RCVS Day 2018 speeches - Lizzie Lockett, RCVS CEO

Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s wonderful to see so many of you here today. So, having been on the organising team for RCVS Day for 13 years, it’s now my first turn on the top table, as Chief Executive. I would say I had planned this all along… but I’m frankly, not that organised. As many of you know.

When Nick Stace left us last year for pastures new I agonised long and hard about whether to apply for the role as they seemed rather big boots to fill – and rather a long gown, as it happens – but the combination of an excellent team at Belgravia House, a strong strategic plan and the wonderful expertise amongst our Council members made me think it might be do-able.  Just.

And I think it was testament to the hard work of the RCVS team that Council endorsed our direction of travel by appointing an internal candidate to the role in November.

So, what have we been up to? Our Council and our staff have been working very hard to deliver against our strategic plan, which includes work around leadership, innovation, culture change, and improving our regulatory framework and service standards.

Many of these projects, such as our work on Graduate Outcomes, leadership and innovation, were catalysed by Vet Futures, our joint project with the British Veterinary Association. I know you will hear more of these later from our President.

Brexit, of course, has dominated proceedings over the last two years, and again we have been working collaboratively with Defra and the BVA in lobbying for the changes we need to ensure vital veterinary work can continue to be done in the new world – whatever that may look like.

"So, what have we been up to? Our Council and our staff have been working very hard to deliver against our strategic plan, which includes work around leadership, innovation, culture change, and improving our regulatory framework and service standards. Many of these projects, such as our work on Graduate Outcomes, leadership and innovation, were catalysed by Vet Futures, our joint project with the British Veterinary Association."

More recently we celebrated the approval by parliament of a Legislative Reform Order that paved the way for some fundamental changes to the way our Council works.

These changes were envisioned by a working party led by Professor Stuart Reid, and thereafter followed lots of hard work from the team at the College, especially our Registrar Eleanor Ferguson and Director of Leadership and Innovation Anthony Roberts, together with colleagues at Defra.

What does it mean? Well, from today, Friday 13 July 2018, for the first time, two veterinary nurses and six lay people have formally joined our Council – this is a real landmark – and welcome to all of you.

This means that veterinary nurses – who are associates of the College thanks to the Charter of 2015 – now have a formal input to Council. Meanwhile, this enhanced lay membership brings us into line with public expectation.

As you have already heard at our AGM this morning, this size of our Council will reduce, over the next three years, from 42 members to a more manageable 24 – well, I guess how manageable they will be depends a little on who they are... In addition we are pleased that the Chief Veterinary Officer will join us as observer. This reduction in size will enable Council to meet more frequently, and will help improve the efficiency of our decision making.

"When it comes down to it, supporting vets and nurses, in the interests of the public and their animals, is at the heart of what we do. I know sometimes vets and nurses – and members of the public too – feel that the RCVS is not there to support them, but I would like to reassure them of the huge energy, creativity and compassion that is at work in Belgravia House, people working on behalf of a profession that is not theirs, but for which they feel a huge sense of commitment and passion. I am very proud of what they have achieved this year."

This process starts today, with us reducing our veterinary school appointees from 14 to seven, and welcoming only three recently-elected veterinary surgeons instead of the previous six this morning at our AGM. Our Council will meet six times in public in the next presidential year, rather than four, and this will increase to eight in the following year.

And as our core Council reduces we will be mindful of the skills mix that we will need to populate our committees, so there are likely to be more opportunities for vet and nurses to become engaged with the regulation of their professions.

We have also set up the new Advancement of the Professions Committee, which will oversee and develop those projects that are underpinned by our Royal Charter, such as those around mental health, innovation and leadership, and our Fellowship.

Although we work hard through our concerns process to ensure individual veterinary surgeons and nurses are fit to practise, and we do this on behalf of the public, waiting until something goes wrong usually means someone – and some animal – has been adversely affected in the process.

We describe ourselves as ‘setting, upholding and advancing standards’, and it is under that last area – advancing standards – that many of these projects come together.

We are therefore putting huge energies into more proactive support of the professions, to ensure they remains fit for purpose and are populated by vets and nurses who are happy and confident, and have the right skills and knowledge to thrive, and can work in environments where learning from mistakes is encouraged.

The role of the College can often seem complex – and can be misunderstood. I was asked recently by a friend’s five-year-old – ‘what do you do all day, Auntie Lizzie?’ I started to explain about regulation, and setting standards, and … well, I could see her eyes glazing over.

Eventually I said ‘I help vets and nurses to be the best they can be, so they can look after your animals really well’. ‘Ah ok’, she said, and went back to her ice cream. If only it was always that simple.

When it comes down to it, supporting vets and nurses, in the interests of the public and their animals, is at the heart of what we do. I know sometimes vets and nurses – and members of the public too – feel that the RCVS is not there to support them, but I would like to reassure them of the huge energy, creativity and compassion that is at work in Belgravia House, people working on behalf of a profession that is not theirs, but for which they feel a huge sense of commitment and passion. I am very proud of what they have achieved this year.

On that note I would like to thank the team very much for all their hard work, and Council and especially our Operational Board and our President, Professor Stephen May, for all their support. I look forward to working with you all over the years to come.