Wednesday 18 November 2015

Presidental Update November 2015

The first weeks as President of BEVA have flown by and have involved representation of the membership at a range of meetings and events. We have moved around council members into a new committees to represent the make up of the new council. This include a new committee representing equestrian sports chaired by Roly Owers. This committee will create an important direct interface between BEVA and sports governing bodies and our members. It demonstrates BEVA’s commitment to a strong sports horse industry and the role that the veterinary profession plays in ensuring integrity and public support for such disciplines. This is particularly important given the impending changes to the Levy and ongoing internationalisation of sporting regulations. The closure of the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) is likely during this parliament. The future of racing depends on a sustainable funding model and the impasse between racing and the bookmakers over this year’s levy demonstrates why a change is so important. It is essential that a good deal for racing remains a good deal for the horse; the HBLB funds disease surveillance, research and education that focus on the racehorse, but extend well beyond that remit. We all depend upon their work, irrespective of the whether racehorses form part of our business.

I have visited Guildford twice since congress, firstly attending the Queens Award for Innovation ceremony for Hallmarq Veterinary Imaging. The fact that a veterinary company was being recognised for its innovation in this way is impressive, but the massive impact that Hallmarq has had cannot be under-stated. Their stubborn commitment to bringing this technology to equine practice has revolutionised our understanding and care of orthopaedic disease. It was a great honour to be able to represent BEVA in recognising this achievement. My second visit was to attend the opening of the new School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Surrey. This was an impressive event showcasing everything they have achieved in developing their facilities, but more importantly the enthusiastic team of staff who are committed to the next phase of revolutionising veterinary education. Of course, the most important part of any veterinary school is the students, and their enthusiasm and skills are evident; I am not sure that many second year veterinary students would want to be demonstrating their suturing skills the the Queen!

This will be the only new vet school opening I attend as President, but I am sure it will not be the only such opening that BEVA attends over the next few years. There remains a need for more veterinary graduates and the recent call by SPVS to open up the veterinary employment market beyond the EU proves this need still exists. We still only produce half of the veterinary graduates that work in the UK, with many others coming from Europe. Yet the UK produces some of the best equipped veterinary graduates in the world. We have just fed into a DEFRA consultation to determine whether the RCVS should have the power to demand English Language Qualifications for those coming from non-English speaking countries within the EU; similar to the GMC. BEVA believes that communication skills are such a fundamental part of the role of equine veterinary practice that this should be a standard requirement. Indeed, BEVA has provided guidance on this issue to members to help employers include english language requirements in job specifications and can be accessed here 

My personal view is that the only way to meet the demand for increased veterinary graduates is to train more. This means making more places available in the UK and, importantly, enticing young school leavers into the profession and keeping them there. The debate at congress, ‘does equine practice need to change to be more compatible with family life’, shows that many equine practices have already changed to be compatible with all forms of life. Work-life balance is essential to attract the brightest and best and to keep them here. While the focus of the debate was very much about supporting female members of the profession (mothers), we need to look to the future and ensure that a modern view of work-life balance is the norm throughout the profession, and not something earned only through procreation!

Once we can ensure a profession fit for the future then we need to train the future. There are advantages to training those increased numbers in new schools, since it drives innovation and change. However I do not believe the investment needed for establishing new school’s is justified if they do not provide something different. Either way, there will be increasing pressures on EMS. However our current reliance on non-UK graduates suggests that the profession is not really committed to the concept of EMS since non-UK (and Ireland) graduates are not required to undertake this additional year of training. We must not allow EMS provision limit the number of UK graduates trained each year, while at the same time providing equal recognition of training programmes outside the UK.

This week is World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, with European Antimicrobial Awareness Day on the 18th. This year EVJ is launching a special virtual issue raising awareness of this important subject to coincide with this event. Through the activities of BEVA and EVJ over the last 4 years we have shown that the equine veterinary sector are leaders in antimicrobial guardianship. I would encourage people to use this annual event to refresh their approach to antimicrobial use in their practice. More information will be made available during that week, including specific tools to raise awareness to horse owners. One paper in this month’s EVJ struck me as particularly important to all of use in equine practice. In a study from Kentucky, Thoroughbred Farms provided details of their worming regimes. Although there was widespread awareness of anthelmintic resistance, almost 70% still followed a traditional rotational worming programme and were unwilling to pay for faecal worm egg counts. Some in the UK are changing their approach to parasite control, but I suspect the numbers would be little different over here. This is clearly an area where BEVA needs to provide guidance and resources so that our members are able to promote responsible use. The full paper can be access here If you are struggling to access the full text contact the BEVA office who will help you with your login details.

I have spent many days in London at meetings representing BEVA and its membership. The unseasonably good weather has meant I have been able to make best use of ‘Boris Bikes’ to navigate the capital. I can recommend them, they are infinitely preferable to the rush-hour tube. Cycling in London is nothing like it was when I was a student; there are less cars, they respect bikes (on the whole) and there is a whole network of protected bike lanes. If you lack ‘the knowledge’ then there are some great cycling navigation tools for smart phones. My favourite is currently ‘Bike Hub’ and provides turn by turn cycling instructions (via a bluetooth earpiece) and is available for iPhones and android. It does occasionally crash, but it should tell you to go straight on at each junction. Silence indicates a problem. I can usually beat the tube travel times, and a whole day only costs £2. I recommend a good deodorant too!