August 20th 2020

RCVS Extends Guidance on Remote Prescribing

August has seen an update from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) in regards to the rights of vets to remotely prescribe prescription-only medicines (POM-Vs).

In this article, we detail this decision and what it means for clients.

The guidance was originally changed on 25 March. Following government coronavirus restrictions, the idea was to allow vets to prescribe medication without having physically examined the animal and allow more room for individual professional judgement.

Following a review in June, it is believed that the guidance will be reviewed once again during September.

RCVS president, Mandisa Greene, who chairs the task force, said: ‘While lockdown measures have been eased and matters have improved, we are far from being back to business as usual and the threat of returning to more severe lockdown measures, whether locally or nationally, is still very much alive.

‘Nevertheless, with practices currently able to return to more routine treatments, the task force recognises the need for more flexibility in our temporary guidance, so that veterinary surgeons can use their professional judgement to decide what is the most suitable approach in each individual case’.

On behalf of all at the VCMS, we would like to thank vets across the country for their hard work in these strange times; and to the public for being so understanding as to the limitations and new methods of working. 

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