Regulation for Vet nurses welcome but draft RCVS Charter too broad
Proposals for a new Royal Charter for the veterinary profession’s regulatory body, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), are too broad and need further consideration according to the British Veterinary Association (BVA).
BVA has submitted a consultation response to the RCVS draft Charter which welcomes the opportunity to clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the College, but outlines a number of areas needing further discussion.
Changes to the Charter that will provide for the regulation of veterinary nurses as associates of the College have been warmly welcomed by BVA, as well as the option to regulate other paraprofessionals in the future.
Areas where BVA is requesting further discussion with the College include:
• the broad scope for future activities given to the College: BVA is concerned that the wording in the draft Charter is such that additional activities of any sort could be justified at a later date, if deemed by the College to further the achievement of its objects, including those that are now, or should in the future be, within the remit of professional associations, rather than the regulator
• the proposed activities of “Supporting the continued development and examination of new knowledge and skills” and “Providing information services to the veterinary professions”: BVA believes these are very broad and could be more tightly defined to better accommodate the differentiation between regulatory and representative functions
• the proposal that the College “may establish, promote, encourage and support, financially or otherwise, any body… whose objects are similar to its own”: BVA believes this is far too broad and is seeking clarification on the types of organisation this may encompass
Commenting, Robin Hargreaves, President of the BVA, said:
“BVA has long supported the recognition of the role of veterinary nurses, who are an essential part of the veterinary team, and we welcome the proposals to provide a mechanism for regulation of the veterinary nursing profession.
“We also welcome the opportunity to update the Charter and clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the RCVS as the regulatory body for the veterinary profession. However, we have identified a number of areas in the draft Charter which we believe are too broad and which need to be discussed further and more narrowly defined.
“Although we have been assured informally that it is not the intention of the College to redefine its activities in a way that would encroach on the remit of BVA and our divisions, this is not explicitly reflected in the draft of the new Charter. While we accept that it is not the purpose of a charter to define what an organisation will not do, clearer and more constrained aims in the activity areas outlined would help to reinforce the trust that the College enjoys with its members.
“Any blurring of the line between regulating veterinary surgeons and advocating for the veterinary profession could undermine public trust in our regulatory system, and so we are asking the College to discuss with us our areas of concern so that we can frame the new Charter more clearly in everyone’s interests.”
