Vet practices will not need to return to emergency-only work

Vet practices will not need to return to emergency-only work as they did in the first lockdown (March 2020), under Scotland and England’s new lockdown rules.

In a joint statement, the BVA and RCVS have proclaimed they are in negotiations with the CVOs about the broader implications of the new restrictions announced separately by Boris Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon. However, their statement has highlighted practices will not be expected to return to providing emergency-only services.

The statement outlined: “We are urgently looking at what these new national lockdowns will mean for veterinary professionals and services, and we are liaising with the CVOs. We aim to issue updated guidance in the coming days but can confirm we will not be reverting to emergency-only work as we saw at the start of the first UK wide lockdown last March. Instead, we are developing guidance to support veterinary professionals to carry out work that is essential for public health and animal health and welfare in the context of the very strong ‘stay at home’ messages from both governments. We recognise this continues to be a very challenging and difficult time for our colleagues and we want to thank veterinary teams across the UK for continuing to work safely so we can all play our part in stopping the spread of COVID.”