New ‘under care’ guidance now integrated into Practice Standards Scheme

Following the approval of the new ‘under care’ guidance by RCVS Council in January 2023, some changes have been made to the Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) Core accreditation standards in order to reflect the new guidance.

In line with the new guidance, the changes primarily centre around the medicine modules, across the species, to highlight how the new guidance will impact the prescribing of POM-Vs. Changes have also been made to the out of hours (OOH) module, to introduce guidance around limited-service providers (LSP) and telemedicine providers.

The four new standards, put it place to reflect the under care guidance, are as follows:

• 10.1.32/9.1.32 E - For antibiotics, antifungals, antiparasiticides and antivirals, a physical examination should be carried out at the time of prescribing unless there are exceptional circumstances.
• 10.1.33/9.1.33 E - When prescribing a controlled drug to an animal, veterinary surgeons should in the first instance carry out a physical examination in all but exceptional circumstances.
• 10.1.34/9.1.34 E - A veterinary surgeon who has an animal under their care must be able, on a 24/7 basis, to physically examine the animal.
• 13.1.9/12.1.9 E - Limited-service providers should provide, or provide access to, 24-hour emergency cover that is proportionate to the service they offer.

Additional guidance notes have also been added to five current standards to signpost and highlight relevant changes within the standard impacted by the new guidance.

After reading the documents, if anyone has any further questions they should contact the Practice Standards Scheme Team directly, on [email protected].