First meeting of RCVS Public Advisory Group

The first meeting of our new RCVS Public Advisory Group (PAG) took place on Friday 22 September, bringing together a variety of animal owners and keepers who will help support the College in working in the public interest.

The Group’s first workstream will be working with us to develop advice and guidance for animal owners that will help them get the best from their interactions with members of the veterinary team.

The purpose of the Group, which we have initially set up as a pilot for a 12-month period, is as follows:

• to enable us to better understand the issues affecting the public;
• to act as a sounding board with whom we can confidentially consult on draft policy whilst under development;
• to support the development and improvement of our services for the public, for example Find a Vet, Check the Registers and the concerns process; and
• to help pilot and test messages and communications to ensure they are clear and understandable.

RCVS Council member, Louise Allum MRCVS, who chairs the Group, said: “I’m very excited to be working with animal owners and keepers from such a wide variety of backgrounds, and from many different areas of the UK, and I’m looking forward to seeing how much we can achieve together over the coming months.”

The first meeting was largely an induction and introduction to the College and our remit, with the opportunity for members to get to know each other. The Group heard about our legal underpinning and the push for new legislation to modernise its scope.

CEO Lizzie Lockett, introducing the role of the College, said: “This group comprises animal owners and keepers, and you are, of course, all members of the public as well. Veterinary work is not only about animal health and welfare but also public health, public safety and contributing to planetary health through One Health initiatives. So we are delighted to be able to call on you to help support us and ensure we continue to work in the public interest.”

Director of Communications, Ian Holloway, then introduced the first workstream, supporting the College in the creation of advice for animal owners and keepers, based on the advice and guidance already available for the veterinary professions. This is expected to include advice on areas including:

• what to expect from your veterinary professionals and practices;
• what owner/keeper responsibilities are;
• what vet teams can and can’t do; and
• what the vet team’s responsibilities are.

We will consult the Group throughout the creation of the advice, to ensure that the information is as relevant, accessible and useful as possible.

More information about the PAG, including its terms of reference, can be found at www.rcvs.org.uk/pag.