National Audit for Post-operative Outcomes
RCVS Knowledge is embarking on a new project to create a national audit for post-operative outcomes. This audit will include a wide range of surgical procedures, including routine and emergency surgeries, and will cover a range of species commonly seen within first opinion practice.
Currently, national veterinary surgical audits, such as the National Audit for Small Animal Neutering and the Canine Cruciate Registry, are specific to species and procedure. The National Audit for Post-operative Outcomes (NAPO) will provide a platform for practices to perform clinical audits and compare their outcomes, allowing for improvements within the peri- and post-operative journey.
The audit will offer a selection of relevant evidence-based care bundles and educational materials to support practices with interventions and the use of Quality Improvement (QI) methodology to drive improvement.
“I’m really excited to join this project. I hope we can work together with clinicians in practice to gain evidence showing how we can make the surgical journey as safe as possible for the animals entrusted into our care."
Jenny Brown, NAPO Clinical Lead
How can you get involved?
The project is currently in its early stages, with the Advisory and Steering Groups being formed to help develop and manage the audit platform in its development and early launch.
- You can sign up to be on our mailing list to receive updates about the project.
- You can start to take part in our National Audit for Small Animal Neutering by downloading the audit template.
- You can enquire about your organisation being added to the Stakeholder Group.
- Read about the NAPO in Companion, where Amelia Poole, Quality Improvement Project Manager, and Jenny Brown, Clinical Lead for NAPO, explain how the project came to be and why they need your support. Subscription required.
- Watch our introductory video by NAPO Clinical Lead, Jenny Brown.
National Audit for Post-operative Outcomes Advisory and Steering Groups
The National Audit for Post-operative Outcomes has two groups to help develop and manage the audit in its development and early launch: the Advisory Group and the Steering Group.
NAPO Advisory Group
The NAPO Advisory Group consists of a group of experienced surgeons and GP vets from a range of species. They will help to develop the data set and platform before the launch.
The Advisory Group consists of:
Jenny Brown BSc(Hons) BVM&S(dist) GPCert(FelPr) MANZCVS(Medicine of Cats) MRCVS, NAPO Clinical Lead
Jenny graduated from Edinburgh in 2004 and joined the Active Vetcare group in Berkshire, where she has been working in small animal first opinion practice ever since, now as a Senior Clinical Director. She has always had an interest in feline medicine, gaining Membership of the Australia and New Zealand College of Veterinary Surgeons in Medicine of Cats in 2012 and RCVS Advanced Practitioner Status in Small Animal Medicine - Feline in 2018. More recently she has developed an interest in anaesthesia and analgesia, studying towards an MSc and gaining Advanced Practitioner status in Veterinary Anaesthesia. Jenny enjoys all aspects of first opinion practice including mentoring and supporting colleagues, as well as having an interest in clinical governance and minimising avoidable errors in clinical practice. Outside of work Jenny enjoys spending time with her family, running, cycling and riding her horse.
Carl Bradbrook BVSc CertVA DipECVAA FRCVS RCVS and EBVSÒ European Specialist in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia
Carl graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2002 and after a few years in mixed practice undertook a residency in anaesthesia and intensive care at The Royal Veterinary College. He has worked in both private and university specialist centres.
Carl is an RCVS Recognised Specialist and a European Veterinary Specialist and is currently President of the Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists. Carl joined Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists in October 2018 and has an interest in locoregional anaesthetic techniques and ventilation.
Updated: 30/11/21
Professor Debra Archer BVMS PhD CertES(Soft Tissue) DipECVS FRCVS FHEA, QIAB member
Debbie graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1996 and worked in mixed and equine practice before undertaking an equine surgical residency at the University of Liverpool in 2000. During this time Debbie gained the RCVS Certificate in Equine Surgery (soft tissue) and subsequently gained the ECVS Diploma in Equine Surgery in 2004. She completed a PhD between 2003-2006 investigating the Epidemiology of colic at the University of Liverpool. Debbie was appointed as Senior Lecturer in Equine Soft Tissue Surgery in 2006 and subsequently as Professor of equine surgery in 2013. She divides her time between performing equine clinical work and teaching at the Philip Leverhulme Equine Hospital and performing research within the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health (Institute of Global Health, University of Liverpool). Her clinical interest includes all aspects of abdominal surgery, upper respiratory tract, and urogenital conditions including laser surgery and laparoscopic surgery, and management of traumatic injuries. She is head of Equine Surgery at The University of Liverpool and is leading an International Colic Audit (INCISE project) and randomised controlled trial investigating lidocaine in horses following small intestinal surgery (CHARIOT study).
Updated: 31/03/2020
Luke Cottis BVMS MRCVS
Biography to come
Professor Peter Brennan MD, PhD, FRCS, FRCSI, Hon FRCS (Glasg), FFST, FDSRCS
Professor Peter Brennan is a Consultant Surgeon with an interest in head and neck cancer, working in Portsmouth, UK. He has a personal chair in Surgery in recognition of his extensive research and education profile. He is committed to education at levels and regularly teaches internationally (albeit virtually during the current pandemic). To date, he has over 680 publications including more than 80 on human factors (HF) and patient safety. He is editor of 5 major speciality surgical textbooks and Lead Editor for the recently published Gray’s Surgical Anatomy, bringing the famous original Gray’s Anatomy book that was written for surgeons and published in 1858 to the 21st Century. The book begins with a chapter on HF and minimising errors in the operating theatre.
Peter is recent past Chairman of the Intercollegiate Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) Examinations Committee and currently leads MRCS Research Lead, driving up quality assurance for this important examination for trainees entering higher training for the 10 UK surgical specialities. He has published widely on predictive validity and differential attainment in surgery examinations. He was elected to the Royal College of Surgeons of England Council in 2020 via the general voting route, a first for his specialty. His extensive HF work and unique collaborations with airline pilots, UK National Air Traffic Services (NATS) and more recently the Red Arrows Royal Air Force aerobatic team have resulted in many changes to practice, better team working, reduced hierarchy, patient safety improvements across medical specialities, as well as changes in MRCS delivery internationally.
In 2019, Peter was awarded a PhD entitled ‘Applying HF to Improve Patient Safety’ – likely to be unique in healthcare. He works with national organisations including the Royal Colleges of Surgeons, General Medical Council and Health Education England (HEE) to help drive up safety and better working experiences for doctors and other healthcare professionals.
Updated: 04/08/2021
Richard Saunders BSc (Hons) BVSc FRSB CBiol CertZooMed DZooMed (Mammalian) DipECZM (ZHM) MRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, European Specialist in Zoological Medicine (ZHM)
Richard graduated from the University of Liverpool in 1994, also obtaining an intercalated degree in Zoology. He worked in general small animal practice for 2 years before joining the RSPCA at Norfolk Wildlife Hospital, working with British wildlife. After that, he worked in increasingly exotic animal practice, obtaining his CertZooMed in 2001, and his DZooMed (Mammalian) in 2010. He obtained his ECZM (ZHM) Specialist status in 2018. He joined Bristol Zoological Gardens as a resident in 2008, and Staff Vet in 2011. He works part-time for Bristol Zoo, consults in private referral practice in Bristol, and teaches at the University of Bristol. He is the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund (RWAF) Veterinary Adviser and has written several chapters and articles on rabbits and small mammals in particular.
Updated: 04/08/2021
Romain Pizzi BVSc DipECZM FRSB MSc DZooMed (Avian) FRES MACVSc FRGS PhD FRCVS
Romain grew up in South Africa and has travelled the globe operating on endangered wild animals from elephants to tarantulas, from Ethiopia to Indonesia. He completed his PhD on minimally invasive surgery in wildlife and was elected an honorary life member of the Association of Laparoscopic Surgeons. He has pioneered operations including the first robotic-assisted wildlife surgeries, the first laparoscopic cholecystectomies in rescued bile farm bears, and the first locking plate fracture repairs in great apes. He has taught and mentored wildlife veterinarians in over 30 countries. He was previously a veterinary surgeon at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland for a decade, at Scotland’s National Wildlife Rescue for 18 years, and pathologist at the Zoological Society of London’s London Zoo. Romain is currently the President of the British Veterinary Association (BVA) Scottish Branch, Junior vice-president of the British Veterinary Zoological Society (BVZS), and director of Wildlife Surgery International, a charity trustee of the Animal Welfare Foundation, and serves on DEFRA’s Animal Welfare Committee.
Updated: 04/08/2021
Tim Charlesworth MA VetMB DSAS(Soft Tissue) MRCVS
Tim graduated from Cambridge in 2001 and after a brief period in mixed practice moved to Eastcott in Swindon. Tim went on to gain the RCVS Certificate in small animal surgery in 2006 followed by the RCVS diploma in Small Animal Surgery (Soft Tissue) in 2012. Tim is currently an RCVS Recognised Specialist in Small Animal Surgery (Soft Tissue) and is Head of Surgery at Eastcott Referrals where he enjoys a large and diverse caseload having particular interests in minimally invasive surgery, surgical oncology, and emergency surgical conditions.
Tim has examined for the RCVS both at certificate and diploma levels and is currently a committee member of the Association of Veterinary Soft Tissue Surgery (AVSTS). Tim has lectured both nationally and internationally on a wide range of topics and has a passion for developing and improving systems for post-graduate education. Tim is currently chairman of the academic board for the International School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies (ISVPS) and in 2021 was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons for his meritorious contribution to clinical practice.
Updated: 04/08/2021
Tim Mair BVSc PhD DEIM DipECEIM DESTS FRCVS
Tim graduated from the University of Bristol in 1980. Following several years in mixed practice, he returned to Bristol to complete a PhD in equine immunology and was appointed as a Wellcome Trust Lecturer in equine medicine. He returned to equine practice in 1989, joining Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic and becoming a partner in 1995. His main interests are equine internal medicine, soft tissue surgery (including colic surgery), and advanced imaging. He is a founding Diplomate of the European College of Equine Internal Medicine and became an Associate of the European College of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging in 2011. He has been the editor of Equine Veterinary Education since 1996. He has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and co-authored several textbooks on equine medicine and surgery. He currently works as Equine Veterinary Director of CVS Ltd, whilst still working as a clinician at Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic. He is an Honorary Professor of the Royal Veterinary College and is a past President of the British Equine Veterinary Association.
Updated: 04/08/2021
NAPO Steering Group
The NAPO Steering Group consists of a broad spectrum of the veterinary profession. The Steering Group will work to give direction to the development and running of the audit and test the platform.
The Steering Group consists of:
Jenny Brown BSc(Hons) BVM&S(dist) GPCert(FelPr) MANZCVS(Medicine of Cats) MRCVS, NAPO Clinical Lead
Jenny graduated from Edinburgh in 2004 and joined the Active Vetcare group in Berkshire, where she has been working in small animal first opinion practice ever since, now as a Senior Clinical Director. She has always had an interest in feline medicine, gaining Membership of the Australia and New Zealand College of Veterinary Surgeons in Medicine of Cats in 2012 and RCVS Advanced Practitioner Status in Small Animal Medicine - Feline in 2018. More recently she has developed an interest in anaesthesia and analgesia, studying towards an MSc and gaining Advanced Practitioner status in Veterinary Anaesthesia. Jenny enjoys all aspects of first opinion practice including mentoring and supporting colleagues, as well as having an interest in clinical governance and minimising avoidable errors in clinical practice. Outside of work Jenny enjoys spending time with her family, running, cycling and riding her horse.
Alice Bell BVSc MRCVS
Since qualifying from Bristol Vet school in 2004, Alice has worked in several first opinion practices in Cornwall. Her current role at Rosemullion veterinary practice in Falmouth, as a senior vet and Quality Improvement Lead, allows a balance of clinical work and pursuing her passion for quality improvement and human factors.
Alice enjoys working with the team at Rosemullion to improve the quality of patient care through QI projects such as clinical audit. She has a particular interest in communication and human factors and how this affects how the team interacts with each other.
She also enjoys supporting other practices in all things QI. Helping them get started on the QI road, introducing them to auditing and human factors and how embracing them can make a huge difference to practice life.
Updated: 20/11/21
Alison Thomas BVSc CertSAM MRCVS
Alison Thomas has over 30 years of experience in small animal practice. She has worked in Singapore and Hong Kong and has spent the last 20 years at the Blue Cross in London where she is currently Head of Veterinary Services. She gained a Certificate of Small Animal Medicine in 2001 and is an author of Breed Predispositions to Disease in Dogs and Cats (Wiley Blackwell 2018). Her main focus is the development of clinical guidelines and the role of pragmatic veterinary care across the veterinary profession.
Updated: 30/11/21
Bryan O'Meara MVB CertES(Orth) DipECVS MVM MRCVS European and RCVS specialist in Equine Surgery
Bryan is an equine surgeon that works with many practices in the UK performing surgical procedures on horses. He qualified from University College Dublin in 2003, worked in mixed practice in Northern Ireland, then general equine practice both in England and the Republic of Ireland before carrying out a residency in equine surgery between Glasgow University and Donnington Grove Vets in Newbury England. In 2014 he started Bryan O’Meara Veterinary Consultancy, which works with practices in the UK performing equine surgery.
Updated: 14/09/21
Carl Gorman BVSc MRCVS
Carl is the Clinical Director of a small animal and exotics practice in Newbury. He is the Junior Vice President of BSAVA. He is consultant editor of UK Vet Companion, the author of books for pet owners and vets, and has contributed various articles to journals.
Having had a long and varied experience of surgery in companion animals, he is enthusiastic about the aims of the National Audit for Post-operative Outcomes. He has a passion for ensuring optimum outcomes and increasing the evidence base for veterinary surgery.
Updated: 04/08/2021
Professor Debra Archer BVMS PhD CertES(Soft Tissue) DipECVS FRCVS FHEA, QIAB member
Debbie graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1996 and worked in mixed and equine practice before undertaking an equine surgical residency at the University of Liverpool in 2000. During this time Debbie gained the RCVS Certificate in Equine Surgery (soft tissue) and subsequently gained the ECVS Diploma in Equine Surgery in 2004. She completed a PhD between 2003-2006 investigating the Epidemiology of colic at the University of Liverpool. Debbie was appointed as Senior Lecturer in Equine Soft Tissue Surgery in 2006 and subsequently as Professor of equine surgery in 2013. She divides her time between performing equine clinical work and teaching at the Philip Leverhulme Equine Hospital and performing research within the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health (Institute of Global Health, University of Liverpool). Her clinical interest includes all aspects of abdominal surgery, upper respiratory tract, and urogenital conditions including laser surgery and laparoscopic surgery, and management of traumatic injuries. She is Head of Equine Surgery at The University of Liverpool and is leading an International Colic Audit (INCISE project) and randomised controlled trial investigating lidocaine in horses following small intestinal surgery (CHARIOT study).
Updated: 31/03/2020
Donna Wills, Owner Representative
Donna Wills is an RVN and further trained to specialise in rehabilitation and physiotherapy, establishing her own company, Animal Physiotherapy Ltd, in 2005. She is working as a stand-alone clinic supporting owners and vets for rehabilitation of their MSK ailments. Donna also lectures and has written articles on the benefits of physiotherapy.
Updated: 04/08/2021
Emma Robertson BVSc MRCVS, University of Surrey
Biography to come
Joao Koehler MBA PGCertVBM MRCVS, Clinical Development Manager at Vets4Pets
Joao graduated from the University of Porto in 2002 and moved straight to the UK to complete a six-month internship in a referral centre in Manchester, where he continued working as a first opinion and ECC vet for three years.
Joao then worked as a locum throughout the UK, completing a Masters in Business Administration in 2015, and joining Medivet in 2017 as a Regional Director.
More recently Joao joined the Vet Group (Vets4Pets) in 2019 as a Clinical Development Manager, a role which entails the provision of clinical support to the clinics, including the maintenance of its standards and also providing support from a business point of view. Last year Joao completed the Certificate in Veterinary Business Management from the University of Liverpool.
Updated: 04/08/2021
Kathrine Blackie BVetMed CertAVP MRCVS
Kathrine qualified from the RVC in 1997 and after two years in mixed practice worked as a GP vet in companion animal practice for 20 years, six of those as a Clinical Director of a multi-site practice. Her main clinical interest was surgery, and she gained her CertAVP in 2016. Kathrine joined Linnaeus in 2019 as Clinical Standards and Quality Improvement Manager, having developed a strong interest in QI and patient safety. Her current role involves all aspects of QI with the aim of continuously learning and sharing improvements to benefit both our patients and the staff that care for them.
Updated: 30/11/21
Peter van Dongen DVM CertVR MRCVS CCRT
Pete van Dongen qualified from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, State University of Utrecht, in The Netherlands, in 1990. He obtained his RCVS Certificate in Veterinary Radiology in 1996 and has been a CRI (Canine Rehabilitation Institute) Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist since 2014.
Pete has spent over 30 years in general small animal practice in the UK, with a particular interest in radiology and orthopaedic and soft tissue surgery. Over the last 12 years, he developed an interest in Canine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, leading to his latest qualification. He also practices Western Acupuncture. He spent many years as Clinical Director and Lead Vet in a large primary care vet practice, as well as at the world-renowned Fitzpatrick Referrals and a large hospital practice.
In the past, Pete has been an avid Dog Agility competitor, judge and instructor, as well as being the British Team Vet for the Agility World Championships for 9 years running. Nowadays he tries to stay fit by doing triathlons, running and swimming, and he enjoys cooking, drawing, and mainly travelling around the world, often for charity challenges.
He lives with his fiancée Rimante, as well as Rocky, a 6-year-old ginger cat, and a young Parson Russell Terrier, called Spike.
Updated: 04/08/2021
Rachel Dean BVMS CertSAM DSAM(Feline) PhD MSc MRCVS
Rachel is a graduate of the University of Glasgow and has worked in mixed, dairy and small animal general practice. She holds the RCVS Diploma in Feline Medicine and has a PhD in Epidemiology and an MSc in Evidence-based Healthcare. She was the founding director of the Centre for Evidence-based Veterinary Medicine and a Clinical Associate Professor in Feline Medicine at the University of Nottingham from 2009 to 2018. Rachel is currently the Director of Clinical Research and Excellence in Practice and co-chairs the clinical board for VetPartners. Rachel is responsible for supporting the clinical teams to constantly improve standards of care across the business and encourage clinical leadership through research, innovation and professional development.
NAPO stakeholders
Our Stakeholder group will be key in actively promoting and supporting the National Audit for Post-operative Outcomes within their organisations. If you are interested in your organisation joining the Stakeholder Group, please email us.
The National Audit for Post-operative Outcomes is part of vetAUDIT. To return to vetAUDIT, click here