The coronavirus situation is changing rapidly. This page was last updated at 11am on Wednesday 1st April and will continue to be amended as advice develops.
The BVA and RCVS are now co-ordinating the profession’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak and we are working closely with them and our association colleagues. RCVS have a time-stamped Q&A list on their website answering the most common questions we are receiving from members, so please check if your question has been covered there. BVA are running update webinars every Sunday – keep an eye on their social media for registration details for each one.
Following lobbying from BVA and VMG, government has now confirmed that veterinary practices are classed as an essential service and will not be forced to close completely. However, all small animal and equine veterinary practices should now be only providing urgent and emergency care, with mixed/large animal work maintaining the food supply chain also permitted to continue. Services must be provided in a manner that reduces face-to-face contact to an absolute minimum. All staff possible should work from home, and practices should consider whether they can split on-site teams (for example, into Mon-Wed and Thu-Sat crews), or furlough staff in order to safeguard a continued service wherever possible. Where practice attendance is unavoidable, strict protocols must be followed in terms of biosecurity, maintaining distance apart, wearing PPE and hand hygiene. RCVS have temporarily relaxed prescribing rules, and advice is available here on supplying prescription-only medications remotely (scroll down to question 4). BVA have published guidance for veterinary practices in assessing emergency and urgent care during the pandemic, available here; and BSAVA have created a Triage Tool for practices to use in advising clients.
Suggestions for additions to the collated resources below are welcome – just drop an email to office@vetmg.com.