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Congratulations to the Petplan Award winners 
Following a nationwide search to find the UK’s top veterinary professionals for 2011, Petplan has announced the winners of the prestigious Veterinary Awards.

Presented at a glamorous award ceremony at Birmingham Town Hall, the awards aim to recognise and celebrate staff and practices throughout the country that have delivered an exceptional level of care to the nation’s pets and their owners. This year's event was as successful as ever and host Alun Cochrane got plenty of laughs as he teased the audience. 

The winners for each category are: 

VET OF THE YEAR
Alison Laurie, Crown Vets – Highlands  What really stood out about Alison for the independent panel of judges was her clinical excellence, exceptional ability and compassion towards customers and their pets, all of which were highly praised in her nominations.
 
VET NURSE OF THE YEAR
Maria Corcoran, Orwell Veterinary Group – Ipswich  Maria’s ability to naturally lead by example was a prominent factor for the judges, as well as her ability to always make pet care and comfort her top priority. She also provides great customer service and high clinical standards. 

VET SUPPORT STAFF OF THE YEAR
Patty Fraser, Loch Leven Equine Practice – Kinross
The independent panel of judges was really impressed by Patty; she is considered to be the ‘hub’ of the practice and constantly makes a strong contribution to the team in many ways. Her ability to organise and multitask whilst offering excellent customer service is outstanding.

VET PRACTICE OF THE YEAR  Emersons Green Veterinary Surgery Ltd – Avon
Emersons Green Veterinary Surgery’s work to continually educate their customers really stood out for the independent panel of judges. The practice works incredibly hard to provide regular newsletters and updates on their Facebook page, which is run by nurses, whilst maintaining a great level of service for their pets and clients. The practice has also been very successful in helping to re-home dogs.

Alison Andrew, Petplan’s Marketing Manager, says she is thrilled by the ongoing success of the awards. “Britain is known to be an animal-loving nation and with millions of households owning cats and dogs, pets play a central part in family life. The Petplan Veterinary Awards give us the opportunity, on behalf of all pet owners across the UK, to thank the veterinary profession for the outstanding service they provide to our pets.”

“This is the 12th year of the awards and this year we received over 2,800 nominations, a record number for the vet awards, which really highlights the high regard that the profession and pet owners have for these awards.” 

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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
RCVS annual renewal fee for vets due

RCVS' annual renewal fee for veterinary surgeons is now due. Vets must pay their renewal fee before Wednesday, 1 April 2026.

This year's standard annual fee has increased to 431 from last year's 418. This is an approximately three per cent increase, as approved by RCVS Council and the Privy Council.

Tshidi Gardner, RCVS treasurer, said: "The small fee increase will be used to help deliver both our everyday activities and our new ambitious Strategic Plan, which includes aims such as achieving new legislation, reviewing the Codes of Professional Conduct and supporting guidance, and continuing to support the professions through activities such as the Mind Matters Initiative, RCVS Academy and career development."

A full breakdown of the new fees is on the RCVS website. Information about tax relief is available on the UK government website.