We know from our e-mails that lots of you were eager to see the excellent programme of lectures on offer at the AVSPNI Small Animal Congress in beautiful Lough Erne Resort. The brochure is now available here and the registration form here.
TB Testing Supplier Open Day Info
As promised, following the two Supplier Open Days held 20th and 21st January, DARD have made the slideshow and also the Q&As available online. If you are currently TB testing in NI and have further questions regarding the new contract and procurement procedure, drop us a line at info@vetni.co.uk and we will pass your query on to DARD.
The link to the slideshow and Q&As is here.
692 Vet Nurses removed from the Register for not renewing their registration
Almost 700 veterinary nurses were removed from the Register of Veterinary Nurses at the beginning of this year as a result of not renewing their registration with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). Some 692 veterinary nurses had their names removed from the Register on 1 January 2016, although 205 subsequently applied to have their name restored to the Register.
A number of communications were sent to registered veterinary nurses last year to remind them that their annual renewal was due – including via email, text, letter, in RCVS News and
Nicola South, Customer Experience Manager and Head of Registration at the RCVS, said: “Veterinary nurses must renew their registration by the end of every year because, if their name is removed from the Register, they will no longer be able to perform acts of minor surgery or medical treatment as defined under Schedule 3 of the Veterinary Surgeons Act. Furthermore, the restoration fee is £51, this is in addition to the annual renewal fee of £61 for veterinary nurses, so it represents a significant extra cost.”
The RCVS recommends that practices carry out checks to ensure that veterinary nurses they employ are on the Register. A list of those who have been removed from the Register can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/registration/about-the-vn-register/
Employers, veterinary nurses and others can also use the online Check the Register search tool which is updated daily.
Those who have been removed from the Register of Veterinary Nurses and who wish to apply to be restored can do so by contacting the RCVS Registration Department on 020 7202 0707 or
registration@rcvs.org.uk
RCVS Annual renewal for veterinary surgeons to be sent by email this year
We know there are a few veterinary Luddites out there who, whilst willing and eager to develop their clinical skills are still reluctant to engage with the digital age as far as communication is concerned. If you know who we are talking about (!!) please flag up to them that RCVS is sending out renewals by e-mail this year. Also, if you want to simplify the renewal process by setting up a direct debit, you need to let the College have your DD mandate by 22nd January. Further information can be found here.
How’s your knowledge on reptiles?
Love ’em or loathe ’em, you can be sure they will be brought into your surgery at some point. If you need to brush up on a few basics in reptile health, husbandry, therapeutics and treatment, AVSPNI has just the evening meeting for you! Bairbre O’Malley quite literally wrote the book on the subject so who better to help you treat exotics more confidently? For full details, see the flyer.
AVSPNI’s ever-popular Omagh Day – 6th January 2016
Its a CPD day like no other . . . for starters, its held in a post-mortem laboratory and is always so popular that every available seat and stainless steel bench is occupied with vets; the talks are delivered by four vets currently practising in Northern Ireland and the best presentation is traditionally chosen by the President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. This year we welcome Dr Bradley Viner along to perform this difficult task and to present the beautiful Frank Mullan trophy to the winner.
Topics will include bovine liver biopsies, common types of lameness in racehorses, the advantages of myostatin testing and practical applications for MRI in small animal practice. The talks are followed by the AVSPNI AGM (members only) and a three course dinner at the Silver Birch Hotel. For full details please see the flyer and don’t forget to REGISTER by close of play on Monday 4th January if you plan to attend. Demand is expected to be so high that we will once again relay proceedings through to the staff-room at AFBI where there will be over-spill accommodation – once that is full we may have to turn away any unregistered delegates.
Here are a few pictures from last year’s event (January 2015) showing winner Carolyn Perkins receiving her trophy from RCVS President Stuart Reid, the handover of the AVSPNI Presidency from Alan Gordon to Melanie Spahn, vets listening to the presentations and our four speakers.
AVSPNI’s ever-popular Omagh Day – 6th January 2016
Its a CPD day like no other . . . for starters, its held in a post-mortem laboratory and is always so popular that every available seat and stainless steel bench is occupied with vets; the talks are delivered by four vets currently practising in Northern Ireland and the best presentation is traditionally chosen by the President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. This year we welcome Dr Bradley Viner along to perform this difficult task and to present the beautiful Frank Mullan trophy to the winner.
Topics will include bovine liver biopsies, common types of lameness in racehorses, the advantages of myostatin testing and practical applications for MRI in small animal practice. The talks are followed by the AVSPNI AGM (members only) and a three course dinner at the Silver Birch Hotel. For full details please see the flyer and don’t forget to REGISTER by close of play on Monday 4th January if you plan to attend. Demand is expected to be so high that we will once again relay proceedings through to the staff-room at AFBI where there will be over-spill accommodation – once that is full we may have to turn away any unregistered delegates.
Here are a few pictures from last year’s event (January 2015) showing winner Carolyn Perkins receiving her trophy from RCVS President Stuart Reid, the handover of the AVSPNI Presidency from Alan Gordon to Melanie Spahn, vets listening to the presentations and our four speakers.
Warning from RCVS about suspicious phone calls made to vets & VNs
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.
The latest research on heifer rearing
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.
Ketamine rescheduling – variations between NI and GB
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 j.catterall@vmd.defra.gsi.gov.uk
New guidance has been published by RCVS. You can access it here.
