FAQs

If you’re using the online Professional Development Record, you can enter your CPD activities in any order, and it will guide you to pick the types of activity from a pick list. You can then sort the columns however you wish, by activity type, by date, subject area, location, or hours spent. You can also see at a glance from your summary record if you have uploaded further files, or entered notes against each activity.

If you’re using the printed version of the CPD Record Card, follow the headings on the table to give brief descriptions of the CPD you have undertaken. Under the heading "Where undertaken/Provider name" indicate not only the location, but also the name of the CPD provider or institution involved. For the subject area, it may be helpful to group different activities together under subheadings, e.g. clinical, non-clinical, practice or other management development activities.

Time is considered to be the simplest way to record CPD activities. It’s not always easy to measure the time spent on development activities, but an estimate of time (in whole hours) should be shown in the ‘hours’ column. If you’re working towards an external qualification, or taking part in a nationally accredited distance learning programme that includes interaction with tutors and others, include the name of the qualification towards which you are working, and the name of any courses you attend. Attendance at a whole day conference or course would normally constitute seven claimable hours; an evening meeting would normally count for 1 - 2 hours – but it’s up to you to be able to justify the number of hours you are claiming.

• Details of any travel and/or accommodation arrangements
• Details of the hearing venue
• Telephone number for the RCVS solicitor and venue (in case you are delayed)
• Reading glasses (if needed)
• A book or some other activity for whilst you are waiting to give evidence

You will be provided with refreshments on the day. A copy of your witness statement will also be available in the hearing room.

You do not need to do anything particular to prepare for the hearing as giving evidence is not intended to be a memory test and you are not expected to learn your statement by heart. However, before the hearing you will receive a copy of your signed witness statement and any exhibits attached to it. We recommend re-reading your statement before the hearing, to refresh your memory and check for any changes. If there are any changes (e.g. your role or place of work has changed), please let us know.

You might also receive a version of your statement which has been redacted (black boxes over some of the text). This is because, when the statement is initially taken, it might be quite broad in scope. However, the issues might have narrowed once the matter reaches the hearing stage and it may be unfair to have this information in the statement if it is no longer relevant. This is relatively common so is nothing to worry about it and by receiving both copies, you will be able to compare and contrast the redacted version against the original version.

Finally, you will need to make travel (and possibly accommodation) arrangements in advance. If you need any help with this, please let us know. Details on what can be claimed and up to what amount will be provided separately.

The main indication that the graduate has completed the PDP is whether they are able to perform a range of common clinical procedures, or manage them successfully without supervision. The common clinical procedures are those listed in the online PDP recording system.

The Postgraduate Dean will look for a broad range of experience across the majority of skill areas, as well as evidence through the notes and or case reports, that the graduate has assessed their performance against the general PDP Competences. This is not black and white and there is no mathematical formula to determine the ‘correct’ number of cases. Ideally, all skills and procedures will have been covered for one or other of the species areas, although this may vary from individual to individual. 

Sometimes, knowledge and experience is transferable from one species area to another, so there may be some cases entered across two or three species areas, even though the graduate is aiming to complete PDP in the context of one species area only. If in doubt, the graduate can email their Postgraduate Dean through the online PDR and ask for guidance. The Postgraduate Dean will review their records and advise on any areas that look ‘light’ compared to the average.

When the graduate believes that they have gained sufficient experience in their area of practice to meet the PDP Competences, they are invited to submit a signed declaration to this effect to the RCVS. A senior colleague or other mentor in the practice is asked to countersign the graduate’s declaration to confirm that there has been a discussion about their performance, and that they have seen the record of procedures as supporting evidence. The colleague or mentor in practice is not asked to assess the graduate’s competence when countersigning the declaration. (In signing their PDP declaration, the graduate should be reminded of the hazards of false certification.) 

Currently a one-year President chairs Council and takes on a huge range of other tasks. It is pitched at one year as it would be hard for someone in practice to take more than a year out of their busy working lives and this ensures diversity.

However, greater continuity would be very helpful for the governance role of Chair of Council, who works closely with the CEO and wider executive team.

Separating the chair of Council from the Presidency would create the potential for longer terms for chairs. It may also increase the number of candidates for both positions – some candidates may not feel that they have the time or skillsets to be both the public face of an organisation and an effective chair.

Graduates or members returning to work after a career break must be supported and assisted by senior colleagues until they are confident of their own ability to provide a full professional service. The RCVS strongly recommends that employers support their continued development through an appropriate appraisal system, to enable them to complete the PDP.

The PDP is more effective if the new or recent graduate can discuss their performance and development with a senior colleague or more experienced peer who will act as their mentor. The mentor should be familiar with their work, and should be the graduate’s first point of contact if they experience a problem and need to seek advice about their work. It will help if the employer allows the graduate some time each week to update their PDP records and case notes. Keeping a tally of cases should not take long if it is done regularly. Writing up case reports may take a little longer, but encourages more effective reflection on performance. It is also valuable preparation for those who will go on to study for a postgraduate certificate. Keeping reflective notes on cases for the PDP provides the evidence that the graduate is making clinical governance part of their professional activities, as required by the Code of Professional Conduct. Case notes and reports could also be used as part of clinical meetings within the practice as part of clinical governance.

Opportunities to take part in performance appraisal will vary from practice to practice and, in many cases, may be informal. Practices accredited under the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme need to ensure that the CPD records of their staff are up to date and this should include the PDP. The PDP can form a central part of appraisal meetings with a more recently qualified employee and will thus serve as evidence that they are undertaking their CPD. If PDP records are used to discuss the outcome of clinical cases and to monitor the new graduate’s progress, this may also help to demonstrate that the practice is monitoring its performance and taking part in clinical governance.

If the practice does not have a formal appraisal system in place, the employer should still make some time available on a regular basis to discuss how the graduate is progressing, so they can have an informed third party’s view of their progress. This need not take long, but it would help to arrange this in advance, so the graduate knows what to expect and can be prepared with any questions and concerns they might want to raise. 

It is perfectly acceptable to ask for the question to be repeated or rephrased or to say you do not understand. Equally, it is also acceptable to say you can’t answer the question (e.g. because it is outside of your knowledge or involves speculation). Everyone involved in the hearing knows that most witnesses have likely never given evidence before, so will try their best to ask clear and concise questions and be as understanding as possible.

In addition to all the training our assessors normally receive, there will be further training on the remote assessment process and content.

DC hearings represent the final stage of the RCVS concerns procedure. Hearings are generally held in public and follow standard court procedures. Whilst the hearing is formal, the barristers will not be wearing wigs or gowns and the DC is very aware that most witnesses will not have been in such a setting before so will be mindful to allow plenty of breaks.

The role of the DC is to make a series of decisions. The first decision is whether the facts are proven, e.g. did the incident(s) complained of take place. It is normally during this stage of the proceedings when you (and potentially others) will be called to give evidence. When making this decision, the DC must apply the highest civil standard of proof which is ‘to be sure’. This is the same as ‘beyond all reasonable doubt’ in criminal proceedings so it is a very high threshold.

If the DC finds that the facts are proven to this high standard, it must then decide whether the veterinary professionals conduct amounts to serious professional misconduct. To make this decision, the DC may hear from expert witnesses.

Finally, if the DC decides that the facts are proven and they amount to serious professional misconduct, they will then decide on the appropriate sanction. During this stage, the DC may hear from ‘character witnesses’ and/or the veterinary professional themselves. The DC has various sanctions available to them, such as:

• no further action;
• postponement of judgment (e.g. to see if certain conditions can be met in the interim);
• a warning/repimand;
• suspension;
• removal from the register.

We will contact you at least a month in advance to give you notice of the assessment, so that you can start preparing. Once an assessor has been approved by you, they will contact you to arrange the date and time of your remote assessment.

We already operate a document upload system ‘Stanley’, which will enable practices to share all the required documentation with our assessors prior to the assessment taking place. We intend to continue using Stanley for this process but will request that you upload a few items of documentation in advance that would ordinarily be looked at on the day of a live assessment. Once upload is completed, your assessor will review the documentation before the remote assessment takes place.

At the remote assessment, your assessor will contact you via a Microsoft Teams link, and begin a video conference with you. It is recommended that this is held on a hand-held digital device, such as a smart phone or tablet. The assessor will then have the usual discussions with you regarding your accreditation, and ask you to perform a ‘walk around’ of the practice, in order to observe the key areas such as dispensary, consulting rooms, theatre and kennels.

Once complete, the assessor will then write up your report on Stanley in the usual way, and you will be required to submit evidence for any outstanding requirements by specified deadlines. You will also be required to sign a self-declaration that all other requirements of your accreditation have been met. This declaration may only be made by a MRCVS or RVN employed by your practice.