Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Concerned About Panorama Vet Documentary
Published on July 23, 2010 by K9 Magazine News Editor · 1 CommentThe RCVS has, this morning issued a statement in response to last night’s alarming Panorama documentary “It shouldn’t happen at a vets.”
The statement reads:
We are concerned about allegations raised by last night’s Panorama programme, and would like to reassure the public that we will investigate the claims made, says veterinary regulatory body, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, commenting on ‘It Shouldn’t Happen at a Vet’s’ (BBC 1, 9pm 22 July).
“It would be impossible to watch such a programme and not feel concern for the animals featured or sympathy towards their owners, and indeed any member of the public or profession who may have been distressed by what they have seen,” says RCVS President Peter Jinman.
The programme has been in the pipeline for some time. The College first met with Panorama over a year ago but, as has been acknowledged in the programme, last night’s airing was our first opportunity to see it. However, one of the veterinary surgeons featured in the programme – Kfir Segev – was under RCVS investigation well before the Panorama interest began. He has since been ‘struck off’ the RCVS Register for the fraudulent recommendation of unnecessary treatments, meaning he is no longer able to practise as a veterinary surgeon.
“The veterinary profession has a robust regulatory system and allegations have been made which deserve full investigation,” says Mr Jinman. “The BBC has given assurances that they will provide us with the information we need and we will immediately ask for their co-operation. It would be inappropriate to prejudge the outcome of our investigations by commenting on any specific aspects of the programme at this stage.”
The programme covered many issues, with allegations ranging from inappropriate delegation to unqualified staff members, through to fraud. The RCVS regulates veterinary surgeons and considers charges of serious professional misconduct, which might include, and have in fact included, inappropriate delegation to support staff, such as veterinary nursing assistants.
We have also developed non-statutory systems for the regulation of registered veterinary nurses and the maintenance of practice standards.
Some of the allegations made in the programme were of serious offences and the BBC ought to pass details of those to the relevant authorities, such as the police or Trading Standards. The RCVS has a good track record of working with such authorities.
What can you do? While we understand that the majority of animal owners have great confidence in their veterinary surgeon, where there are concerns, we would encourage people to contact the RCVS.
Any veterinary surgeon or veterinary nurse who witnesses behaviour that they believe falls below the high standards expected of the profession is encouraged to report this to us. A number of complaints received by the College each year are from veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and other members of practice staff.
“We appreciate that ‘whistleblowing’ may not be an easy choice, but belonging to a profession brings responsibilities as well as rights, and it is up to every member to ensure that high educational, ethical and clinical standards are maintained,” says Mr Jinman.
Guidance on whistleblowing is available on RCVSonline and further sources of support are available at http://www.vetlife.org.uk.
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Tags: royal college of veterinary, royal college of veterinary surgeons
As someone who has been running a pet cemetery and crematorium for the last 25 years I deal with veterinary surgeries on a regular basis. Whilst some practices may be more efficient than others they are staffed by people who genuinely care about the animals and do their best for them.
Vets have always been regarded as trusted professionals and although their clients will complain about the level of fees most are happy to pay for the training, experience and commitment that veterinary staff give them. Of course all veterinary practices have to be run as businesses but in order to maintain the trust of the clients the business decisions must be seen to be fair and in accordance with the general idea of professional practice. The rise of practice managers and corporate veterinary chains has introduced a blatant commercial aspect into the presentation of the work that does not sit easily with our image of the professional. However, pet owners as laymen have to trust vets to do what is right for their pets. If that trust disappears then the working relationship between vet and client becomes very difficult.
In my experience the vast majority of vets are very trustworthy which makes me think the BBC must have had advance information about this particular vet before they started the investigation. Either that or they were lucky in the company they picked to investigate.
Vets may generally be trusted to give you their expertise while your pet is alive. However, the majority fall short when providing a cremation service. Vets have no knowledge of this area and yet will pass pets’ bodies over to companies in the mistaken belief they are all the same. The decision to use a cremation company is usually based on the level of profit they make and the fact that the company will also take away all the veterinary waste from the practice. Pet crematoria are not all the same and most pet owners would be upset to find out the truth about what goes on behind the scenes. The majority of pet owners who request a cremation do not get the service they expect and pay for. This is far more common than the cases illustrated in the Panorama report.
The Association of Private Pet Cemeteries & Crematoria is the only organisation setting standards for this sector and has tried to get Veterinary Associations to issue guidelines to ensure services are correctly sold. Up to now the RCVS and BSVA have seemed reluctant to interfere in vets’ businesses. Perhaps the Panorama investigation will change that for the better.