RVN Zoe Jeffery
Wellpets Vets, Sheerness Is The First To Receive IVCS Patient Safety Accreditation Award
5 years ago 
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Wellpets Vets in Sheerness are delighted to become the first out of over 800 UK practices within the Independent Vetcare group to receive the company’s Patient Safety Award.
The award, an initiative spearheaded by IVC’s Clinical Board, aims to raise the standards of Patient Safety within practice. To achieve the award, practice teams have to demonstrate that they have a coherent Clinical Governance policy, follow strict hygiene protocols, use checklists, perform regular clinical audits and engage in regular reviews of clinical case outcomes.
“Congratulations to the team at Sheerness on their hard work to improve Patient Safety” comments David Tweedle MRCVS, a member of the Clinical Board and Lead on the Patient Safety Working Party. “Our practices are always keen to improve standards of care and I’m sure many more will be joining Sheerness and proudly displaying their award in the near future. IVC benefits from having a Group Hygiene Director who is based in Evidensia, Sweden, and we have utilised many of their Standard Operating Procedures as part of this award to raise the bar across the UK.”
Below is an interview with RVN Zoe Jeffery who led the project at Sheerness Vets
How did you find out about the award?
I found out about the award last summer/early autumn. I expressed and interest and then received further information from my clinical director.
What motivated you to sign up for the award?
I am very passionate about improving standards within the veterinary profession and aim to follow trends that are set within the human medical sector. I feel we have come a long way within the profession however, there is so much scope for improvement and general standardisation. I felt we already had high standards in the practice, although these were our own opinions and we were intrigued to produce audits on routine procedures to analyse the actual patient safety standards and identify weaknesses, whilst learning and developing new protocols.
I had recently completed the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons knowledge CPD/online webinars that I saw advertised and wanted to put my skills into action!
Which parts of the award were you already doing as a practice:
· Clinical governance policy
· Hygiene Standard Operating Procedures and self-assessment
· Clinical audit
· Post-Operative Outcomes Audit
· Discussion at meetings
· Checklists
Which parts were new?
Most aspects were, to some extent, already in place but these were not formally carried out. We had passed the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) so some areas, such as staff hygiene assessments and clinical governance, had been discussed recently. Although these areas had been approached at the time of PSS they had since been forgotten about/put to the back of the workload and we had fallen into old ways! It enabled us to put new procedures and protocols in place.
The clinical audits were new to us and had never been formally produced in the clinic. The checklists were something we already had but they were laminated on the surgery wall, so they were often glanced over rather than the time being taken to fill them out as a team.
Which people within the practice were involved with the process?
I led the work with our vet and we made sure we engaged with our team of animal care assistants.
How did you motivate people to become engaged with PS – was there any resistance?
Due to being such a small team it was easy to make sure everyone was following.
In your opinion what have been the benefits to patients / clients / team and have you been able to quantify these
A big emphasis has been made on keeping patients warm after sedations/anaesthetics. The monitoring of body temperature starts at the pre-medication stage rather than towards the end of the anaesthetic when the patient is already cold. We are now preventing heat loss from the moment they enter the clinic and this has been very effective, as fewer animals suffer hypothermia during anaesthesia. This promotes a safer anaesthetic and a quicker recovery.
We also discuss cases more as a multi-disciplinary team, which has helped to develop better nursing plans for inpatients as all aspects of their care is thought of.
We have been able to avoid significant events and handling of difficult animals has been much better organised. After an initial case a meeting is carried out with the staff involved and a plan is put into place in future similar events.
How has working on this project benefitted you personally
The award was very beneficial to me as a nurse. I am currently carrying out my Master’s degree in Infectious Diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. I am interested in tropical disease epidemiology and working on this award allowed me to practice and develop skills required, such as collecting and analysing data. I feel more confident in developing and promoting new policies and protocols within practice based on my research from clinical auditing and clinical governance.
Have there been any difficulties or problems to overcome
It was often difficult to record the clinical governance meetings as they were mostly informal discussions without any planning. We now allocate a set time each Monday morning where myself and the vet discuss and record the previous week and anything we want to talk about prior to the start of the week. This has been very beneficial.
Would you recommend other practices to focus on PS
I feel all practices should work on this award.
It allows you to identify your weaknesses as a practice and develop new protocols and ideas as a team. All staff members from clinical to non-clinical, students to management can get involved and develop an understanding of patient safety. I found the award highlighted areas in the clinic which were often neglected or not thought of as significant. By working through and discussing issues we were able to reinforce better standards. Team members are more likely to change and improve as they had a better understanding and awareness.
Our anaesthetic safety protocol has improved greatly.
What are your next steps in improving outcomes for your patients / clients / team?
I aim to continue to work on the award and continue to maintain the standards which we have set. I would also like to work on developing the inpatient care award within the clinic for the PSS.
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