The role of the RCVS and VN Councils

1. The role of the RCVS is to protect the public interest by ensuring animal health and welfare, and public health, are advanced through thriving, world-class veterinary professions. 
2.  It is not the role of the RCVS to represent members of the professions individually or collectively, that is for other bodies. However, the RCVS does have a role in promoting high standards in the professions, particularly in relation to education and professional conduct.
3.  Our mission ensures that the public can trust veterinary professionals and that the highest standards of care are maintained. Only those veterinary professionals listed on our registers can legally practise in the UK. This protects both animals and their owners. We achieve our mission through:
   • Fair and proportionate regulation of veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses 
   • Setting standards for education, training, and continuing professional development 
   • Promoting professionalism, ethics, and accountability 
   • Supporting animal welfare through effective oversight 
   • Acting transparently and consistently when concerns about professional standards arise
   • Maintaining the official registers of vets and vet nurses
   • Investigating concerns about professional conduct
   • Developing policy to improve and advance veterinary standards
   • Sharing knowledge, embracing innovation and supporting better ways of working
4. The RCVS was established in 1844 by Royal Charter to be the governing body of the veterinary professions. As a Royal College that regulates, the RCVS is unique in terms of not only setting and upholding standards, but also being able to continually advance them, for the benefit of animal health and welfare, the public and the professions. We:
   • Undertake statutory responsibilities as set out in the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 – to maintain a Register, and to regulate veterinary education and the professional conduct of veterinary professionals
   • Exercise powers under the Royal Charter to award Fellowships, Diplomas and Certificates to veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and others. We also run the voluntary Practice Standards Scheme and regulate veterinary nurses
   • Support RCVS Knowledge, our charity partner, which sits at the heart of the veterinary professions with a mission to advance the quality of care for the benefit of animals, the public and society, in particular evidence-based veterinary medicine
5. Currently, in order to carry out its statutory duties, a Council of 24 members governs the RCVS and meets between six and eight times a year.
6. VN Council was established in 2002 as a committee of RCVS Council to ensure that decisions made about the veterinary nursing professions were done so by a body the majority of whose members are veterinary nurses.
7. The composition of VN Council is as follows:
   • Six elected veterinary nurses,
   • Two appointed veterinary nurses,
   • Two appointed veterinary surgeons 
   • Four appointed lay members
8.  Under current arrangements, VN Council is supported by an Officer Team (president, two vice-presidents, treasurer), as well as various committees, although all major policy decisions are reserved for VN Council. The Chair of VN Council is invited to attend meetings of the Officer Team as appropriate. The functions of VN Council, as set out in the Supplemental Royal Charter 2015 and the RCVS delegation scheme 2025, are as follows: 
   • To set requirements in relation to the registration of veterinary nurse
   • To set standards for the conduct of veterinary nurses
   • To maintain the Register of Veterinary Nurses
   • To recommend to the Finance and Resources Committee a budget and levels of fees to be charged
   • To recommend to the Council amendments to the rules relating to the registration, conduct and discipline of veterinary nurses
   • To ensure compliance with the requirements of the relevant regulatory authorities relating to licence to practise qualifications in veterinary nursing
   • To establish and keep under review schemes for post-qualification training and continuing professional development for veterinary nurses, and the outcomes to be achieved, with a view to recording an additional entry in the Register of Veterinary Nurses
   • In exercising its functions, the Veterinary Nurses Council may delegate responsibility for matters related to veterinary nurse education, both licence to practise and post registration awards, to the Veterinary Nurse Education Committee
   • The Veterinary Nurses Council shall ensure that the welfare of animals and good veterinary practice are central to its work

Further information about what we do as well as our mission, vision and values is available on the ‘About us’ section of the website.