Dr Sharon Alston

Address: Home Farm, Stanford on Avon, Northamptonshire NN6 6JR

Website: www.rugbyvethospital.co.uk

Proposers 

Mrs Kimberly Evans MRCVS

Dr Alasdair Hotston Moore FRCVS

Candidate biography

Thank you for reading.

Cut me like a stick of rock, it reads Vet through and through.

Kennel/stable hand to student nurse, self-educated to attain entry to Bristol, Year Rep, I proudly joined our esteemed profession in 2002. My journey – setting up a solo 24hr SA/EQ practice, career break to become a mum, locumming in EEC/varied clinics, being headhunted to launch new SA clinic as JVP, and achieving the PGCertSAS. Mental health struggles triggered relocation to Ireland.

Finding no charity veterinary provision, Ireland desperately needed a PDSA style charity, requiring significant launch funds. The solution – creating Ireland’s first 80s festival as a fund raiser! Initially a roaring success, covid/unprecedented flooding, extinguished the dream.

Revitalised, my new UK 24hr Independent hospital opens in March.

My core value is welfare, both animals and people. Actively involved in projects/organisations including the move to reform extreme conformation induced suffering, I’m passionate about voicing concerns needing to be heard.

I share my world with my son, 3 GSD’s, 3 sports horses, and a trio of felines. Hobbies include training rescue horses, with success at Badminton/Burghley.

Strong, resilient, burning with passion for our profession to flourish and be heard.

Candidate statement

• Why do you want to stand to be a member of RCVS Council?

Practising Vets need a voice- an undaunted, representative, reasoned and solution focussed voice. Our profession/industry faces unprecedented change in the reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act, including how we are regulated. This should be a strong positive step.

Do you agree with proposals that our whole profession should be represented by 6 APPOINTED vets on Council? Over 60% of our workforce are employed within 6 corporate organisations, consider who needs a seat at the table? Please digest this. Policy proposals must be rigorously explored and questioned, or the result is a fait accompli. All practising vets need to be heard, not just the few sitting in offices, directing OUR future.

Never has there been such disconnect between our noble profession, and the public we serve. We are caring, principled individuals, we are destroyed by unfair, unending scrutiny and abuse, for just doing our best. The damage is irreversible for many.

I believe it’s essential that the views and experiences of those working in frontline practices are taken into account within the College’s governance, to ensure its policies and regulatory approach are proportionate, transparent, and grounded in the realities of modern practice, and vitally, supporting the mental health of the profession.

• What do you think you can bring to RCVS Council?

Collectively, my broad experience, expertise and deep understanding of the struggles within our profession, with a focus on moving forwards proactively. I have worked in varied positions across a range of practice models and ownerships, through significant and turbulent changes in the profession, experienced a range of non-veterinary committees and boards, and have always demonstrated professionalism, integrity, and the strength to raise contentious issues that need to be highlighted.

I’m keen to be involved in vital working groups and committees that require multifactorial collaboration, active contribution and varied experience, for the good of the profession and its optics amid public uncertainty. Although my passion for animal welfare is paramount, I am driven to further understand and improve the ever-present mental health issues so many struggle with. This is a key area I’d welcome the opportunity to participate in, with a continual thirst to explore and utilise the groundbreaking developments in understanding how we work, and why we break.

I have endless energy and dedication towards matters of real importance and opportunity of progress or change.

• What relevant experience do you have?

Vast and varied- from Nurse to SA/EQ/EEC/OV Vet, practice ownership/corporate partnership, charity founder, mental health advocate, ADHD Entrepreneur.

To complement a varied veterinary portfolio, I additionally offer extensive experience in non-veterinary business management, local organisation committee involvement, including President elect of the area Chamber of Commerce. It was essential to create multi agency collaboration including government bodies and the ISPCA, to further my aims for the proposed charity in Ireland. Discovering the importance of scrutiny in proposals and legislative policy small print, enabled our charity to initiate closure and relocation of the cruel, criminally operated Ashton dog pound in Dublin.

A trained coach, I’ve developed further skills, patience, listening, understanding and the ability to assimilate information to contribute to discussions effectively. I’m dedicated to further research and ongoing studies into the understanding of personality types and fundamental differences in all human brain chemistry/neurodiversity. This brings unrivalled opportunity for us to better understand/address many of the mental health issues in our profession. Caring and focussed, brilliant and vulnerable, imposter syndrome and empaths, ambitious but perfectionist. Ongoing research can and will revolutionise our wellbeing throughout the profession.

This additional understanding is a further tool in my collective toolbox of experience.

• Is there anything else you would like to add in support of your candidacy?

I stand for election to RCVS council to bring experience of working in the frontline at a vital transitional time, for consideration of improved wellbeing throughout our profession, for directed positive progress. If this aligns with your values, please remember to vote. Thank you for your time.