Royal College Day 2024: Address from outgoing RCVS President Dr Sue Paterson FRCVS

I am sure you hear it every year from the RCVS President as to how the year has flown by and this year has been no exception. I have no idea where the last 365 days have gone. 

This year I was really determined to continue with all my regular Council work, as well as the role of President, and although that has added to my work load, things like our sustainability agenda are really important and I very much wanted to make sure that it didn’t get relegated to the back “solar powered” burner. 

Our work with UKHACC, the UK health alliance against climate change, has continued and, together with the executive leads at the RCVS, we have continued to fly the flag sometimes against a background of misinformation of how important the veterinary industry is in our battle against a loss of biodiversity and climate change. The RCVS has contributed to two key UKHACC reports over the last twelve months on biodiversity and also on the provision of healthy sustainable diets, the latter will be published later this year. 

Sustainability is included in our guidance which says as veterinary surgeons we must be aware of the effect of our actions on the environment and, to that end, I am pleased that the role of the veterinary scientist in sustainability continues to be championed by a wide range of stakeholders in the UK.

The practice standards scheme now has sustainability included in core standards, which means for veterinary professionals it becomes a Code requirement. Vet Sustain, I know, are working hard to create resource so that sustainability can be woven through the undergraduate curriculum, to satisfy the new RCVS accreditation standards that were introduced in 2023. 

RCVS Knowledge, the BVA and their species divisions all continue to work hard to champion green programmes. There is still more to do. 

I was delighted last year to speak at a sustainability dinner organised by VetNI in Northern Ireland. A fantastic event championing local produce with some really inspiring and insightful presentations on innovations within the sector, and a consideration of the role our production animal vets play in their collaborative partnerships with farmers to promote sustainable agriculture. 

Ben Myring, our Policy and Public Affairs Manager, and I attended the National Farmers Union conference for the first time this year. It was so useful to see how farmers are adopting sustainable practices and to hear first-hand about their response to the government’s sustainable initiatives. We were also able to discuss with the NFU joint working to encourage engagement with veterinary students around production animal work and ensure positive experiences on their pre-clinical EMS. 

Responsible antimicrobial use is a key pillar of veterinary sustainability and it was tremendous to see RCVS Knowledge, together with Small Animal RUMA, leading a range of activities during antibiotic awareness month last November. At the same time, the RCVS Fellowship engaged with local school children as part of a wider one health campaign to promote responsible antibiotic use, an initiative I hope we can repeat this year to reach even more young people. My thanks to Fergus Allerton for raising awareness of the scheme and for helping to drive engagement. 

I was delighted in July last year to visit Paragon Vets in Carlisle to present them with their Practice Standard Scheme Green award, the first of many in the country. A real shining example of sustainability in practice. Their attention to detail was incredible, not just in practice protocols for responsible antibiotic and parasiticide use and reusable drapes and gowns, but also with tiny impactful things like biodegradable tea bags and uncontaminated coat clippings from spay ops laid across the hedges for birds to use as nesting material. 

As we start work on the refurbishment of our own new Royal College building in Farringdon, I know our dedicated RCVS green team are working hard to make sure sustainability is embedded in its fabric. 

I spoke at my investiture about the wide range of career options available to people with veterinary science degrees and I have tried hard this year to throw presidential weight behind some of the smaller sectors of our profession, using the wider officer team to ensure that RCVS support has been provided to the widest possible range of events.

Last autumn, I attended the Association of Government Vets (AGV) and Veterinary Public Health Association (VPHA) congress to learn about the valuable work this arm of our profession undertakes. A packed and varied programme under the umbrella of “what can we control” gave me a real insight into the work of the AGV and VPHA and how active they are in the development of national legislation, the delivery of animal and public health official control and the management of zoonotic diseases and food production. 

RCVS Council this year has continued to review and support the food standard agencies both the FSA and FSS (Food Standards Scotland) on very unsexy but enormously important work with vet attestations on farms, temporary registered official veterinary surgeons and groupage export facilitation scheme (GEFS to their friends). So, when I was offered the opportunity to spend time at a large high-throughput abattoir in the north of England, I jumped at the chance.  

It was a real opportunity to see how important the work of veterinary surgeons is in abattoirs, not just to ensure the food we eat is safe, but also to ensure animal welfare is paramount. I was impressed by the professionalism of the vets and their co-workers and we will hear more about the role vets play in food production later with our guest speaker. 

As a proud member of the Association of charity vets and, a veterinary trustee of Battersea dogs and cats’ home, the rescue sector is particularly important to me. Charity vets have long championed the need to provide a spectrum of care for clients and continue to work hard to increase the recognition that low-cost care though more basic and less resource dependent, is very definitely not worse, not unsuccessful, not substandard, unacceptable or less challenging. 

I would suggest that the art of veterinary science is as much in evidence in situations where a satisfactory outcome is achieved despite limited owner resources, as it is in other areas of practice.

Whilst it is important our undergraduates have an awareness of the innovations being developed and facilities offered by referral medicine, I know the new RCVS accreditation standards are making a difference in our vet schools as our undergraduates must now see 70% of their clinical work in a general practice context, allowing them to appreciate what life in primary care practice is like. 

There is no doubt that the competition and markets authority review first announced in September last year sent shock waves through the professions. However, despite the fact we have work to do, I really believe it has raised awareness of our need to offer contextualised or spectrum of care. 

Contextualised care is already very much part of our RCVS guidance as veterinary professionals where it says: 

“when providing care, Veterinary Surgeons should ensure that a range of reasonable treatment options are offered and explained, including prognosis and possible side-effects.

“Veterinary surgeons should make decisions on treatment regime based first and foremost on animal health and welfare considerations, but also the needs and circumstances of the client.

“Veterinary surgeons should recognise the need in some cases to balance what treatment might be necessary, appropriate or possible against the circumstances wishes and financial considerations of the client.”

Increased awareness of our guidance, together with resources like the RCVS Knowledge contextualised care hub and BVA’s recent literature, have helped empower vets to feel confident to offer, and for clients to ask for, a wider range of treatment options. 

I am delighted over the last twelve months to have helped facilitate a collaboration between the Association of Dog and Cats Homes and the RCVS. This partnership will, through the new RCVS digital database, be able to facilitate placements for undergraduates in their local rescue centres as part of their pre-clinical EMS.

I feel it is really important that students see first-hand the challenges the rescue sector faces and how, as veterinary surgeons, contextualised care can provide the essential care that many owners are looking for, to allow them to keep their animals even though they have limited resources.

I was delighted to see BVA take contextualised care as a major theme of BVA live this year and many thanks to them for the invitation, with my dermatology hat on, to contribute a session to that stream.

So many of the problems we see in veterinary practice, whether it is complex medical conditions or behavioural issues that need veterinary intervention, come from poor breeding and irresponsible pet ownership. XL bullies are sadly a breed that exemplify many of those unacceptable breeding practices where unsocialised puppies are mass produced in inadequately regulated breeding establishments.

I would suggest the ban that put pressure (and will continue to put pressure) on an already stretched veterinary work force is very much shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. I therefore welcomed the opportunity to attend several sessions this year in the Welsh government to provide input into their responsible pet ownership initiative.

In a cross-sector collaboration, the Welsh government has brought together local authorities and the veterinary and rescue centres to tackle the significant welfare issue of Welsh puppy farms. One of the things that horrified me when I attended the VPHA Conference was the appalling condition seen on some licensed, let alone unlicensed, breeding establishments.

Whilst all of the rescue charities already provide resources to advise owners about buying responsibly, appropriate training and socialisation of dogs,  it was heartening to see the initiatives being rolled out by the devolved Welsh government to support that vital work. As we welcome a new government today, which has promised to put animal welfare high on its agenda, I would hope to see these sorts of initiatives replicated over all the devolved nations. 

Widening participation has been something I took as a Presidential theme and have looked to champion this year. As part of a wider RCVS ambition to increase awareness of the role of the College as both a regulator and a Royal College, I have visited every vet school at least once and most two or three times.

Chatting to students at induction days, final year sessions and graduations, it has been great to see how the vet schools and nursing colleges are working hard to increase the inclusivity and diversity of our professions.

The President’s Christmas donation this year was to Villiers Park Educational Trust to support their work. Villiers Park delivers evidence-informed programmes that develop personal and employability skills, and raise academic outcomes for young people aged 11 to 19 from under-represented backgrounds. I have stayed in contact with them since our donation and will support their work going forward. 

I have also had several meetings this year with the Association of Veterinary Students and the Animal Aspirations Group. The Animal Aspirations Group, founded in 2019 with the help of the Royal Veterinary College widening participation team, is made up of a diverse group of veterinary students. These undergraduates visit local schools to engage with students from similar backgrounds to provide interactive animal- and science-focused workshops.

The inspirational London group, which I believe has more than 80 members, has run literally 100s of sessions in local schools. Working with AVS and with input from the College’s newly-appointed Outreach and Engagement Manager, I am confident that the RCVS can support this group to further develop these important networks at all of our schools.

I have myself been out to careers days and evenings through my ambassador role with Speakers for Schools, but it is so much more impactful for school children to see role models from similar backgrounds to their own when looking at careers, rather than an enthusiastic elderly grey-haired lady like me. 

Whilst I have undertaken as much as I can to support widening participation this year, my commitment to it will not stop as I step down as President. 

Later this month I will go over to Harper Keele to present certificates to their first cohort of local future vet applicants from disadvantaged communities as they complete their future vet programme. And, in November, I will be attending the Future vet network meeting in Edinburgh – an enterprise pioneered by Dr Karen Gardiner and supported by all of the Scottish schools. I will also continue to support Vet team in a box as they develop further interactive lessons for prospective vet and vet nurse students. 

Finally, a few reflections and some heart felt thank yous.

I have seen first-hand this year -  the time, commitment and hard work every single member of the RCVS staff team puts in to supporting our amazing professions. 

Whilst robust, informed but respectful challenge of our regulatory body is entirely appropriate, it upsets me when I see the amount of mostly unjustified criticism those, particularly in the senior leadership team get, from people who consider themselves caring, compassionate professionals.

As I leave presidential office I will not miss the stream of poison pen email correspondence I have shared with the executive from a small number of veterinary surgeons, and my parting words to those people would be to urge them to remember there are human beings behind those leadership positions. 

There is no doubt this year has been challenging with the changes to under care, the competition and markets authority work, XL bullies, legislative reform and our drive for a new veterinary surgeons act and, most recently, the governance reform consultation that Belinda mentioned. I will admit there have been times when it has been tough, so I would just finally like to give my thanks to the incredible support I have had. 

Firstly, to my husband Richard, who has hardly seen me this year but has shopped and washed and ironed and cleaned and fed our 20,010 pets that is 8 chickens, two dogs and 20,000 bees whilst I have been away. 

Secondly, to our hard-working Council and Committee members, the RCVS executive team, the RCVS officers (particularly our senior vice president Melissa whose wisdom I am going to miss as she steps down from Council) the senior leadership team, especially our amazing CEO Lizzie and our indefatigable registrar Eleanor (how are we going to manage without you), and to my close friends, they know who they are, whose supportive texts, emails and WhatsApp messages have helped at difficult moments. 

I should hasten to add I am not going anywhere; it has been a huge privilege to be President of the RCVS and possibly the most rewarding but exhausting year of my life. However, there is still much to do. We WILL get THE new Veterinary Surgeons Act we so desperately need, which will transform our professions beyond all recognition, and I will do my very best to work to secure that in the time I have left on Council. 

In the meantime I promise faithfully not to turn into a grumpy past president, but Lizzie has my full permission to slip something into my coffee at Council if I do. 

Please note: the live delivery of the speech may have differed slightly from the text above.