The petition was launched in August 2015 with the aim of getting the government legally to protect ‘veterinary nurse’ so that only professionals who have the relevant education and training and who are appropriately registered with the RCVS can refer to themselves as such, and to criminalise improper use of the term.
The petition closed on Sunday 14th February 2016 with 36,862 people from across the UK signing it.
In January, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) responded to the petition saying that, while it recognised the important role that veterinary nurses have in animal care, it did not recommend that Parliament give the title legal protection. However, DEFRA has agreed to work with the RCVS to review Schedule 3, which outlines which veterinary procedures can be delegated to registered veterinary nurses, and find new ways of bolstering the veterinary nursing profession.
Liz Cox, Chair of the RCVS Veterinary Nurses Council said: ‘While we were disappointed with DEFRA’s response, we will continue to argue that the veterinary nurse title should be a legally protected one, like that of a veterinary surgeon.
‘While the RCVS and membership organisations campaign at a national level, it is important that both VNs and veterinary surgeons continue to promote and explain veterinary nursing to clients. Good veterinary nursing can make a huge difference to the outcome and experience for both the animal and the client, we do a great job and we need to tell the public.’