BVA and BSAVA issue update on Covid-19 guidance
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) and British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) have released a joint statement on their latest coronavirus guidance.
The groups said that they are committed to supporting one another and “working together to provide leadership” to benefit those in the veterinary sector as it “navigates these very difficult and uncertain times”.
It said that whilst both teams are working “at pace and under pressure”, there has recently been “some misunderstanding in our communications with one another and we regret that this has caused confusion amongst our members”.
Whilst consultation on BVA’s updated guidance took place with BSAVA, there was reportedly “not the same level of involved and comprehensive consultation” that would normally take place between both organisations.
Due to time constraints and pressure, both organisations said that there was therefore a “resulting mismatch in expectations from both parties”.
The statement read: “After further clarification from BVA that their updated guidance should be read in conjunction with the RCVS Guidance, BSAVA broadly supports the document, and its objective is to provide practical help for practitioners to manage cases over the coming weeks.
“To this end BSAVA is urgently developing evidenced based supporting guidance and tools. This is the same approach that BSAVA took to the initial BVA guidance.”
“We recognise that all veterinary surgeons and nurses are working under huge pressure at the moment and, along with our colleagues in other veterinary associations, we aim to support the veterinary professions in the best ways we all can.”