RCVS Council considers 24-hour cover proposals

At its recent meeting in November, RCVS Council considered revised guidance on 24-hour emergency cover which proposed that reasonable steps should be taken to provide cover for all species seen by a practice during normal working hours. For other species, it was proposed that the owner of the animal could be referred to an appropriate emergency veterinary service.

Council was concerned with the proposals, particularly those pertaining to other species, and it was suggested that a veterinary surgeon receiving a request for emergency assistance should take responsibility until such time as another more experienced veterinary surgeon could assume responsibility for the animal's care.

There was also a proposal that the provision of 24-hour emergency cover should be left to market forces, although Council did not support this. The Working Party was asked to review the proposals.