Almost 300 veterinary nurses have been removed from the RCVS register for non-payment of the annual renewal fee.
The RCVS is encouraging practices to check staff members are still on the register, after 295 veterinary nurses were removed from it on 1 January for non-payment.
It is technically illegal for veterinary nurses to practice and perform any procedures that fall under Schedule 3 of the Veterinary Surgeons Act if they are not on the register.
The annual payment is due on 1 November, although nurses have until midnight on 31 December to pay before they are removed from the register.
This year, 295 were removed for non-payment, of whom more than 25 have subsequently applied for restoration and paid a fee of £118.
Although the number of removals has increased from the previous year, when 247 veterinary nurses came off the register for non-payment, it is far fewer than 2016, when 692 were removed, the college said.
Head of registration Nicola South said: “Over the past two years, we have been making use of text messages and emails to remind veterinary nurses and veterinary surgeons to pay their annual fee to remain on the register, and I think the falling number of removals in the years since we introduced this is testament to the effectiveness of these methods.
“However, there are still some individuals who are slipping through the net and we would remind veterinary nurses a considerable fee needs to be paid to restore to the register if their registration lapses.”
The college has published a list of those who have been removed – and subsequently not restored to – the register, to help practices check all staff are eligible to work.
This list can be found on the RCVS website. [www.rcvs.org.uk/registration/check-the-register/about-the-vn-register]
Anyone with questions on how to be restored to the register can contact the college’s registration department on 020 7202 0707 or email registration@rcvs.org.uk