Meet the PSS assessors

Practice assessment visits are carried out around the country by our team of assessors. Find out more about our assessors and the requirements for becoming one.

Who can be an assessor?

All of our assessors are either vet surgeons or vet nurses (RVNs). They must:

ave been members of the RCVS for at least five years,
have been approved as having suitable experience for undertaking inspections.

Assessor training

Assessors are employees of the RCVS and undergo training before they can carry out assessments.

They’re expected to take part in ongoing training and assessment, including annual appraisal by the lead Assessor.

Find out more about Assessor training

Our assessors

Alice Duvernois BVetMed MRCVS - PSS Lead Assessor

Alice spent her first 10 years in France, followed by a seven-year detour in the USA before she made the move across the pond, qualifying from the Royal Veterinary College in 2004.

Alice has worked in small animal practices in Hong Kong, London and Sussex in both the private and charity sector, but always with a special interest in surgery and diagnostic imaging. Alice developed a passion for management and business after taking the role of Senior Veterinary Surgeon for the PDSA Hospital in Brighton.

Alice has run her veterinary consultancy business for five years now. She has worked with a wide variety of businesses such as veterinary start-ups, tech companies and PR agencies.

Alice lives in Brighton with her husband Ross and their two boys and Margot, their rescue Staffie. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, staying fit and travelling.

Anne Lawson BVMS MRCVS - Senior Assessor

Anne Lawson, PSS Assessor Anne graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1994. She has worked in a variety of practices from rural to city centre, branch surgery, a veterinary hospital, mixed practice locations and charity work abroad. Recently, Anne held a Senior Vet position in a busy small animal practice managing both medical, surgical and acupuncture caseload, as well as developing a management and leadership role within the practice.

Anne is trained and experienced in Quality systems and auditing. In this role she has conducted International Standard certification audits in the UK and Europe. She also holds Health and Safety qualifications and is a Technical member of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). As a quality, health and safety practitioner, she was a director of a business delivering management consultancy expertise to veterinary practices and to a diverse range of other industries.

A PSS assessor from the Scheme relaunch in 2015, Anne has recently been health and safety advisor to the scheme, involved in the latest revisions of the Standard and is also a member of the Review Group.

Anne is passionate about the Scheme and the benefits it brings to practice. Regularly amazed by the time and effort practices put into their assessments and their dedication to continual improvement, she is also heartened to see that PSS is now viewed as a positive enhancement to practice life rather than a tick box exercise. She is looking forward to seeing the scheme continue to grow and develop in coming years.

She is author of the BSAVA Manual of Veterinary Nursing “Principles of Health and Safety”, published in May 2020.

Anne is currently team lead in the development of an Aberdeen outreach for Street Vet.

Outside work Anne can be found outdoors, being defeated at games by her 11 year old son and husband, walking the family Labrador or riding one of her beloved horses.

Renay Rickard RVN - Assessor

After starting work in a mixed practice in mid-Cornwall as a YTS trainee Renay qualified as a Veterinary Nurse in 1989 from Bicton College. Renay has worked within the same practice and worked her way up through being Head Nurse to practice manager, practice owner and now part of the director team. During that time, she has been responsible for the management of the Practice Standards scheme within the practice which is now based over six sites and employs around 120 team members.

Along with her RVN qualification Renay also holds the CVPM awarded by the VMG, has a level 7 extended Diploma in strategic leadership & management, and holds Chartered Manager status.

Renay was a board member of the VMG (previously VPMA) between 2016 and 2019 and was president of VMG in 2017 and 2018. During her time as a VMG board member, Renay was a representative on the Practice Standards working party that developed the new scheme including the new awards. Renay’s main responsibility was to work on the criteria that involved the “Team”. “We wo

rked hard to ensure that the perception that the PSS was a “tick box” exercise would be changed across the industry, and that would be seen as a tool to ensure and improve the quality of care for all stakeholders” During this time she was also a member of the RCVS Schedule 3 working party and chair for the VN Futures career progression working party.

During her career Renay has been an internal verifier & lecturer for Duchy College where she currently holds a place on the Land Based Advisory Group as an employer representative.

Renay is currently the junior vice president of the Cornwall Veterinary Association – the first RVN to take up an officer position of which she is very proud.

Having taken her business through the Practice Standards Scheme across small animal, farm animal & equine, including some awards, Renay is keen to visit and support all types of practices, but particularly small animal practices. Her main interests are practice management, particularly strategic management & team development. Especially the development of RVNs and their role development within the team, both in clinical and non-clinical areas of the business.

In her free time, Renay enjoys walking with her three-legged Australian Shepherd X and is part way through a mission to complete the Cornish Coast path with two other veterinary colleagues. Renay also has a passion for live music and festivals. These pastimes are a great way for Renay to get some down time away from her busy working life!

Sally Stockton BVSc CertAVP MRCVS - Senior Assessor

PSS Assessor Sally Stockton Sally qualified from Liverpool in 1985 and other than a short period in industry has worked in mainly small animal practice in the north of England, including shelter work and some locum work for a dedicated out-of-hours provider.

She currently runs a feline home visiting service for a local practice, originally setting it up as a standalone mobile practice in 2012. She found joining the Practice Standards Scheme invaluable to the setting up of a new venture and is keen that all practices, however small, be encouraged to join.

In addition to feline friendly practice Sally is interested in feline behaviour and care of the elderly cat, along with practice management, having recently completed the Postgraduate Certificate in Veterinary Business Management with the University of Liverpool.

She lives on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales and is married to a farm vet. She enjoys trying to be mother hen to their five grown up sons, reading, entertaining family and friends and walking their three dogs, in a never-ending attempt to keep fit.

Charles Thursby-Pelham MA VetMB CertEP MRCVS - Senior Assessor

Charles Thursby-Pelham Charles qualified from Cambridge in 1987. After a brief period in mixed practice, he worked as an equine vet for ten years and gained a Certificate of Equine Practice. He then returned to mixed practice before settling in small animal practice where he developed a special interest in veterinary dentistry.

Charles ran his own small animal practice for 14 years and during that time his practice was accredited three times as a Small Animal General Practice.

In 2014 he sold the practice to his assistant and it has continued to thrive as an independent. Since then, Charles has worked as a locum in many practices and he has continued to accept dental referrals.

Charles is married with three children. He enjoys riding, skiing, cycling and going for long walks with his Labrador, Pepper.

Sophie Aylett BVSc MRCVS - Assessor

Sophie Aylett, PSS Assessor Sophie graduated from Liverpool in 2006 and immediately started work at the PDSA in Birmingham. Having learnt to quickly develop her consulting skills, she moved to a mixed two vet practice in rural Herefordshire. Deciding that mixed practice was where her interests lay, her next job was in a large practice in Shropshire where she was able to spend mornings consulting and operating, and afternoons out on farm or horse yards. A short stint of locum work all over the country gave Sophie the chance to work in several different types of practices, always with her Australian Shepherd dog, Bruce, in tow.

After four years in mixed practice, the opportunity arose to open her own practice on her husband’s arable farm. Since the area was already inundated with small animal and equine practices, Sophie decided to open a farm animal practice using the best of the practice management tools she had seen other practices use whilst being a locum. Although leaving mixed practice was a difficult decision, the chance to set up, own and run a busy farm animal practice has been very enjoyable and challenging.

Having been through the Practice Standards Scheme with her own practice, Sophie is passionate about promoting the Scheme to other vets. With her mixed practice background, she is happy to visit all types of practices that want to reach Core and General Practice Standards, and is keen to learn and share best practice protocols.

When not working, Sophie enjoys reading, walking with her husband and two dogs, and playing the piano. In the future, she is contemplating working towards a qualification in practice management.

Claire Baber RVN - Assessor

Image of Claire Baber

Claire started her Veterinary career as a student in 1999 working in a mixed practice, she then went on to qualify as an RVN in 2005.

Intrigued with referral work, Claire moved into a large referral centre in the Midlands shortly after qualifying. This was where Claire spent the next 18 years of her career, progressing into management in 2009 as Clinical Nurse Manager. Claire completed her ILM qualification in 2010 and then went on to complete her Certificate in Anaesthesia and Critical Care in 2011.

Passionate about developing others, Claire moved into education in 2022 working as an examiner and assessor, whilst continuing clinical work as a locum. During this time Claire developed her qualifications further in education and as an assessor and IQA.

With a keen interest in veterinary management, Claire was offered a Directorship with the Veterinary Management Group in 2022. Where she continues to sit on the board helping others in the industry to learn, share and grow.

Claire has a passion for making positive changes to animals’ lives. She believes this can be achieved by helping grow a well-educated, empowered team. Claires referral work lead her to find her love for quality and standards, and she joined the RCVS in 2024 as a PSS assessor.

Claire has a young family, who keep her on her toes and test her leadership skills on a daily basis. They have a pony called Pepsi who brings so much fun to their lives. Claire also loves long walks with her dogs Belle and Barley and a sneaky pub lunch to follow!

Lizzie Barker BVetMed(Hons) Cert AVP(VA) PgCert MRCVS - Assessor

Elizabeth Baker Lizzie qualified with honours from the Royal Veterinary College in 2009. After a period working in a busy Small Animal Charity Hospital she moved into Equine Practice in Devon and then in the New Forest. Lizzie then gained a position as a House Vet at the Liphook Equine Hospital, Hampshire where she developed a special interest in anaesthesia, pain management and treatment of the sports horse.

Lizzie gained her CertAVP(VA) from the University of Liverpool in 2016 and subsequently became an FEI Official Veterinarian for Jumping in 2020. Alongside working as a locum vet, Lizzie is now the European Anaesthesia and Analgesia Manager at a Veterinary Pharmaceutical Company and enjoys utilising her veterinary skills with involvement in education, innovation and drug development.

Lizzie was keen to join the RCVS PSS team to be able to help veterinary teams who work so hard to provide high quality care to animals and their owners to be able to promote excellence to their clients and also to gain increased recognition for their efforts.

Lizzie is based in South Wales and enjoys walking her dog and jumping her young horse in show jumping competitions. She is very active, playing netball as well as enjoying running and yoga.

Amy Brown RVN - Assessor

Image of Amy Brown

Amy is a Qualified Veterinary Nurse with over a decade of experience. She has dedicated her career to animal health and welfare, and more recently has enjoyed the flexibility and variety of carrying out emergency and critical care work as a locum.

Amy is also a qualified Marine Biologist with a deep passion for marine life and conservation. She also enjoys volunteering for Help the Street Animals of Morocco which is a charity dedicated to giving vital treatment, neutering, and vaccinations to street dogs and cats in Morocco. Growing up as a farmer’s daughter, she developed a strong connection to nature and a love for animals from an early age.

Outside her professional life, Amy is married and blessed with a wonderful daughter, along with two adorable cats that complete our family. In her spare time, Amy loves tending to my garden, traveling and scuba diving.

Richard Byrne BVetMed MRCVS - Assessor

Richard Byrne Richard graduated from the Royal Veterinary College, London in 1988 and joined West Bar Veterinary Hospital, a mixed practice in Banbury, Oxfordshire where he is now a Partner, Director and Head of Companion Animal Care.

Most of his work involves first opinion small animal veterinary medicine and surgery with occasional visits to calving cows and sick sheep. He has spoken at conferences in the UK and abroad on issues as diverse as parasite control in small animal practice to clinical pathology of ratites and taken occasional forays into scientific publishing.

He has a keen interest in the use of and integration of information technology in general practice and has practical experience in computer programming, database and web technologies.

When not at work Richard enjoys music, playing both the keyboard and saxophone. He is involved with the local community. Richard enjoys and spending time with his grown up family.

David Donovan BVSc MRCVS - Assessor

David Donovan , PSS Assessor David graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2012 and remained in his home city of Liverpool to start working as an assistant vet in a Vets4Pets small animal practice.

In November 2013, the opportunity arose to become a partner and open a new Vets4Pets practice. One of the first milestones the team wanted to achieve was to become an RCVS-accredited practice on the Practice Standards Scheme to provide a structure to maintain high standards of veterinary care. Since then the practice continued to grow and now has 18 colleagues.

In 2018, David completed his Postgraduate Certificate in Small Animal Surgery and he is currently studying towards a Certificate in Veterinary Business Management. He spent two years as a member of the Vets4Pets Joint Venture Council, working with practice partners and the Vets4Pets Support Office to grow and progress the business.

When not working or studying, David likes to travel and spend his down time in sunnier climates!

Susan Edwards BSc(Hons) BVMS MRCVS - Assessor

Susan qualified from Glasgow Vet School in 1999 and proceeded to spend 5 years undertaking mixed practice in Herefordshire. In 2004 she took the step into small animal practice and progressed to clinical director of a clinic in Northamptonshire.

Following this, Susan became a locum veterinary surgeon gaining experience in a wide variety of clinics, then a technical advisor for a veterinary pharmaceutical company before settling into a role as a senior veterinary clinician within the charity sector.

Susan lives in Herefordshire, enjoys walking her springer spaniel, swimming and skiing.

Victoria Fyfe RVN - Assessor

Victoria started her nursing career in 2002 as a VCA at Prince Bishop’s a small animal hospital in County Durham. She went on to qualify and register in 2009.

Victoria continued to work at her local practice and obtained the role of head nurse, throughout this time she oversaw multiple RCVS practice standards scheme assessments.

Victoria’s practice was one of the first to trial and be assessed under the new Practice standards scheme and was the first practice to gain outstanding in all 6 PSS awards.

In 2018 Victoria moved into a central support role and now supports practices as they prepare for their Practice Standards Scheme assessment in her role as Practice Standards Manager for VetPartners.

In 2021 Victoria joined the RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Advisory Board.

Victoria has a passion to help practices strive for excellence and in doing so deliver the best possible care for patient, clients and the team.

In her spare time Victoria enjoys playing netball, baking sweet treats for the guys in practice and has as soft spot for sheep, you’ll find some rather round spoilt pet sheep at home.

Carlos Matos RVN - Assessor

Image of Carlos Matos

Born in Portugal, Carlos graduated as a veterinary nurse in 2011. In 2015, Carlos relocated to the UK, where he spent seven years in clinical practice, steadily advancing through various roles. Started as a Veterinary Nurse, advancing to Deputy Head Nurse, then rising to Head Nurse overseeing multiple practices. With a strong background in veterinary practice leadership and management and a commitment to continuous improvement, Carlos has also been an active member of the Clinical Governance Committee and currently serves as a Clinical Improvement Advocate.

Carlos is also the Clinical Services Manager at CVS Group plc since 2022. In this role, Carlos leads the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme at CVS across multiple divisions, working closely with external stakeholders to maintain the highest standards of care. He coordinates communications related to practice standards, ensures full legal compliance in the medicines area, and provides all the necessary support to over 500 practices, fostering a culture of excellence and accountability.

Carlos was also a board member of the Portuguese Veterinary Nurse Council (Associacao dos Enfermeiros Veterinarios Portugueses – AEVP) from 2021 to 2023. In this role, he performed various functions, including setting requirements related to the conduct of veterinary nurses, establishing discipline and conduct rules, and many other responsibilities related to the veterinary nurse profession in Portugal, with the goal of regulating and dignifying the profession.

Outside of work, Carlos enjoys spending time with his partner and their two pets, a mini-sausage dog and a sphynx cat, loves travelling and spending time with friends.

Rachael Katy Orton BMus Hons RVN - Assessor

Image of Rachael Katy Orton After initially starting a professional career as a cellist, Katy fell in love with the veterinary world after volunteering at veterinary practices in the Cayman Islands. On her return to the U.K. she began her veterinary nursing training at Harper Adams University and qualified as an RVN in 2012.

Katy has worked at many different practices and quickly developed an interest in management as well as a love for animal welfare. Katy also has a passion for the rescue world and has worked at many charitable organisations. Her current role is managing the Blue Cross Rehoming, Advice and Behaviour Unit in Sheffield. Alongside these passions, Katy has also been heavily involved in veterinary nursing education and especially loves helping students develop practical skills and prepare for the Professional Discussion element of the veterinary nursing program. Katy has a keen interest in quality assurance and especially loves examining.

Outside of work, Katy has 2 rescue dogs and in her spare time she runs a charity that rescues and rehomes blind and partially sighted dogs. She was recently awarded a Points of Light Award for her voluntary work in this area.

Emma Robinson BVM&S MRCVS - Assessor

Emma Robinson, PSS Assessor After graduating from Edinburgh University in 1991 Emma Robinson worked in mixed practice in Wiltshire before focussing on companion animals. She continued to work as an assistant in small animal practices including spells in a referral hospital and the PDSA.

In 1997 she built and ran a new practice in Christchurch, Dorset, selling it as a thriving business in 2003 when she moved to Scotland. Over the last 17 years Emma has worked in many practices in North East Scotland, both as locum and full time assistant.

Throughout her veterinary career she has been passionate about teaching and enabling people in the profession to achieve their goals. In 2013-2017 she was a lecturer of Veterinary Nursing and Animal Care at North East Scotland College.

Outside of work Emma loves to spend time with her family and two rescue dogs walking in the glorious Aberdeenshire countryside.

Emma has joined the Practice Standards Scheme because she wants to help practices achieve the accreditation and support them in showing their clients just how good they are.

Rudo Ruvangu BVSC(Hons) MRCVS - Assessor

Rudo Ruvangu Rudo graduated from the University of Zimbabwe and worked in mixed practice there before attaining her MRCVS by examination in 2002. She moved to the UK and worked in a variety of independent, corporate and charity small animal practices in England and Scotland.

Rudo's keen interest in animal welfare and behaviour led her to work as a lead shelter veterinarian at a large animal charity in Cambridgeshire for many years, attaining her Post-Graduate Certificate in Shelter Medicine from the University of Florida in 2016. She continued on to work part-time as an online tutor on the UF Shelter Medicine Programme and has also worked in the research/laboratory sector. Recently, Rudo held an Interim Clinical Director position in a small busy animal practice in London, providing clinical and operational leadership during a period of transition.

Alongside being a PSS Assessor, Rudo works part time as a central-support Medical Quality Manager for Linnaeus. In both these roles she lends her experience to helping and supporting veterinary practices to drive forward the clinical quality improvement agenda, which ultimately benefits animal welfare and positively impacts the professional wellbeing of the practice team. Rudo also continues occasional work as a locum in small animal practice.

Outside of work Rudo enjoys tending her allotment, spending time with her family and has recently taken up karate.

Bridget Taylor BVMS MRCVS - Assessor

Bridget Taylor Bridget qualified from the Royal Dick Veterinary College, Edinburgh University, in 1984 and after 5 nomadic years comprising a research project in Botswana, a year as a demonstrator in large animal medicine at Edinburgh and working locum, UK wide and in New Zealand, she joined the Wright and Morten Veterinary Practice in Macclesfield, Cheshire.

She remained at Wright and Morten until August 2021, joining the partnership team in 2001. The practice expanded to form three separate departments- farm animal, equine and small animal -each with its own manpower team and premises. By 2013 Bridget was one of 2 partners in the farm team, having undertaken two terms as managing partner for the whole practice. The practice now employs 27 FTE vets, and has been purchased by IVC Evidensia.

The practice engaged early on with the Investors in People Standard and Veterinary Hospital recognition scheme and subsequently gained accreditation for all its departments/ premises under the Practice Standards Scheme. Bridget’s particular passions in her leadership role were to support, develop and empower team members, encouraging collaboration and sharing of ideas within the team and between practices. She feels that becoming a PSS assessor is a natural progression from her practice role.

Bridget was a director of XLVet UK 2013-18 and chairman of the XLFarmcare North Veterinary Delivery Partnership 2013-2021. She is a member of the BCVA board and the Moredun Foundation board. Her 2 children are now at university, freeing up more time for road biking, travel, and folk music.

Liz Troman RVN - Assessor

Image of Liz Torman Liz qualified as a Veterinary Nurse in 1996 and went on to work in a variety of practices ranging from small independent practice right up to a large charity hospital. During this time she developed an interest in education and training. This led to varied positions, across a number of years in the education sector as an Assessor, Lecturer, IQA and EQA of Veterinary Nursing Education.

In 2012 after attaining an MSc in Animal Manipulation (Chiropractic) Liz started her own company based in South Shropshire providing specialist Musculo-skeletal care for horses and dogs (with the occasional other species).

Liz is a board Member of the Animal Health Professions Register, which was established to provide a voluntary register for highly qualified Musculo-skeletal practitioners to gain recognition as they work towards statutory regulation and integration into the wider veterinary team.

In her free time Liz enjoys horse riding and spending time in the gorgeous Shropshire countryside with her two dogs, or just taking in the view from the back of her horse Dot.

David Kazemi BVSc MBA MRCVS - Assessor

David Kazemi's profile picture David Kazemi is small animal vet, quality consultant and board member for a UK not for profit. Before this, he helped thousands of practices across UK and Europe with digital workflow solutions whilst leading a popular practice management system at IDEXX. He’s experienced in how clinics run, having been an Operations Director in a previous life and clinical leader in PDSA. He now keeps his hand in clinical practice via locum work both in the UK and aboard.

David holds a BVSc, an MBA (Masters In Business Administration) and has done lots of training in project management and quality improvements. When it comes to learning, he can’t sit still - and is currently studying ‘Quality of Healthcare’ as part of a masters programme.

David believes taking part in the PSS is a great way for clinics to keep staff engaged, clients happy, business healthy and patients safe. As an assessor he aims to be objective, honest and fair and work collaboratively with clinics to help them get the most out of the scheme.

To relax, David runs, cooks pizza, raids second hand stores, practices Dutch and spends time with his partner Andrew, in the Lake District, dreaming of having a guinea pig sanctuary.

Lindsay Hawkins RVN - Assessor

Lindsay Hawkins RVN Although born in the U.K, Lindsay grew up in the United States. Her veterinary career began in 1997 in Houston, Texas, when she started working in an Animal Clinic at the weekends and during school holidays. On her return to the U.K. in 2001, and after a brief spell in banking, she began her veterinary nursing training and qualified as an RVN in 2006.

Lindsay has worked in the same 7-site Small Animal Veterinary Hospital in Bristol for over 17 years, where she has had several roles, including clinical coach, Deputy Head Nurse, Head Nurse, and now works as the Deputy Practice Manager three days a week. Her current role in practice involves preparing each site for PSS assessments (which is her favourite part of the job!), H&S management, clinical management and various other HR related duties.

Having been involved in many PSS assessments over her years in practice, Lindsay knows what it’s like to be on the ‘other side’ and joined the assessment team to help practices improve clinical standards and work towards best practice via the PSS. She really enjoys supporting other veterinary teams, who work so hard to provide exceptional veterinary care in increasingly tricky circumstances and who deserve recognition for their efforts. Her main interests lie in feline friendly nursing, clinical governance and medicines regulations.

When not at work, Lindsay enjoys spending time with her two boys (who are often on the tennis court and football pitch!) and her husband, as well as a 14-month old Border Collie and a ginger and white DSH, who rules the roost. She loves travelling and experiencing new cultures, both near and far, although her most favourite trip would be spent walking on the west coast of Scotland with her boys.

Samantha Thompson RVN Grad Dip VN CertVN ECC Det - Assessor

Sam currently works as a Post Registration Programme (PRP) Manager for Linnaeus. Delivering teaching materials and supporting the nurses on the PRP with their quality improvement projects. She sits on Mars Patient Safety Team, providing presence in this area. With a keen interest in patient safety and quality improvement and has been runner up the RCVS Knowledge awards.

Prior to the role as a PRP manager Sam spent over 10 years working in referral hospitals, predominantly at NDSR where she was heavily involved in the PSS assessment and the associated awards. In her last role at NDSR where she was clinical services manager Sam oversaw the induction of all new joiners and has a passion for training and teaching.

In her spare time, she runs the platform Evolution VN that aims to cheerlead, inspire, and educate VNs and has a keen interest in coaching and mentoring, currently she is studying for a Coaching qualification having certified as a RECOVER Instructor in June 2022.

Jennifer Critchley BSc (Hons) RVN PGCE IQA - Assessor

Jennifer Critchley Jen graduated with honours from the Royal Veterinary College and Middlesex University. She then spent time working and gaining valuable experience within various roles in small animal practice, encompassing both the private and charity sector.

Jen then moved into Veterinary Education and gained her PGCE. Whilst working for a Veterinary College, she developed a passion for supporting career development and professional qualification through education.

Whilst working with a large multi-site practice in London, Jen also developed a special interest quality assurance and achieved her IQA qualification.

A passionate advocate for the profession, Jen takes great personal satisfaction in supporting veterinary professionals to realise their potential.

Jen lives in South East London with her family and two Jack Russells. Outside work she enjoys horticulture and rescuing old pieces furniture. She can often be found either on her allotment or scouring second hand shops for "treasures".

Avice O'Connor MVB, CertAVP (EM), PgDip IAWEL, AFHEA, MRCVS - Assessor

Avice O'Connor Avice graduated from University College Dublin in 2001. Following an internship and several years in practice in the UK, Avice joined the University of Cambridge as a clinician in the Equine first opinion practice.

Avice's main clinical interests lie in Equine Dentistry and Animal Welfare. She enjoys teaching the next generation of veterinary students and is currently studying towards a qualification in Veterinary Education.

Avice first became interested in the Practice Standards Scheme when preparing for assessment at the University of Cambridge and is delighted to join the PSS assessor team.

Terry Oomerjee BVSc MRCVS - Assessor

Terry Oomerjee MRCVS Having worked in the UK motor industry for nearly 3 years, Terry decided a change of direction was needed. He graduated from The University of Sydney in 2003, returning to the UK to take up a mixed practice role in West Sussex.

Mixed practice allowed exposure to many sides of veterinary life and it was here that Terry first became aware of the benefits of the Practice Standards Scheme. Overcoming some initial inertia in the practice, he guided them to PSS accreditation.

After 12 years here, it was time to move on. Terry moved to Qatar to work in a small animal clinic in Doha for 5 years. Having a senior role and experience of PSS, changes were made under the guidance of the PSS to bring improvements to reflect RCVS standards.

Moving back to the UK at the very moment the country was entering its 1st Covid lockdown provided challenges. He locumed in Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire before joining the PSS Assessor Team, whilst still being clinical.

He very much enjoys meeting new veterinary teams during PSS assessments, whilst bearing in mind that the assessment is not about fault finding, but highlighting what practices do well and discovering what they can change to improve even further.

When not at work Terry enjoys spending time with family, running, reading and travel.

Meet the PSS assessors
- PSS assessor training

Meet the PSS assessors

On this page:

Who can be an assessor?

Assessor training

Our assessors

Lead Assessor

Senior assessors

Assessors