Last Friday (23^rd October), BVNA Senior Vice President Sarah Holliday welcomed local MP Zöe Franklin to her workplace at AURA Veterinary in Guildford, for a behind-the-scenes tour to showcase the specialised care, skill and dedication that clinical teams bring to their patients and their owners.

The visit gave the local MP and animal lover an insight into the specialist care AURA Veterinary provides to pets from across the UK and around the world, showcasing its expertise in oncology, soft tissue surgery, internal medicine and interventional radiology.

Ms Franklin saw first-hand how vets and veterinary nurses offer tailored care to pets. She also took time to speak with some of the pet owners and meet their animals in the practice waiting room, including Charlene Lamb with her dog, Sammy. Ms Lamb spoke of the dedicated care provided by the vets and veterinary nurses at AURA, where she has been a client for many years. She especially spoke of the kindness and compassion shown by the whole AURA team, so that Sammy is always happy to visit the hospital.

During the MP’s visit, Sarah also shone a light on the urgent need to change outdated veterinary laws governing the profession, something that the BVNA has long been campaigning for. Ms Franklin heard how advances in veterinary medicine, growing pet ownership, and the expanding veterinary team mean that the current legislation is outdated. While individual vets and veterinary nurses are regulated, veterinary businesses are not, and currently, anyone can refer to themselves as a ‘veterinary nurse’ regardless of their registration status. Sarah urged Ms Franklin to back the profession’s calls to reform the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966.

Sarah Holliday RVN, Senior Vice President at BVNA and Senior Medical Oncology Nurse at AURA Veterinary, said:

“We were thrilled to welcome Ms Franklin and show her the inspiring work that goes on every day at AURA Veterinary.

“Our team works incredibly hard and cares deeply about every animal that comes through our doors. Much of veterinary nurses’ skilled and compassionate care for animals goes on behind the scenes, and so it was an excellent opportunity to showcase the dedicated care we provide throughout each patient’s treatment journey alongside our vet colleagues.

“Ms Franklin’s visit was also an opportunity to highlight the need for a new Veterinary Surgeons Act and urge her to back reforms that will better protect animal welfare, support veterinary teams, and provide greater transparency to our clients. At AURA Veterinary, as a facility with hospital status, we have voluntarily opted in to the Practice Standards Scheme to assure clients of the high standard of care their pets will receive. However, voluntary regulation of businesses is not enough – the pet owning public across the UK should be afforded the same confidence in any veterinary practice they visit.”

Guildford MP Zöe Franklin said:

“As a long-time pet owner, I’m no stranger to vet visits, but it was eye-opening for me to go behind the consult room to see the level of skill, care and commitment towards their patients and their owners from the team at AURA Veterinary.

“I was shocked to learn that currently, anyone can call themselves a veterinary nurse, and that while individual professionals come under mandatory regulation, veterinary businesses do not. That’s why I’m backing the veterinary profession’s calls to reform existing legislation so we can improve transparency, strengthen trust and give pet owners across the UK confidence in the care their pets receive.”

Are you a BVNA member interested in hosting an MP visit to your workplace? These visits are a great way of showing MPs the care veterinary nurses provide to their patients every day, and sharing why their support for reform of the VSA is so vital. Please contact Charlotte Bullard, BVNA Head of Policy and Public Affairs (charlotte@bvna.co.uk) for more information.

More information about the British Veterinary Nursing Association’s campaign to reform the Veterinary Surgeons Act can be viewed at; https://bvna.org.uk/project/veterinary-surgeons-act-reform/