Jeremy Davies stands for re-election
Image: Jeremy Davies
Past RCVS president seeks to remain on council Jeremy Davis has been part of the RCVS Council for over a decade and, while he currently sits as vice president of the RCVS, he is standing for re-election.
Candidate Dr Davies has a strong tie with the RCVS and veterinary profession, which he has built up over many years. In 2011-2012, he held presidency of the RCVS.
"There are three bits of unfinished business with which I am involved that I would like to see completed," he explained, when asked why he wants to remain on the RCVS Council.
Such business includes the transition of the Preliminary Investigation Committee (PIC) following the Legislative Reform Order to enable the RCVS to reconstitute its disciplinary committees, as well as the converging and overlapping of both the Specialisation and Fellowship Working Parties.
He also commented that he enjoys being on the Council, he has the time, energy and enthusiasm to do it, and he can offer his valuable experience.
Dr Davies explained that he does not feel it is his place to advice the new CEO, Nick Stace. Instead, he believes senior staff need to help him drive the "first-rate regulator" initiative forward.
"The first stage has been the collection of data, using independent external experts," he commented. "This information will be collated and analysed and presented to council, who will consider the CEO's recommendations.
"It has been a failing of the council – and there are probably good reasons for this – to have become too embroiled in micromanagement, whilst losing sight of its main role that should focus on strategy."
The strategy here, as Dr Davies explained, is to become a first-rate regulator. We should therefore let Mr Stace manage that initiative, he said.
"We put in place a rigorous selection process and I think we appointed an outstanding candidate in Nick Stace," Dr Davies added. "[He] comes from a consumer background and… I think we should let him and his staff deliver in this respect."
"I have every confidence [in him]!"
Dr Davies said he believes communication is a two-way thing. He explained, those that communicate with the RCVS often do so when things have gone wrong, or might go wrong, which inevitably gives a slanted opinion of "how things are".
"A large part of the profession goes about its business with no real individual need to communicate directly with the college," he explained.
"I think the college tries very hard through its award-winning communications department to engage in traditional and more novel electronic means of communication that may be favoured by different generations of veterinary surgeons."
Regarding the Practice Standards Scheme (PSS), Dr Davies said the RCVS manages its delivery. He commented that the Practice Standards Group is populated by representatives of the main veterinary organisations that have practitioners as their members.
"It is the profession's scheme," he explained. "The new Code of Conduct expects us to practise (inside or outside the PSS) to at least the equivalent of Core Standard and I believe that is quite right – in other words, that bit is already compulsory.
"Thereafter, I think I would prefer a voluntary scheme for whatever categories might sit above that base tier."
He explained that the next review may bring fresh ideas about such a scheme. One of which, he said, could include a more modular approach to the more advanced standards to which practices could gradually aspire.
Furthermore, Dr Davies added that he hopes the scheme might begin to look at behaviours and not just fabric and infrastructure of practices.
"The latter are much easier to assess and so they were the right place to start," he commented.
When questioned over the veterinary surgeon's responsibility to minimise antimicrobial resistance, Dr Davies explained that he does not accept the insinuation that antimicrobial resistance has arisen from the "misbehaviour" of veterinary surgeons, farmers and animal owners.
"The science, as I see it, does not support this allegation," he said.
"But true or false, it is imperative that our profession acts responsibly in the use of AMs [antimicrobials], educates our clients on the proper use and provides our medical colleagues – and thereafter, Government – with scientific fact, not supposition, on these matters."
Dr Davies has an admirable and diverse background within the veterinary profession, and currently works as a part-time radiologist.
"In my more facetious moments I plead ignorance to matters pharmaceutical, on the grounds that radiologists only use iodine and barium!" he added.
"I hope that my career experiences in practice, academia and specialist practice, and more recently on RCVS Council, will enable me to work hard for the college and our profession.
"I am prepared to do the very best I can."
Birmingham Dogs Home has issued an urgent winter appeal as it faces more challenges over the Christmas period.
