05 June 2018
Official Veterinarians have expressed frustrations with the training and revalidation process
The British Veterinary Association (BVA)
is gathering its members' views on the training and revalidation system for
Official Veterinarians (OVs), following concerns that frustration with the
current process could exacerbate capacity and capability issues in this
critical section of the workforce.
The short survey, which has been emailed
to BVA members this week, asks respondents to confirm which OCQ(V)s they currently
hold or previously held: qualifications across a range of areas which OVs need
to demonstrate and renew at intervals to receive authorisation to practise in
the UK. They are also asked to give
reasons if they have chosen to drop a particular qualification without
revalidating it.
Members have raised concerns via BVA's
Council about the OV training and revalidation process, with reasons including
time, cost, a lack of relevance and duplication of learning across different
modules cited for choosing not to renew their qualifications. BVA plans to take the data and insights
captured in the survey to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and make
recommendations for how the system can be made more user-friendly and fit for
purpose.
John Fishwick, BVA President, said: “Official Veterinarians have a critical
role to play in upholding high standards of health and welfare across the
supply chain, certifying products for export and safeguarding against disease
and food fraud. We are already aware
that this area is facing significant challenges as Brexit is likely to drive up
demand for product certification.
“It is particularly worrying to hear that members are finding the system both
frustrating and resource-intensive. Losing
skilled professionals now at a time when they are needed most would be a real
waste of specialist knowledge and could leave gaps in the UK's provision for responding
to disease outbreaks and meeting export certification needs post-Brexit.
“We understand and support the need to keep veterinary skills up to date, but
the process for demonstrating this must be straightforward and proportionate. BVA will ensure that all insights offered by respondents
are raised with APHA with the aim of getting the system right for OVs working
in the UK both now and in the future.”
BVA members can access the survey online.
The deadline for responding is 29 June 2018
