IVC Evidensia has released its lecture schedule line-up for London Vet Show 2023, which delves into some of the most topical issues in the profession today, including flexible working and safety culture.

Whilst the IVC Evidensia Referrals lectures have been a popular mainstay at London Vet Show for many years, this time the leading veterinary group is mixing it up with lectures focused on subjects that are directly affecting the veterinary community.

The first day’s talks on 16 November will tackle important subjects such as ‘Vets vs Nurses: Are we Blurring the Lines?’ with Daniella Dos Santos (Director of Professional Culture) and Liz Cox (Group Veterinary Nursing Advisor), and ‘The Criminal Underworld and Animal Welfare’, which is one of two lectures from David Martin (Group Veterinary Welfare Advisor) and Richard Sinclair (UK Veterinary Welfare Advisor), who jointly spearheaded the Non-Accidental Injury (NAI) welfare initiative last year. 

The second day will pivot to referrals, covering topics such as the emergency approach to dyspnoea, differentiating cardiac and pulmonary diseases, as well as different aspects of diagnosis and treatment when dealing with respiratory disease.

Shining a light on key areas across the profession 

The day one programme is dedicated to highlighting topics that directly affect the veterinary community, with a focus on flexible working along with a diverse range of other areas that are integral to IVC Evidensia culture. 

A big topic is psychological safety and the adoption of a safety-critical culture in veterinary practice, headed up by Laura Playforth, IVC Evidensia’s Group Quality Improvement Director. She looks to another safety-critical industry, mountaineering, to outline what a learning and improvement culture can look like following the significant event review that took place after the Mount Everest tragedy in 1996. 

Sustainability in the veterinary industry will also be a key focus, highlighted by Sayaka Okushima from Pride Veterinary Referrals, who is a European Specialist in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, and Sarah Heath, Director of Sustainability and the lead for IVC Evidensia’s Positive Pawprint strategy. They will be discussing the use of anaesthetic gases during procedures and ways to reduce them given that they are a significant contributor of carbon emissions in practice.

Sharing insights from referral colleagues 

The second day will showcase a number of referrals clinicians who will take us through various areas of specialty, from handling emergency situations to mastering diagnostic testing equipment in first opinion practice. 

David Owen, a Referral ECC Clinician at Vets Now in Manchester, will be talking about talking about emergency dyspnoea cases and how veterinary colleagues can cope with challenging situations efficiently, by removing stress from the equation and focusing on the needs of the patient. 

Frances Bird, a European Specialist in Small Animal Surgery at Pride Veterinary Referrals, will be closing out the day with a discussion on treating respiratory disease from a surgeon’s perspective, taking into account any complications that can arise while managing the patient post-operatively. 

Other speakers on day two include: 

• Julia Sargent (Referral Clinician in Cardiology)
• Jacques Ferreira (Head of Anaesthesia, Blaise Referrals)
• Harry Swales (Referral Clinician in Medicine, Moorview Referrals)

 You can find the full programme on the London Vet Show website here.