Code of Professional Conduct

The Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Surgeons was introduced in 2012 and provides (5.3) that:

Veterinary surgeons, and those applying to be registered as veterinary surgeons, must disclose to the RCVS any caution or conviction, including absolute and conditional discharges and spent convictions, or adverse finding which may affect registration, whether in the UK or overseas (except for minor offences excluded from disclosure by the RCVS). (These are referred to for ease in this protocol as convictions/adverse findings.)

From 1 January 2014, those applying to join the Register – whether for the first time or after a period of absence from the Register – must disclose convictions/adverse findings (for what this covers, please see sections 10-16 below.) Similarly, from 1 January 2014 veterinary surgeons already on the Register will have to disclose convictions/adverse findings as part of their annual renewal of registration.

The obligation to disclose convictions/adverse findings applies not only to those on the UK Practising Register but also to those on the Non-Practising Register and those registered in the ‘Practising Outside the UK’ category.