Ms E Butlerchair, Audit and Risk Committee

Council Mar 17

Council Meeting

Minutes of the meeting held on Thursday, 2 March 2017 at the RCVS, Belgravia House, 62-64 Horseferry Road, London SW1P 2AF

Members:

Dr C W Tufnell (President in the Chair)
Mrs E Acaster / Professor R A Hammond*
Professor D J Argyle* / Professor M E Herrtage
Mr C T Barker / Mrs L V Hill
Mr D J Bartram / Mr D C Hutchison*
Ms A K Boag / Mrs A K Jeffery
Dr K Braithwaite* / Mrs R J Jennings*
Professor E Cameron / Mr P C Jinman
Mr D F Catlow / Mr T J King*
Dr N T Connell / Professor S A May
Dr J V Davies / Dr J R Molyneux
Mr R Davis* / Mrs S Paterson
Professor S Dawson / Professor S W J Reid
Dr M A Donald / Dr K A Richards
Mrs J M Dyer / Mr P B Robinson
Professor G C W England* / Dr K S H Salmon
Mr N P Gibbens* / Col N C Smith
Miss L V Goodwin / Dr C P Sturgess
Dr C J Gray / Dr P B Viner
Dr M O Greene* / Dr T H Witte
Professor T R C Greet* / Professor J L N Wood*

*Absent

In attendance:

Ms E ButlerChair, Audit and Risk Committee

Mrs E K CoxChair, Veterinary Nurses Council

Mrs G N RavetzPresident, British Veterinary Association

Ms J RutherfordMember, Audit and Risk Committee

President’s introduction

1. The President welcomed members and guests and outlined the order of the meeting.

Apologies for absence

1. Apologies have been received from:

• Professor Argyle
• Dr Braithwaite
• Mr Davis
• Professor England
• Professor Gibbens
• Dr Greene
• Professor Greet
• Professor Hammond
• Mr Hutchison
• Mrs Jennings
• Mr King
• Professor Wood

Declarations of interest

1. The following declarations were noted:

Dr M A DonaldIndependent non-executive Director of the Red Tractor Scheme

Col N C SmithCVO of the Armed Forces

Out of hours locum provider for Vets Now

Minutes of the meeting held on Thursday, 10 November 2016

1. Council accepted these minutes as a true record of the meeting.

Matters arising

Obituaries

1. The President reported that Mrs (Hannah) Wynne Richards had died suddenly in January, she had devoted her life to her patients, the profession and animal welfare; also deceased was Mrs Brenda Parry, a war evacuee, who had built up a practice with her husband Tudor, also a vet, and enjoyed ‘wild’ swimming.

1. It was the 80th year since the RCVS lost the first female member of the College – Miss Aileen Cust – who in 1897 was denied permission to sit the final examination, instead having to make do with a testimonial and personal recommendation from the veterinary school founder on completion of her studies; she was finally recognised as a veterinary surgeon 25 years later in 1922. Like many members Miss Cust was kind enough to leave money to the College when she died.

1. Council observed a minute silence for members that had passed away since the last meeting.

Council correspondence and matters for report

National honours

1. The President informed Council that the following people were awarded in the New Year Honours and that he had written to congratulate them:

Professor Susan Rhind MRCVS, Chair of Veterinary Education at R(D)SVSOBE

Ms Sharon Redrobe MRCVS, CEO of Twycross ZooOBE

1. Also, though not currently a member, Laura Muir, a student at Glasgow Veterinary School,following last year having broken the British outdoor 1500m record (from Dame Kelly Holmes) for distance running, had so far in 2017 broken the European indoor 3000m andBritish indoor 5000m records and had been invited to attend this year’s RCVS Day.

RCVS Day

1. The President informed Council of the draft timings for this year’s RCVS Day:

Date:Confirmed as 7 July 2017

Venue:Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), 66 Portland Place, London W1B 1AD

Draft timings:09:30 am:Coffee

10:00 am:Annual General Meeting (followed by Meeting of Council)

11:00 am:Presentation of Awards

12:00 noon:Talk from guest speaker

12:45 pm:Drinks

13:00 pm:Lunch

15:00 pm:End

RCVS Council Election 2017

1. It was noted that the information was on the RCVS website and a press release had been issued to veterinary press with the names of candidates standing for election. There were 16 candidates this year, 13 men and 3 women, and included 3 existing Council Members eligible for re-election and 13 new candidates.

1. Ballot papers and candidates’ details were due to be posted during the week commencing 13 March* and all votes must be cast, either online or by post, by 5pm on Friday, 28 April 2017.

[*Please note: the start date has been delayed slightly owing to a procedural issue, this will not affect the closing date for voting as it is still a longer period than required as detailed in the RCVS Election Scheme.]

1. Once again the College was inviting members to ‘Quiz the candidates’ by putting their questions directly to all those standing for election. Each candidate would then be invited to choose two questions to answer from all those received, and produce a video recording of their answers – all recordings would be published on the RCVS website week commencing 13 March**.

[**Please note: this has also been deferred slightly owing to the same procedural issue.]

CEO update

1. The CEO welcomed the President of the BVA to the meeting, and acknowledged the wisdom of both houses to embark on the Vet Futures work as it had also aided ongoing Brexit preparations and work on the RCVS Strategic Plan 2017 – 2019. It had been decided to take 15 items from the Plan this year and there had been a lot of progress made within the first couple of months.

1. As this Plan focused on change and leadership, it was questioned whether it was time to drop the regulatory emphasis, as it was a small part of what the College did; particularly when a lot of work is being undertaken on Mind Matters and mental health in the profession.

1. It was agreed that the College was much more than just a regulator but also that it was a Royal College that regulates and regulation was a core function. By also improving standards and reputation of the profession it was hoped to demonstrate to the public that there were more functions undertaken than purely being a regulator.

RCVS Fellowship appeals procedure

1. The President confirmed this paper was to inform Council that an appeals process would be considered following concerns raised in relation to applications for Fellowship status. There were no questions.

Matters for decision by Council

Brexit

1. The CEO outlined the paper and stated that the principles within the paper had been considered by the Presidential Brexit Taskforce; the Operational Board; and at the round table meeting held the previousweek (co-hosted by the BVA). There had been one minor amendment to change the text from ‘animal welfare’ to ‘animal health and welfare’ which had been unanimously agreed. There was support from Defra, Westminster and Oliver Robbins (Permanent Secretary (Department for Exiting the European Union))for the approach taken.

1. Comments and questions included but were not limited to:

-how many UK nationals attending non-EAEVE accredited schools might be affected if there were changes to the recognition rules?

• there were no available numbers of UK nationals in EU vet schools. However, those already registered with the RCVS would remain on the register;

-for a period of time under the ‘Great Repeal Bill’ (as it was currently known) it was envisaged that the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications (MRPQ)would continuethough over time changes might be introduced;

• MRPQ was the standard in the UK, but a school approved by EAEVE would not have to reciprocate recognition by the UK;

-it was suggested that approximately 60% of EU medics were considering going home, and queried the number of vets in same situation;

• it was thought that the figure that had been stated was closer to 40%. Re: EU Vets on the Register – a survey was going out shortlywith questions designed to determine their intentions;

-howcould the number of UK graduates be boosted/how to get the best graduates for the UK?

• this would be in a number of different ways – it would come down to capacity in existing schools; funding issues including capital funding; etc.;

-one of the drivers was student debt and costs, the College should work with the schools to look at the debt issue and the type of courses offered;

-re: recognition on a country by country basis, it was noted that this would not be without challenges – it was not necessarily limited to one agreement with one bodyas there were often a number of different bodies within different countries, for example, there were 17 bodies within Germany;

-there should be more communication regarding veterinary nurses (VNs) and their roles as the Veterinary Futures (VF)/Veterinary Nurses Futures (VNF) surveys show that they felt under-utilised and under-valued, more should be done to highlight their skill sets and Day 1 competences;more communication on what VNs were allowed to do under Schedule 3 to the Veterinary Surgeons Act (VSA); and,take into account all levels as there were growing veterinary care assistant groups taking on roles that the VNs used to do;

• there were a lot of discussions currently taking place and questions being asked regarding the role of RVNs, there would be an announcement in the spring at BSAVA Congress. It could be a challenging career and make the veterinary practice more profitable;

-questions were asked about the VSA, Schedule 3 and Codes of Professional Conduct (CoPC). It was noted that:

• both vets and VNs had a CoPC that was separate and additional to the VSA;

• the VSA reserved acts of veterinary surgery to vets – there were only limited exemptions to this whether under Exemption Orders(EOs) or via Schedule 3 which applied to RVNs (as well as to farmers);

EOs stated what particular individuals could do in specified very limited situations with suitable training;Schedule 3 covered what RVNs could do. Consideration was currently being given to how far matters could be stretched within current legislation though this would be finite as it was necessary to stay within the stated purpose and sprit of the VSA; Schedule 3 could only be altered via legislation;

• there was the Legislation Working Party (LWP). While considering future legislation this includedan on-going theme to tryto move forward within the legislative framework that the College operates under,to encourage the evolution of the veterinary team as a whole; explore possibilities/opportunities for creativity around the Charter and existing legislation. It was important to have the profession/BVA move with the College;

-was it now time/appropriate for BVA/RCVS to make some political comment as Article 50 had not yet been triggered?

• the implications were being considered currently and it was felt that any political comment should be left to the politicians as it was unwise to enter the political affray; work was being done so that Brexit happened in a way that would not disadvantage the profession;

• the CEO indicated that consideration was being given to an additional Council meeting in January so that many aspects being looked at by Education Committee over the rest of the year – outcomes/EMS/limited licensure etc – could be looked at. It was noted that notwithstanding Brexitmost things were already underway as part of consideration under VetFutures;

-the language with the document was queried – ‘EU Exit’ was the correct term, whereas ‘Brexit’ was a journalistic phrase.

1. The President thanked Council for their comments and the wide-ranging support of this work that was not contained to the room but also within other bodies – to get anywhere would be to speak with one voice.

1. A vote was taken on the principles. This was unanimously agreed with no abstentions.

International

India

1. The President gave a brief presentation on the recent trip to India he had taken with the CEO: this was an exploratory trip designed to strengthen existing commonwealth ‘ties’and was part of the global strategy outlined in the new Strategy Plan. There was potential toprovide commercial opportunities for their graduates to work here and vice versa;as well as to assist in raising standards in animal health and welfare. Those that they met with included:

• TANUVAS (Chennai vet school) including the VC and all Heads of Department;
• President of SAPAC (BSAVA equivalent) and SAPAC President in Tamil Nadu;
• DG ICAR and team – the workshop that they ‘hijacked’ had representatives from all of the veterinary colleges in attendance;
• JN University;
• British Council and High Commission;
• Secretary General of Commonwealth (3 months retired).

1. During the visit, they saw how Indian veterinary education and profession worked, that there was interest in many areas including: obtaining help in an expanding small animal area sector;interest in working with VNs;as well as the RCVS activity in relation to evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM).

1. Background:

• 90,000 vets on the Veterinary Council of India Register;
• 44 vet schools with a minimum of 80 graduates annually;
• the veterinary education course had recently been extended from 5 years to 5½ years;
• registration and regulation was at state level whereas education was at national level;
• the veterinary profession had a somewhat lower ‘status’in India compared to the UK but was still a trusted profession;
• huge focus on agriculture but increasingly on companion animals;

-small animal technicians were keen to meet with them – the 4 colleges in Chennai were particularly keen to work with the RCVS; in turn the RCVSwould be quite keen to have some kind of forum to find out what was their focus;

• there was no shortage of caseload and there were very good facilities; whilst encouraging, the College would need to find out more about the standards and facilities of all44 veterinary schools;
• a ‘two-centre’ trip – first at Chennai and then on to Delhi.

1. Going forward there would be some challenges/matters for consideration:

• India had been listed at 142nd in surveys assessing how easy it was to do business in countries around the world. Recently this had improved to 130th, so it was improving albeit slowly;
• multiple agencies were involved in decision making andthe RCVS needed to understand where decisions weremade;
• State based registration and professional conduct, nationally based education standards.

1. Opportunities:

• India was rapidly changing with global impact;
• would provide a 1.3bn (people) global market for the RCVS brand;
• contribute to animal welfare and One Health;
• build on existing partnerships with the UK;
• potential source of veterinary graduates;
• UK student and graduate opportunities;
• test case for RCVS outside its comfort zone;
• challenging perspective on how we approached accreditation in general;
• Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and others also investigating opportunities;
• British Council very keen to see the RCVS make progress.

1. What next? Operational Board had supported going forward to start laying the foundations during 2017, and looked to get Council support of what the RCVS could do collaboratively, with a low level of investment:

• Objectives:

-understand where the power lies and the appetite for engagement;

-develop a framework for pilot project around accreditation;

-decide whether to proceed to further stages or not.

• Activities to include:

-making contact with all the key stakeholders, including: Ministry of Human Resource Development; University Grants Commission; All India Council for Technical Education; Association of Indian Universities;

-British Council would host a round table discussion in Delhi and London.

• Budget and logistics:

-£50,000 to include two visits in 2017;

-support from Amrita Sadarangani (based in Mumbai);

-meetings held with: BEIS re: possibilities for ‘Newton’ funding; and the Department of International Trade.

1. Comments and questions included but were not limited to:

-the strength of the profession is the innate quality of who ends up in it, was there any sense of the quality of people within this visit i.e. against medical/engineering professions?

• the motivation was different so this would need to be explored;

-what was meant by the UK government and providing funding?

• theBritish Council had three funding streams. However, it was noted that it wasless about any funds provided, and more about the access provided in working with the government through a grant. The British Council were very supportive in trying to find a way of working with the RCVS:e.g.one possible way could be to have PhD students from UK veterinary schools in a delegation to India – to form a ‘human bridge’for knowledge sharing;

• the RCVS was one of the first professions post-Brexitreferendum to consider the potential in India;

• this year the RCVS could look to explore this option and take tentative steps, with emphasis on getting government departments on board/ identifying key individuals. However, it was highlighted that it was a tough business environment and that there should be caution regarding resources;

• it was suggested that the Commonwealth Veterinary Association (CVA) be contacted;

• mention was also made of the Commonwealth Institute (this has now closed though enquiries could be made of successor organisations);

• it was noted that the Pakistan Veterinary Board (PVB) was visiting the UK soon* so there would also be discussions with them;

[*Note: this has been postponed by the PVB]

-the figures state that there were currently 90,000 people registered with the Veterinary Council of India and over 3,500 more graduates per annum. This would nearlydouble their number in 20 years – would this generate an over-supply of vets?

• there was no sense of any over-supplyof vets at the moment.

1. Council noted the steps being taken as outlined in the presentation.

Innovation / leadership

1. The Director of Leadership and Innovation (DoLI) outlined a presentation on this topic. A key ambition of the 2017 – 2019 Strategic Plan was: ‘To become a Royal College with leadership and innovation at its heart, and support this creatively and with determination’. This came from VF work;and a key theme was that vets and veterinary nurses felt they were driven by external forces and were notnecessarily in charge of their own future or profession.

Leadership