FAQs

Once you have finished giving your evidence, you will be released as a witness and are free to go about your day. If you want to, you can watch the rest of the hearing. However, as mentioned above, we ask that you do not speak to anyone about your evidence until the DC has announced its final decision regarding the whole case.

If you’re absent from work and feel unable to meet the minimum CPD requirement but need to stay on the Register, you can apply to pause your CPD for up to 6 months.

You can apply to pause your CPD through the online RCVS CPD recording platform, 1CPD. In the web version, there is a 'Request CPD pause' button and in the app, there is a form to fill in, along with a return to work plan that can then be submitted for review. Applications cannot be made retrospectively, but there are no restrictions on how many times you can apply to pause your CPD. (Please note this facility is available on the 1CPD website but not in the app.)

If you anticipate any issues meeting requirements and are not eligible to pause your CPD, please contact the Education team by email on [email protected] or call 020 3795 5595.

Just let us know. You can change your mind about which modules to do at any time, but you should let the RCVS know, so we can keep track of your achievements. Call the Education Department on 020 7202 0778 or email [email protected].

If you have applied to register with the RCVS, and paid your fee, but do not pass your exams first time, we will hold your application open, and your fee, until you have taken your re-sits.

You can still complete your annual renewal, and pay your fee, in the 'My Account' area of the website.

You will be asked to enter your username and password, which you were sent in your last renewal notice. If you don't know your username and password you can still complete your annual renewal online by clicking the 'Create/Reset password' and 'Forgot username' buttons, underneath the 'Sign in' button. Please note you will need access to the email account we hold on your RCVS record.

If you are logging in to ‘My Account’ for the first time, you will be prompted to create a security question before you can enter.

If you do not have an email address on your record then you will need to contact the Registration Department before you can access ‘My Account’ and complete your annual renewal.

Reflection is central to outcomes-based CPD and we expect veterinary surgeons and nurses to reflect as part of their CPD commitments.

If there is evidence that vets or VNs are not routinely reflecting on their CPD they have completed, the Education team may follow this up in the first instance. 

We recommend that vets and VNs who take time away from work keep up with CPD as long as you remain practising on your respective Register. This is to help you keep your skills, knowledge and experience up-to-date and place them in a stronger position once you return to work.

In cases of planned or unplanned leave, vets and VNs can apply to pause your CPD requirements for up to 6 months. Once you return to work, your CPD requirements will be calculated on a pro-rata basis against the annual hourly targets. If you need to take a longer break, please contact the Education team by email on [email protected] or call 020 3795 5595 to discuss.

Veterinary nurses who are unable to maintain their CPD requirement during an absence from work are encouraged to remove their name from the Register. If you return to register after a period of 6-18 months you will not need to pay a restoration fee.  

If the DC has decided that the appropriate sanction is suspension or removal, a letter will be sent to the veterinary professional which explains what happens next. There is a right of appeal so the suspension/removal order will not take effect until the 28 day appeal period has elapsed and the letter sent to the veterinary professional will make these dates clear.

If the veterinary professional does not appeal, they will then be removed from the register (either temporarily or permanently) and no longer appear on our ‘Find a Vet/Vet Nurse’ function on our website. If the individual has been suspended, they will automatically be reinstated to the register once the suspension period is complete. If the individual has been removed, they are entitled to apply for restoration to the register 10 months after they have been removed. Restoration applications are heard in formal hearings in front of the DC.

If the veterinary professional has appealed, they will remain on the register until the conclusion of the appeal.

You will be informed of the outcome once the hearing has concluded. You will be able to view a copy of the decision and a press release on the website should you wish to learn more.

You will also be able to claim back your expenses. Please complete the claim form and return it to us alongside all of your receipts. If you do not have a copy of the form or have any issues, do let us know.

Once you arrive, someone will come to see you and discuss how the day will work in more detail. Ideally, you will also be shown the hearing room so you can familiarise yourself with it before you give evidence. You may also be introduced to the barrister for the RCVS so you can meet them prior to giving evidence.