The role of VN Council members
How VN Council members work, confidentiality, committees, subcommittees and working parties.
- VN Council meets four times a year, at which members may be asked to make decisions related to the registration, pre-registration education, post-qualification education, continuing professional development and professional conduct of veterinary nurses.
- VN Council members may also be required to sit on working parties, boards and committees (which can act with delegated authority on certain matters and make recommendations to Council on the more important and strategic issues).
- Please note the Veterinary Nurse Preliminary Investigation, and Veterinary Nurse Disciplinary Committees are set up by statute and have autonomous powers.
- Following the introduction of the (Disciplinary) Legislative Reform Order in 2013, VN Council membership of these committees has now been phased out.
- VN Council members may be asked to represent the College on outside organisations and at meetings, or to speak to the media on behalf of the College, as requested or agreed with one of the officers.
- All VN Council members are required to act in accordance with the public service principles set out in the Nolan Committee’s first report on standards in public life, which include selflessness (acting solely in the public interest), integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.
- VN Council members are required to maintain up-to-date declarations of interests for publication on the website and to provide the College with biographical information and photographs for publication on the website and elsewhere.
- VN Council members are required to participate in induction and training sessions.
- For further details, please download the Code of Conduct for Council and Committee Members and the RCVS Policy for Managing Potential Conflicts of Interest.
- Please note VN Council members are not elected or appointed to represent or be answerable to any constituency or particular group of individuals and all have a responsibility equivalent to trustees for the governance of the College and the veterinary nursing profession. This means their actions and words should be consistent and in-line with the role and remit of the RCVS, and seek to further our mission to enhance society through improved animal health and welfare.
How VN Council members work
- In order to enable the RCVS to fulfil its vision, and to discharge its functions under its Royal Charter and the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, VN Council members are required to:
- Abide by the Nolan principles of public life; Work in the best interests of the public, and of animal health and welfare and public health;
- Respectfully listen to the voices of the professions, the public and other stakeholders, and reflect them in discussions where appropriate, ensuring they are put into context;
- Neither be answerable to, nor represent, any group of individuals;
- Support the College’s vision and work towards the success of the College and its functions;
- Live the College’s values;
- Act at all times in a constructive, supportive and compassionate manner
- Exercise a duty of care to the staff employed by the College, working through the CEO and Registrar;
- Recognise the importance of a collegiate atmosphere where robust discussion is welcomed in the formation of policy and multiple points of view are listened to and respected;
- Respect and support the decisions made by VN Council when communicating externally;
- Communicate College activities and positions to relevant stakeholders;
- Abide by the Code of Conduct for Council and Committee Members.
Collective responsibility
- While VN Council members can engage in robust discussion and debate on matters for decision, once a decision has been made, there is a collective responsibility to respect the outcome, even if you disagreed with it, voted against it or abstained. The aim of collective responsibility is to ensure that there is no confusion amongst the profession as to the decision that was made.
Confidentiality
- VN Council members must not disclose information that has been shared with them but designated by the RCVS as private or confidential. If members are in any way unsure if they can disclose information, then they should in the first instance seek advice from the president. If members disagree with a classification of private or confidential then members should raise with the relevant committee chair/president.
- Please note that the use of unsupported and/or unauthorized Artificial Intelligence (AI) software is prohibited during College meetings, in particular, their use in summarising private or confidential papers.
Committees, subcommittees and working parties
- Being a member of VN Council provides opportunities to serve on one of our specialised committees, subcommittees, and working groups, overseeing everything from veterinary education to professional standards to governance and risk to CPD compliance. Our expert panels, made up of Council and VN Council members and appointed specialists, work together to ensure veterinary care in the UK stays safe, effective, and up to date.
- Membership of committees will depend upon a number of factors, for example, gaps in membership and consideration of individuals’ skills matrices completed as part of their induction process and updated regularly thereafter. These skills matrices to help identify interests in subject areas and also potential training requirements, although there is no guarantee that a member will immediately be placed on a preferred committee.
- Generally a Council member will be on a committee for three years before being rotated onto a different committee/subcommittee unless they were to stand and be successful for a chair, or Officer Team, role that requires movement e.g. the treasurer must sit on Finance and Resources Committee.
- Please note only VN Council members who are also members can stand for officer roles.
- Our organisational chart sets out the specific committees and councils, including their subcommittees and working groups. More details about each can be found on our committees, subcommittees and groups webpage.
- The VN Education Committee reports directly to VN Council and meets to consider reports of visitation panels to accredited education institutions, their delivery sites and training practices and makes recommendations to Veterinary Nurses Council on recognition of veterinary nurse licence to practise and post-registration qualification accreditations.