Nearly 300 veterinary nurses have found themselves removed from the RCVS Register of Veterinary Nurses for non-payment of their annual renewal fee on 1 January 2018.
It is important to remember it is technically illegal for veterinary nurses to practice and perform any procedures that fall under Schedule 3 of the Veterinary Surgeons Act if they are not on the RCVS Register. It should also be remembered that veterinary nurses working in a clinical coach role, can only do so if they are on the Register.
The annual renewal fee for veterinary nurses was due for payment on 1 November, but veterinary nurses had up to midnight on 31 December to pay before they were removed from the Register.
Whilst these figures are high, they have dropped considerably since 2016 when 692 veterinary nurses found themselves removed due to non-payment.
Nicola South, Head of Registration, said: “Over the past two years we have been making use of text messages and emails to remind veterinary nurses, and veterinary surgeons, to pay their annual fee to remain on the Register and I think the falling number of removals in the years since we introduced this is testament to the effectiveness of these methods.”
A list of those who have been removed from the Register on 1 January 2018, and who haven’t subsequently been restored, has been published to assist practices in making checks to ensure that all their veterinary nursing staff are still on the Register.