booked two days before the event with many vets being disappointed at not being able to attend.
The evening got off to a great start at 7.30 pm with a delicious supper provided by Alex Berry. Many of the vets attending were able to catch with their colleagues
An excellent presentation by Rick Sanchez, Lecturer in Veterinary Ophthalmology then followed. Rick’s topics covered:
Corneal ulcerative disease 1: What is the cornea telling me and how should I respond?
Corneal ulcerative disease 11: taking the fear out of re-evaluation “and now what?”
As you can see (pardon the pun) Rick addressed a captive audience. His presentation lasted approximately an hour and a half and was followed by a question and answer session. Rick proved to be a very popular, interesting speaker.
President of the AVSPNI formally closed the meeting by extending her thanks to Rick for coming over to Northern Ireland to deliver his talk.
The popularity of this meeting emphasises the need to register early for any meetings in order to avoid disappointment. This can be done by contacting the VetNI office using the information detailed on the flyers.
AVSPNI Summer CPD & Social Event
The annual AVSPNI Summer CPD & Social Event was held on 10th June 2015 on a gloriously warm, sunny day at Andy Oliver’s Race yard in Co. Tyrone. Andy specialised as an Equine Vet before becoming a very successful trainer.
Approximately 40 Vets attended this AVSPNI Summer CPD meeting. It was a spectacular sight to behold the race horses, with their coats gleaming in the brilliant sunshine, head out to the Gallops. The event commenced with a delicious cold buffet lunch provided by Simply Irresistible accompanied by beer brought by the main sponsor Norbrook – the Ballyedmond family are diversifying into brewing. Once replete, the vets broke up into two groups. One was given a personal guided tour by Andy who informed them about the day to day running of his race yard. Andy also described in detail the various techniques (both veterinary and training) he uses in order to get the best from his racehorses. This was followed by a question and answer section. The second group received a clinical talk on “Gastric ulcers in foals and horses” from Dr Rebecca Froehlich-Kelly from Norbrook. Mid-afternoon, after some light refreshments, the groups swapped over. Mrs. Melanie Spahn, President of AVSPNI, delivered some closing words, thanking Andy for hosting the Summer CPD Day which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. She also thanked the principal sponsors, Norbrook and Sean from Botanica who also provided sponsorship and gave a short talk on his products. Following the CPD element of the day, the vets travelled to the nearby Ryandale at Moy for a lovely dinner, chat and “post mortem” on what proved to be a thoroughly enjoyable day.