Council role and functions

Transcription

1 Annual Report Year ending 31 March

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3 Table of Contents Council role and functions... 4 Chair s report... 5 Registration... 8 Professional standards Veterinarians health Workforce issues Complaints, notifications and disciplinary action Stakeholder relations and communication Governance Finance and risk Auditor's report Entity information Statement of service performance Financial statements VCNZ contact information

4 Council role and functions The Veterinary Council of New Zealand (VCNZ/the Council) is the statutory body set up under the Veterinarians Act 2005 to regulate the veterinary profession. The primary purpose of the VCNZ is to protect the public interest. The Council s role is to: register veterinarians who are properly trained and qualified set and monitor the standards veterinarians must meet promote high standards of veterinary education and conduct accredit and monitor training institutions for veterinarians annually re-certify veterinarians' competence and fitness to practise review, and act where necessary, if there are concerns about a veterinarian's performance, professional conduct or health advise and make recommendations to the Minister for Primary Industries and Massey University on matters related to veterinarians, veterinary education and veterinary science. Council membership There are seven Councillors. Three are elected by veterinarians every three years Three are appointed by the Minister for Primary Industries. Two of the MPI appointments are lay members. The Council can t meet without at least one of these lay members present. The Academic Director of the Veterinary Science programme at Massey University is a member of the Council. The Council appoints standing committees and working parties to undertake functions on its behalf, to provide it with advice, and to make policy recommendations. The business and membership of the Council's standing committees and working parties is reported on in the relevant sections of this report. The Council receives executive and administrative support from a small Wellington-based office led by the Chief Executive. 4

5 Chair s report The 2016/17 year was one of growth and change. While we were sad to farewell Janet Eden after nine successful and innovative years at the helm of the VCNZ office, we also welcomed some new faces both on the Council and in the office. Wayne Ricketts, the VCNZ s Professional Advisor, was initially contracted in early 2016 to assist in the professional standards area. Wayne accepted a permanent four day a week position in the office from 1 July We were pleased to welcome Jenny Weston to the Council after she was appointed as the Dean of Veterinary Sciences at Massey University. The person responsible for the undergraduate veterinary programme at Massey becomes a member of Council. Jenny replaced Tim Parkinson in this role. Jenny graduated from Massey in 1994 and worked in clinical practice (mainly dairy) in Taranaki for 8 years before returning to Massey to run the Farm Services Clinic for ten years. She then coordinated the final year clinical rosters for the BVSc students for several years before her appointment as Associate Dean (BVSc) in 2015 and then Dean in May Iain McLachlan was appointed in November 2016 as Deputy Registrar (Legal). Iain had just returned from the UK where he was working with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. His knowledge of regulation and law is a huge asset. With the restructure of the office after Janet s departure, we were pleased to appoint Iain as the VCNZ s fulltime Registrar. Sean McKinley joined the VCNZ as Chief Executive in February 2017, bringing over 20 years experience in the regulatory environment. Sean s previous role involved setting up and managing the Social Workers Registration Board. He is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors, and is on the board of the Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR), which is an association of individuals and organisations involved in professional and occupational regulation. In early 2017 both Sean and Iain joined our two new Council members, Rachel Gebbie and Ben Davidson, for an induction workshop in our Wellington office. The focus was on the role, policies and procedures of the VCNZ. Rachel graduated from Massey in She completed an internship at Massey University and has spent several years in small animal practice around the country. She is a member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in Small Animal Medicine. Rachel is a committee member for the Auckland Veterinary Society and the innovative "NZ Women in Veterinary Essential Solutions" group, a group supporting female veterinarians through providing mentorship, business and leadership advice and emotional support. Ben has been a mixed/large animal practitioner for 16 years. He has been a director of the Rangiora Vet Centre for 14 years, where his focus is on future-proofing the business and providing veterinary services to clients. Ben was previously a member of Council's Complaints Assessment Committee. Though tinged with the sadness of farewelling Janet, the 2016/17 year has also been one of positive growth for Council as each of our new council and staff members have contributed to the ongoing success of the VCNZ. 5

6 Business as Usual While there were some changes at Council the work kept being done and we made a number of inroads on significant issues to the veterinary profession. Professional standards We continued our work setting standards for the profession. Work this year included: our ongoing review of the Code of Professional Conduct a review of guidance around controlled drugs work on minimum practising standards checklists a focus on the responsible use of antibiotics. The Council and the Professional Standards Committee s work in these areas is detailed later in this report. Client Relationships section of the Code of Professional Conduct The Council reviewed the Client Relationships section of the Code this year. There were a number of proposed changes, mainly to the section on informed consent. It s relatively frequent for concerns raised with us to include issues around informed consent. We wanted to update this section to make Council s expectations around clearer. Responsible use of antibiotics poster This year we created two different versions of a responsible use of antibiotics poster. We hope the poster is now up in clinics around New Zealand, to help make it easy for all veterinarians to contribute to responsible product stewardship. Since the poster was released we have had requests from other veterinary regulators to use the poster content. We re really happy with the feedback that this is a useful resource, and were more than happy to share this. VCNZ submission to MPI on animal welfare regulations One of the Councils functions is to advise and make recommendations to the Minister on any matter relating to veterinarians. The Ministry for Primary Industries sought comment on proposed animal welfare regulations around live animal exports, care of and conduct towards animals, and surgical and painful procedures. The Council s submission was well received and follow-up meetings between the Council, MPI officials and the Minister provided a great opportunity for the Council to fulfil its legislative functions. Minimum practising standards checklists As part of the Annual Practising Certificate (APC) application process, all veterinarians need to declare that they re aware of, and comply with, Council s minimum practising standards. To help with this, we ve developed a number of minimum practising standards checklists. We hope these will help veterinarians, especially those in clinical practice, monitor how they re doing compared to the requirements. The checklists reflect what s already in the Code, and provide clear information to practice owners on the required standards. Strategic plan Council s new strategic plan was finalised and posted on the VCNZ website. Council s aim is to be a fair and consistent regulator, trusted by the public and the profession to set and uphold veterinary standards. The plan outlines how we ll do this. The Council regularly reviews the strategic plan to assess how well we re doing to meet the objectives, and to update the plan if necessary. 6

7 Finances The VCNZ ends this year with a surplus of $109,921, up from the surplus of $64,568 in 2015/16. This is largely because no disciplinary hearings were held in either of these years. The effect of disciplinary hearings has a significant impact on VCNZ finances, which is evident in the recorded deficit of $28,207 in the 2014/15 financial year, when there were three cases of professional misconduct referred for a disciplinary hearing. Council has a policy on the minimum financial reserves it holds. We hold financial reserves at a level of average expenditure of between five and seven months. We believe this achieves a balance between the need to be financially prudent, and without holding more money than we need to from the fees paid by veterinarians. This has proved to be a prudent move as we anticipate that there will be disciplinary hearings in 2017/18, as well as needed capital expenditure to ensure the ongoing support of the functions of Council. We envisage that, unlike previous years, the Council will be in a position to fund hearings and expenditure without the need to increase the profession s fees at this time. This is as a direct result of the exceptional management by both Council members and staff, so at this point I would like to offer my thanks to my fellow Council members and to the administrative staff for their support and hard work during the year. Nick Twyford VCNZ Chair 7

8 Registration The Council has statutory obligations to protect the public interest by ensuring that veterinarians are fit and competent to practice. The Council is responsible for: registering veterinarians and veterinary specialists accrediting or approving the institutions that offer veterinary education recertifying veterinarians through the issue of annual practising certificates ensuring those returning to practice after a break have sufficient support to make a smooth return. The Registrar has the delegated authority to approve straightforward applications for registration. Nonstraightforward registration applications and applications for limited scope registration must be considered in consultation with the Registration Advisory Group. Only the Council can decline applications. As a quality control measure, two members of the Registration Advisory Group audit 10% of the registration applications that have been approved in each quarter. Decisions on recency of practice cases are also delegated to the Registrar, but in consultation with a recency of practice advisory group that must include a veterinary educator. Annual Practising Certificate (APC) declarations In the 2016/17 renewal round, one veterinarian declared they were subject to a competence investigation by a previous employer. The issue was subsequently resolved and the veterinarian was granted an APC. There were 97 other declarations related to health issues that could affect fitness to practice. These are discussed in more detail in the section on veterinarians health. Online renewals As in previous years the majority of veterinarians now prefer to use the online APC renewal system. In the 2016/17 round, 87.5% of those who were issued with a practising certificate applied online. This compares with 84% during the 2015/16 round. Of the 498 veterinarians who applied by using hard copy, 213 were veterinarians employed in the state sector. This reflects that MPI Verification Services has required their veterinarian employees to apply manually. From 2018/19 onwards MPI Verification Services have agreed to move to the online process. The ease of the online system has also continued to promote earlier renewal. This allowed VCNZ staff to recertify 2828 veterinarians as fit and competent to practise for the practising year commencing 1 April From 2018/19, the VCNZ will require all APC renewals to be completed online. This will further the cost and time benefits of the online system. Number of veterinarians with practising status at 30 June

9 New registrations by country where primary degree obtained Country of origin 2016/ / Australia Belgium Brazil Bulgaria Canada Cayman Islands Chile Costa Rica Czech Republic Denmark Egypt Estonia Finland France Germany India Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Japan Mexico Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nigeria Norway Pakistan Peru Philippines Poland Romania ` - 1 Russia Serbia South Africa Spain Switzerland The introduction of a new reporting year in 2015 has meant a change to the reporting of new registrations from the calendar year to the financial year 9

10 UK USA West Indies Zimbabwe Total Total overseas Applications for registration In the reporting period, there were 212 applications for registration from new Massey graduates and international veterinarians. The Council has always processed registration applications within a short time frame. Since last year the Council has had a formal measure in place, with a target to process registrations in five days or less. In the 2016/17 year, 97% applications were processed within that target period. This is slightly up from 96% in the previous year. Five registrations took more than five days in the 2016/17 year. Specialist registration Specialist registration allows New Zealand specialists to be automatically recognised for registration in Australia, and vice-versa, under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition provisions, provided the applicant satisfies the legal requirements of the local registration authority. In 2016/17, a total of ten specialist registration applications were received and approved in the following specialities: Equine medicine Small animal surgery 3 Large animal surgery (equine) Small animal medicine Equine surgery Small animal internal medicine Veterinary emergency, critical care small animal Veterinary anaesthesia Limited registration Sections 13 and 14 of the Veterinarians Act provide for limited registration 2 for individuals who would not otherwise be eligible without undergoing further examination. The provisions provide the Council with some flexibility in its registration policy if there is a particular need that cannot be met by the appointment of a New Zealand-registered veterinarian. There were seven applications for limited registration in the year ending 31 March All were approved. Four were under the particular skills for restricted period category Two were restricted purposes One was a National Veterinary Examinations candidate, who was then fully registered on passing the final exams. 2 The following seven categories of limited registration are available: biosecurity or other emergency; postgraduate training; academic; industry (laboratory & diagnostic); particular skills for a restricted period; restricted purpose; and time-limited scope for National Veterinary Examination candidates. 10

11 At the end of March 2017 there were a total of 12 veterinarians practising under limited registration. This breaks down into: Academic scope 4 Postgraduate training scope 1 Industry scope laboratory diagnosis and/or pathology 2 Scope relating to particular skills for a restricted period 2 Restricted purpose scope 3 Recency of Practice The Council's Recency of Practice Policy requires veterinarians to seek Council approval: before resuming work after a break or three years or more if they are proposing to switch to a field they have never practised; or if they haven t practised during the previous three years. This is to make sure that sufficient support is in place to allow them to refresh and develop the skills required and to make a smooth return to practice. In the year 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017, 27 cases were considered. In 23 of these cases no conditions were imposed on the veterinarian s practice, on the understanding that they would receive appropriate oversight from colleagues, undertake relevant professional development and stay within the bounds of their competence. Formal conditions were imposed on the practice of four veterinarians, requiring them to make a graduated transition to an area of practise in which they have not had recent practical experience. Accreditation of international veterinary qualifications Veterinary science degrees for the following academic institutions were recognised during 2016/17. James Cook University, Australia was granted limited accreditation in 2015/16 for 12 months, subject to conditions. The university was awarded Accreditation with Minor Deficiencies in 2016/17 Murdoch University, Australia was awarded Accreditation with Minor Deficiencies in 2016/17. The Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC), of which the VCNZ is a member, also completed: a consultative visit to prepare Universiti Putra Malaysia for a full site visit in 2017/18 a reasonable assurance site visit to City University Hong Kong a site visit to the University of Adelaide. 11

12 Professional standards The role of the Professional Standards Committee is to help the Council with its statutory functions around setting minimum practising standards and promoting high standards of professional education and conduct. It does this by: advising the Council on professional standards issues including continuing professional development reviewing professional standards documents developed by the New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA), MPI and other bodies and advising Council about which standards and guidance should be endorsed making recommendations to Council around developing statements or policies on professional standards issues advising the Council on matters of policy, changes in legislation or recommended changes to defined professional standards recommending appropriate changes to VCNZ s Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinarians. Committee members in 2016/17 were: Nick Twyford (Chair, Council Member) Tony Zohrab (MPI) Matthew Stone/Judi Lee (MPI) Ian Robertson (Council member, until December 2016) Katie Grant (NZVA) Callum Irvine (NZVA) Kate Gloyn (external veterinarian) Rachel Gebbie (Council member, from March 2017). Client Relationships section of the Code of Professional Conduct The Professional Standards Committee reviewed the Client Relationships section of the Code and recommended a number of proposed changes, mainly to the section on informed consent. The VCNZ regularly receives concerns or complaints about informed consent. This prompted the Council to update this section to make its expectations clearer. The profession was asked for feedback on the proposed changes to the Client Relationships section in April Following a review of the feedback by the Professional Standards Committee and the Council, the Client Relationships section of the Code was updated in December Controlled drugs survey As part of the upcoming review of the Veterinary Medicines section of the Code, the Council reviewed its guidance on controlled drugs. It surveyed the profession to find out what was happening in practices, whether its expectations were realistic and easy to comply with, or whether the guidance needed to be changed. The Council acknowledged that this was a sensitive subject, so NZVA was asked to run the survey to reassure participants that all answers would be confidential and anonymous. The feedback from the survey will help the Professional Standards Committee review VCNZ guidance on controlled drugs. This will be part of a larger review of the Veterinary Medicines section of the Code, which is scheduled for 2017/18. 12

13 Responsible use of antibiotics poster The veterinary profession has a lead role in antibiotic stewardship. Veterinarian s prescribing behaviours contribute to the global issues around antimicrobial resistance. The VCNZ created a Responsible use of antibiotics poster to make it easy for veterinarians to check that they re prescribing with the principles of antimicrobial resistance in mind, and help make it easier for veterinarians to contribute to responsible product stewardship. The office has approved requests from other regulators to use the poster content. Professional Relationships section of the Code of Professional Conduct In 2015/16 the VCNZ sought comments on proposed changes to the Professional Relationships section of the Code. The Professional Standards Committee recommended changes including the release of client records without the client s permission, the timing of the release of records to another veterinarian, broadening the definition of clinical records and extending the requirement to supporting veterinary colleagues to supporting all clinic personnel. Changes to this section were made in September Minimum Practising Standards In previous years, when veterinarians have renewed their Annual Practising Certificate, they ve been asked to declare that they are aware of and comply with Council s minimum practising standards. These standards are set out in the Code of Professional Conduct. This year, the Council agreed to change this declaration. All veterinarians are now required to review a minimum practising standards checklist and make their declaration based on that checklist. The Council agreed this the use of checklists should be phased in over a number of years, with two new checklists introduced each year. This started in the 2017/2018 renewal round, with the Records and Communications checklists. The Council decided to start with these two checklists, as these are recurring issues in complaints and notifications received by the VCNZ office. Allied professional registration The Council continues to support the initiative by the New Zealand Veterinary Nurses Association (NZVNA) for voluntary registration of veterinary nurses. The Council believes this may provide a stepping stone to allied veterinary professional regulation in the future under a revised Veterinary Act. Jennifer Hamlin of the NZVNA attends the meetings of the Professional Standards Committee and Council as an observer. Support for new registrants The VCNZ s working party to review the needs of new registrants reported back to the Council with its recommendations. The focus was on how best to support graduates make the transition from university to veterinary practise; and how to help new overseas registrants working in New Zealand for the first time. The Council agreed to proceed with a skills-based programme for new graduates, which will essentially be CPD for new registrants for the first 1 2 years following graduation. 13

14 CPD Audits The results of the 2016/2017 CPD audits indicated a continuing high standard of CPD engagement. Of the 85 veterinarians audited, 64 (75.3%) fully achieved, 19 (22.4%) achieved with recommendations, and two will be re-audited. Many of the audited veterinarians recorded far in excess of the minimum CPD requirements, reflecting the profession s commitment to lifelong learning. The main audit findings were around keeping acceptable records of CPD, reflective records, the value of keeping a CPD plan, and collegial learning activities. The audit process is intended to be constructive and educative. The CPD auditors (who are all veterinarians) assess whether a veterinarian s CPD is appropriate to maintain competence in his or her area of practice regardless of whether this is in a clinical, educational, research, regulatory, management or consultancy role. Where issues arise, the emphasis in the first instance is rehabilitative and supportive, with the Council working with the veterinarian on ways to comply. A review of the CPD framework is scheduled for

15 Veterinarians health Supporting the good physical and mental health of veterinarians is an important part of the VCNZ s role to protect the public interest by ensuring veterinarians are fit and competent to practise. The Council s health processes focus on early intervention and rehabilitation, and separate health issues from those of discipline. The approach is non-judgmental and confidential with a focus on rehabilitation. The Council s Health Advisory Group consists of the Registrar, the Medical Advisor, a Council layperson and a professional adviser. It has the authority to enter into voluntary agreements with veterinarians whose health is impaired. Agreements might require the veterinarian to undergo medical assessments and/or comply with any requirements considered necessary to ensure their safe practice. If a veterinarian is considered to lack insight into their condition or is uncooperative, the case can be referred to the Council, which can exercise its statutory powers to protect the public interest if necessary. Health-related declarations At the time of renewing their APC all veterinarians are required to declare any mental or physical health conditions that could affect their fitness to practice during the practising year. In 2016/17 97 veterinarians advised the VCNZ that they currently had a condition that could affect their practice. These declarations included 34 reports of new conditions and 63 of previously existing conditions. One veterinarian declared both an existing condition as well as a new one. The 34 new health conditions covered: 12 mental health cases, including depression and/or anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder 10 musculoskeletal issues or injuries 12 medical issues. The Council sought assurances from the relevant health practitioners that the veterinarians were fit to practice. APCs were issued in all cases. Referrals to the Health Advisory Group In the year ended 31 March 2017 there were two new referrals to the Health Advisory Group. Both veterinarians agreed to maintain a therapeutic relationship with an appropriate health professional(s). During the year two vets with a history of drug addiction continued to be monitored, though one was subsequently released from their health monitoring programme. One other veterinarian with addiction and other health issues entered into a health monitoring programme. 15

16 Workforce issues 2015/2016 Workforce survey The 2015/16 workforce survey was carried out with the APC renewal process for 2016/17.The response rate for the 2015/16 workforce survey was 94% (2,103 completed surveys accompanied the 2248 APC forms that were returned to VCNZ by 30 June 2016). The response to this year s survey is a good improvement on the 85% response rate reported for the 2014/15 workforce survey and reverses a decline in response rates since The workforce at a glance Outcome Size of workforce a 2,813 2,802 2,710 2,608 2,521 2,425 2,392 2,360 Veterinarians per 100,000 population b Percent IVG FTEs c Percent female FTEs d Percent specialist FTEs Median age (years) Median routine work hours e a Numbers of veterinarians with an APC that were practising on 30 June of respective year b Population counts from Statistics New Zealand c IVG: international veterinary graduate FTEs d Number of women FTEs divided by the total number of practising veterinarian FTEs e Median routine work hours per week, includes activities carried out as a veterinarian during business hours as well as veterinary work done while on call The full workforce reports for each year can be found on the VCNZ website vetcouncil.org.nz. 16

17 Complaints, notifications and disciplinary action Complaints Assessment Committees investigate formal complaints against veterinarians. They consider what action should be taken following an investigation. Complaints Assessment Committees can: take no further action give advice or make recommendations recommend that the Council review a veterinarian s health or competence recommend that the Council impose conditions on a veterinarian s practice facilitate mediation lay charges of professional misconduct. In August 2016 the Council approved a third standing Complaints Assessment Committee as a way to address increasing workload. This was recognition that, as a result of the Notification Review Group s triage of less complex cases, the cases before the Complaints Assessment Committees were often complex and needed a longer and more in-depth investigation. As at March 2017, the members of the Complaints Assessment Committees were: CAC1 Mark Simpson (Chair and veterinarian) Susan D Ath (layperson) Warwick Baldwin (veterinarian). CAC2 Philip Watson (Chair and veterinarian) Penelope Mudford (layperson) Neil Houston (veterinarian). CAC3 Seton Butler (Chair and veterinarian) Ruth Renner (layperson) Stephen Hopkinson (veterinarian). When there is a conflict of interest for a member of the Complaints Assessment Committee, or when a case requires particular expertise, the Council may establish an alternative committee. Members may be drawn from the standing committees or may be appointed from the profession. The Council maintains a pool of veterinarians and laypeople who have been trained in this work. Complaints Assessment Committees have access to legal advisors, and may request expert advice from veterinarians and other sources. Complaint statistics In 2015 the reporting year changed from the calendar year to the financial year. In order to provide comparative data, the tables in this report include the total number of complaints and notifications recorded for the past three financial years. Earlier statistics are provided by calendar year. 17

18 Complaints summary Complaint Category 1 April March April March April March Behaviour Unsatisfactory treatment TOTAL Species/Type Cat Dog Horse Other Veterinary medicines N/A Complaint outcome No further action No further action with education or follow up Charges laid Did not reach criteria/withdrawn Referral to Council on grounds of health Referral to Council on grounds of competence Incomplete at reporting time 22 * Mediation attempted * including two cases currently on hold 18

19 Time to complete 0 3 months months months a months b months b Incomplete at reporting time Complaint/investigation originated by Client Another veterinarian Referral from Council Other Note: Variations in the figures can arise under complaint category and complaint outcome because some complaints have more than one issue, have been lodged against two or more veterinarians, or are carried over from previous years. a this measure is no longer recorded from 2014/15 b new measure in 2014/15 Notification Review Group The Notification Review Group considers concerns raised about veterinarians when the person raising them does not wish to make a formal complaint. The Notification Review Group acts in a triage role to consider issues raised about a veterinarian s conduct, performance or health. It can: make referrals to the Council or its Health Advisory Group refer matters to a Complaints Assessment Committee under section 39 of the Veterinarians Act 2005 close the case, with or without recommendations to the veterinarian. The members of the Notification Review Group in 2016/17 were: Stuart Burrough (Chair and veterinarian) Emma Cuttance (veterinarian) Craig Hunger (veterinarian) Ruth Renner (representative of the public) Helen Ridley (representative of the public) took over from Ruth Renner in December

20 Notifications Summary Notification category 1 April March April March April March Behaviour Unsatisfactory treatment TOTAL Species/type Cat Dog Horse Other Veterinary medicines N/A Notification outcome No further action No further action with education or follow up Refer to CAC Did not reach criteria/withdrawn Referral to Council on grounds of health Referral to Council on grounds of competence Incomplete at reporting time Time to complete Up to 4 months Over 4 months Incomplete at reporting time Notifier Client Another veterinarian Referral from Council Other

21 Judicial Committee A Judicial Committee is formed to hear charges of professional misconduct laid by a Complaints Assessment Committee. It must have at least four members, including an experienced solicitor or barrister of the High Court, a lay person, a member of the Council, and a veterinarian with relevant experience in the area of practise that is the subject of the original complaint. In the 2016/17 year there was one case of professional misconduct referred by a Complaints Assessment Committee to the Judicial Committee for a disciplinary hearing. The charges related to certification of fitness for transport. At reporting time, details of the Judicial Committee hearing had not yet been finalised. Turnaround of complaints and concerns In recent years, the Council has, as one of its priorities, focused on ensuring complaints and notifications are processed as quickly as possible without compromising the fairness of the process or the need for further investigation. For the 2016/17 year, the targets for the resolution of complaints and notifications were: 50% of Complaints Assessment Committee decisions on formal complaints should be issued within six months 80% of decisions on formal complaints should be issued within nine months 80% of notifications referred to the Notification Review Group should be finalised within four months. The time between the office receiving a complaint or notification, and decisions being issued, often spans two financial years. The tables above show that there were 22 open complaints cases at the end of the 2016/7 financial year, as well as two cases remaining open from the 2015/16 financial year. So that the reporting is as accurate as possible, the following figures (and those provided in the statement of service performance) relate to the previous year s statistics (ie the 2015/16 financial year). In 2015/16 the Notification Review Group exceeded its target, finalising 92% of cases within four months of receipt. The Complaints Assessment Committees closed 16 of the 18 cases from the 2015/16 year. Of these, 88% closed within six months and 100% within nine months. Other initiatives In August, the Complaints Assessment Committee and Notification Review Group Chairs attended a training day in Wellington. The aim was to encourage increased collaboration and support between Chairs with process, thresholds, and seeking advice (without sharing information about specific details of cases). This was followed by the annual training day for all members of the Notification Review Group and Complaints Assessment Committees in September. The day provided an opportunity for general discussion and consideration of case studies. Council staff and legal advisors briefed members on processes and outcomes. A complainant and a veterinarian who had been through the process each spoke about their experiences. Staff continued the work to publish summaries of complaint case decisions on the website (vetcouncil.org.nz). The decisions have any identifying details removed to preserve anonymity. If this isn t possible, the findings aren t made public. Where appropriate, the Complaints Assessment Committee includes advice for veterinarians on the lessons to be drawn from particular cases. Learning from complaints is also publicised in the regular updates sent to the profession. 21

22 Stakeholder relations and communication Communication with the profession During 2015/16 the Council took the opportunity to consult the profession on the VCNZ s overall performance as part of its review on communication with the sector. Nearly 250 veterinarians responded. This represents around 10% of registered veterinarians. More than two-thirds of those who responded agreed or strongly agreed that the Council maintains effective working relationships with veterinarians. However the review raised some issues around communication that the VCNZ has been working on throughout 2016/17. Feedback Whether the Council took veterinarians feedback into account was a significant concern. A number of respondents indicated disappointment at the Council s consultation processes and suggested the issues presented for consultation were pre-empted and more of a notification than a real consultative process. In response to these issues the Council has been working on a number of improvements including reviewing its decision-making processes. One of the VCNZ s strategic plan goals is to achieve best practice in governance and management. To help address this, the Council developed a decision making checklist. The checklist guides the Council through relevant considerations to make sure its regulatory decisions are well-reasoned, fair, and easily understood by all parties. It also directs members to consider whether the people affected by the decision were given a fair chance to comment. The Council is committed to ensuring that veterinarians have an active voice during consultation. It anticipates that future reviews will reflect an improvement in veterinarian s views on consultations undertaken by the Council. Communication Media The VCNZ uses a number of different methods of communication including , in-house publications, the VCNZ website as well external publications such as NZVA s Vetscript (which is a members only publication). Responses on the effectiveness and veterinarians preferences on different media were mixed. Overall most respondents found the VCNZ s communication to be clear, concise, easy to understand, and valuable. In an effort to utilise the most efficient and popular approaches to communication, the Council decided to stop producing its quarterly printed publication, and concentrate instead on producing updates to communicate information. The Council continued with its regular contributions to NZVA s Vetscript. These articles republished on the VCNZ website so they are available to all veterinarians. There was a mixed response on use of the VCNZ website (vetcouncil.org.nz) and so during the 2016/17 year the Council has been working on specifications for a refurbished website. This project sits alongside a forthcoming review of the Council s IT infrastructure including the registration database. 22

23 The newly refurbished website will be launched in late 2017 and further updates on how the Council intends to enhance its online communication portals will also be provided. Engaging with the profession In November, the VCNZ held a Q&A session in Auckland. This was part of its continuing policy of holding sessions for veterinarians in the regions as a way of improving understanding of the Council s role. Regular meetings are held at the governance and operational level with NZVA, including presentations to the association s Special Interest Branches. Plain English documents Work continues to ensure VCNZ documents are relevant and easily understood. Following an in-house plain English writing session in March 2016 a review was completed of all complaint and notification documents to ensure they met the standard. The review was extended throughout 2016/17 to other documents and communications, including template letters and refurbishing the website. Maintaining regular contact with key stakeholders The VCNZ maintains working relationships with key secondary stakeholders and international veterinary networks in order to promote greater cooperation and the joint approaches to issues in common. In 2016/17, these included: VCNZ contributions to the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC) core accreditation, registration examination and specialist registration functions. regularly engagement with Massey University s Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biological Sciences (IVABS), including contributing to the Prelude to Practice session for final year students and holding a two-hour seminar in May to explain the Council s functions. Council Chair Nick Twyford continued his participation on the MPI/National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee working party which is developing regulations to accompany the Animal Welfare Act Regular meetings were held with MPI staff and representatives and members of Council and VCNZ staff, to ensure the views of the VCNZ as the regulatory authority for veterinarians, were represented. Regular meetings were held with Veterinary Profession Insurance Services. 23

24 Governance Changes to Council membership Elections for the three Council members elected by veterinarians were held in Online voting was used for the first time. The costs of holding the election online were the same as a paper-based electoral system, but online voting was a significant saving in terms of staff time. Veterinarians were able to vote from their smart phone, computer or tablet. Feedback received by the office was that online voting was easier. Unfortunately we didn t see an improvement in the response rate which still sat around 34%. Of the 2,888 veterinarians eligible to vote, 1,004 responded, representing a voter turnout of %. This was disappointing as it was only slightly up on the 34.01% veterinarians eligible to vote who participated in In comparison 37% voted in 2010 and 43% voted in Two new Council members, Dr Rachel Gebbie and Dr Ben Davidson, were appointed for their first three year term. Dr Nick Twyford was reappointed for another term of three years. 24

25 Finance and risk The Council must approve its business plan and budget, monitor organisational and financial performance, ensure sound financial management practices are in place, monitor risks, and protect its assets. The Council s Finance and Risk Committee assists the Council with these responsibilities. It oversees all aspects of financial management and reporting, control and audit functions, and monitoring and reporting on risks. In 2016/17 the committee members were: Sue Ineson (Chair, Council laymember) Jeff Grimmett (veterinarian, Council member, until December 2016) Richard Wild (external veterinarian member) Nick Twyford (Council chair, ex officio) Ben Davidson (Council member, from March 2017). New Financial Reporting Requirements During the year the Council updated its financial reporting format to include entity information and performance statements. The change is to allow the VCNZ to apply for charity status with the Charities Service of the Department of Internal Affairs. This will allow the VCNZ to take advantage of price reductions given to registered charities (similar to those that other regulatory authorities in New Zealand currently receive) and provide for better reporting on service performance. Earthquake upgrading Additional remedial work was undertaken during the year to further earthquake strengthen Kordia House, the Willis Street building where the VCNZ office was located. In 2015 the VCNZ was advised that the building was 88% compliant with the earthquake building code. Once the remedial work was completed the VCNZ was advised that the building had a rating of 71% of the New Building Standards (NBS). As the VCNZ lease on the office was due to expire the decision was made to look for affordable but improved office space. The VCNZ office moved to a smaller space in the Bayleys Building which is of a higher standard and has an NBS rating of 100%. Council Member fees review In 2015/16 the Council Chair and CEO met representatives from Martin Jenkins who were conducting a review, for MPI, of the fees paid to the boards under the Ministry s jurisdiction. The review was completed in the second half of The Council received notification in March 2017 from the Minister for Primary Industries, the Hon. Nathan Guy, of an increase of 7.2% to the fees paid to the VCNZ Judicial Committee Chair and an increase of 4.5% to the fees paid to the VCNZ Board Chair and members. The previous fee reviews were in 2014, 2008 and /18 APC Fee The APC fee for 2017/18 was set in December 2016 following consultation with the profession. The $559 fee, with a discount for early payment to $533, was 5.1% more than the previous year s fee. The increase was made to ensure sufficient funding for operational costs in 2017/18 and to maintain adequate reserve levels to cover any unexpected increases in complaints, disciplinary and court case 25

26 costs. It also allowed the Council to meet its statutory obligations and deliver on important initiatives such as its efforts to see improvements to the Veterinarians Act (including paraprofessional regulation) and a review of the needs of new registrants. 26

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40 VCNZ contact information Chair: Nick Twyford Chief Executive: Sean McKinley Council Office: PO Box Level 10 Bayleys Building 36 Brandon Street Wellington 6143 phone: website: vetcouncil.org.nz Council staff members and their areas of responsibility are: Chief Executive Janet Eden (until January 2016), Sean McKinley (from February 2017) Registrar Janet Eden (until January 2016) Deputy Registrar (Legal) Iain McLachlan Deputy Registrar (Operations) Despina Arathimos Deputy Registrar (Standards) Helen Arbuckle Professional Adviser Wayne Ricketts Executive Officer (Finance and Administration) Margriet Philipsen Executive Officer (Registration and Examinations) Kelly Etuata Finance and Office Administrator Denise Meuli Executive Officer Helen Shanks 40

41 A fair and consistent regulator of veterinary standards vetcouncil.org.nz 41