Greater clarity call over vet nurse role expansion provokes debate

Sector leaders have been warned not to put veterinary nurses “in boxes” amid the continuing debate on how their roles might be expanded.

The plea followed calls for more specific guidance on the work that nurses can – and cannot – do under Schedule 3 of the Veterinary Surgeons Act.

Although new legislation is thought to be the main long-term vehicle for enabling expansion of the VN role, more recent attention has focused on what might be possible within the existing law.

But that also prompted calls for greater clarity around the issue when the topic was discussed at the BSAVA Congress and Expo in Manchester last month.

Little progress

One delegate suggested there had been little progress on the topic in the past 25 years, while BVA president Elizabeth Mullineaux was also among the voices calling for change.

Speaking from the floor, she said she was “really frustrated” for nurses by both the discussion and what she suggested was a lack of clear guidance from the RCVS.

She asked: “Why can’t the college just produce a list for all of you?”

‘White list’

But while the development of a so-called “white list” of permitted procedures was seen in some quarters as a starting point for discussion, other contributors to the debate were far more critical of the idea.

One delegate argued such a scheme would be “game over” for the progression of the nursing profession, while another demanded: “Stop trying to put us in boxes.”

Wrexham University senior lecturer Kelly Eyre said she was also more inclined to maintain the present system because of individual nurses’ differing circumstances.

Confidence

Meanwhile, the use of confidence and confidence charts was suggested as an alternative after RCVS VN council chairperson Belinda Andrews-Jones had spoken of feeling a need to “prove” herself in a large practice setting compared to a smaller team.

She was also cautious about the white list idea, telling delegates: “To say every single one of you can do this is difficult because you all have different skills, different knowledge, and it could be dangerous.”

Several case study scenarios are already outlined on the college’s website to show what nurses can and cannot do under the existing legislation.

But the organisation indicated it is also developing new guidance on the issue in its latest submission to the Competition and Markets Authority’s investigation of companion animal services.

Maximise opportunities

The document said: “There is more that can be done by VNs within a veterinary team approach to clinical care even without a new act, and we would encourage practices to consider maximising the opportunities available for VNs within their teams, where possible.”

The session also considered whether practices should charge lower fees for work done under Schedule 3 than they would for vets.

Although one delegate said their practice did that, most contributors felt there should be no difference and clients should not have a say on who did the work.