RCVS Day - changes and celebrations

RCVS Day - the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ AGM and Awards Day - saw the investiture of the new President, Peter Jinman, on 2 July 2010, at One Great George Street, London.

Peter Jinman graduated from the Royal Veterinary College, London, in 1974, and has worked in general practice all his life, initially in Broadway, Worcestershire, and then in Herefordshire, where he was until recently senior partner of a four-vet practice.

Having studied for his diploma in arbitration in 1999, he became a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in 2000.

Peter was President of the British Veterinary Association in 2002 and has served on various governmental consultative committees, dealing with matters of animal health and welfare and human health.

He was first elected to RCVS Council in 2005 and has been Vice-Chairman of the Advisory and Public Affairs Committees and chaired both the Communication and Consent Working Party and the Certification Subcommittee.

Peter was awarded the OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list of 2004 for services to the veterinary profession.

In commending his successor to Council, outgoing President Professor Sandy Trees said: “Peter will bring considerable talents to the role of President – his prodigious work rate, his eloquence and his debating and moderating skills.”

RCVS Day also brought other changes to the RCVS Officer team: Sandy Trees, outgoing President, became Senior Vice-President, Dr Jerry Davies took up the role of Junior Vice-President, and Dr Bradley Viner took up the post of Treasurer, vacated by Dr Davies.

Jill Nute stood down as Senior Vice-President, with Sandy Trees commenting: “Unflappable, decisive, of unimpeachable integrity, Jill has been a great source of advice and reassurance for me. More importantly, she has been a terrific servant of the College.”

RCVS Council changes

Retiring Council members included Professor Neil Gorman, who has spent nearly 20 years on Council, Geoff Skerritt, who concludes a 12-year term, Professor Stephen May, who represented the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) for nine years and Professor Alistair Barr, who has been the University of Bristol’s appointee for the last four years.

In addition, two Privy Council appointees retired: lay member Barbara Saunders and recently-retired MP Martyn Jones, having served on Council for eight and 12 years respectively.

As part of the AGM, newly-elected Council members David Catlow and Col Neil Smith were welcomed.

It was also announced that Professor Peter Lees had been appointed by the RVC, to replace Professor Stephen May, and Andrea Jeffery had been appointed by the University of Bristol, to replace retiring Council member Professor Alistair Barr.

Andrea’s appointment marks a milestone as she is the first veterinary nurse to take a place on RCVS Council. Professor Sandy Trees commended the University of Bristol for its “forward thinking” in making this possible.

The appointment of a new Lay Observer to the Preliminary Investigation Committee was also announced: Judith Alderton replaces retiring Observer Catherine Harvey.

Veterinary Nurse Council changes

Meanwhile on the Veterinary Nurses Council, Liz Branscombe was reconfirmed as Chairman, and will be supported by existing Vice-Chairman Jacqui Molyneux, and new Vice-Chairman Kathy Kissick, a veterinary surgeon and veterinary nurse respectively.

Jo Yates retired from VN Council; and newly-elected veterinary nurse Suzanne May joined the team. Hilary Orpet started a second four-year term.

Awards and honours

Outgoing President Sandy Trees conferred a range of awards, including an Honorary Associateship upon Dr Tony Lawrence, a member of the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Liverpool for more than 40 years, during which time he took an active role in the teaching of students as well as carrying out original research.

His particular field is the nutrition of production animals, in which subject he was able to “provide a solid foundation of knowledge for veterinary undergraduates,” according to Sandy.

Honorary Associateship was also awarded to eminent scientist Professor Martin Shirley, Director of the Institute for Animal Health, one of the world’s largest animal health laboratories.

Professor Shirley’s “unstinting support of research towards disease control programmes and products, including diagnostic tests and vaccines,” said Sandy, “will influence the ways in which livestock are managed across the world for years to come”.

Honorary Fellowships were awarded to Dr Peter Roeder, whose pioneering leadership of the Global Rinderpest Eradication Programme for 13 years resulted in the world eradiation of a major animal disease for the first time in history, and to Fellow of the Royal Society, Professor Elizabeth Simpson, a veterinary surgeon who has held many prestigious research posts investigating the control of immune responses to histocompatibility antigens, tumours and autoantigens.

“Elizabeth is a shining example of ‘one medicine’ and her discoveries demonstrate the biological commonality among animals and men,” said Sandy.

Fellowships were also awarded to David Bartram, Dr Geoffrey Pearson and Dr Anthony Wrathall, and the inaugural Emeritus Specialist title was conferred upon Brian Coles.

Veterinary and veterinary nursing diplomas were awarded on a range of subjects, including the first cohort of veterinary nurses to achieve their Diplomas in Advanced Veterinary Nursing under the new modular framework.

Another milestone celebrated was the first group of veterinary surgeons to achieve their Certificates in Advanced Veterinary Practice, again under a modular framework.

Finally, Grant Petrie, President of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association, presented the RCVS Trust Library with a selection of books in memory of the association’s past President Noel Ormrod.

President’s address

The President then made his outgoing address, in which he described how a single year as President was somewhat frustrating as it was not really long enough to “get anything done”.

He went on to describe the challenges faced by the Officer team, the College and the profession at large: “We are witnessing probably the biggest evolution of the profession since the internal combustion engine changed the importance of the horse in UK society,” he said, citing changes in the demographics of the profession, species emphasis, segmentation of veterinary serves and practice type.

“This all adds up to a dynamic, adaptive profession, giving the client more choice and their animals more specialist-trained vets and higher levels of technical back-up,” he said, adding that “it also creates challenges for the regulator and for the continuity of quality care.”

He also noted the impact of changes in consumer awareness and expectations, saying: “In this mood, with a faith in the non-peer-reviewed internet, media comment or celebrity opinion (I noted that Queen’s guitarist Brian May commenting about badgers and TB got more coverage than the Welsh CVO’s learned opinion!), there is a real danger that society will forget why the professions evolved – precisely to protect the vulnerable from quacks, charlatans and the ill-informed.”

Discussing the “responsive, adaptive and innovative” activities of the College against this backdrop, he made mention of the development of the veterinary nursing profession, the review of the Practice Standards Scheme and plans for the consideration of dispute resolution, and of a Health Protocol to deal humanely with vets whose ability is impaired by ill-health or addiction, while protecting the public.

He also stressed the need for legislative action to vary the composition of the Disciplinary Committee to ensure it was fit for purpose – now a “pressing need”.

Incoming President Peter Jinman thanked Sandy Trees for the “considerable time and effort” he had spent on behalf of the profession and the public as President of the College.

Peter said that he looked forward to his own presidency with a mixture of pleasure and sadness, as the commitment necessitated him retiring from practice after 34 years. He echoed Sandy Trees’ view that a one-year presidency was too short.

Looking forward, he sought to “steer the College on a path that will ensure the provision of an educated, regulated body of people called veterinary surgeons who are, in the words of Section 14 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979, ‘fit for purpose’.”

Guest speaker

Guest speaker at the event was RCVS Fellow and veterinary polymath Roger Short, who gave a talk entitled: “The way ahead for the veterinary profession in a warming world.”

In an entertaining and at times controversial speech, Roger outlined his view that, as members of the only medical profession capable of thinking laterally and considering man as just another species of animal, it was incumbent upon veterinary surgeons to tell some home truths about the impact of global population growth on biodiversity and global sustainability.

Direct action was required, he felt, propounding the view that all women should take the contraceptive pill for the benefit of their own health, as well as that of the future of the planet.