RCVS Knowledge announces 2022 Knowledge Awards winners

Veterinary charity RCVS Knowledge is delighted to announce that Vets Now Ltd, Donview Veterinary Centre, Eloise Collins from Beech House Veterinary Centre and Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists are the winners of its 2022 Knowledge Awards.

The Knowledge Awards showcase excellence in Quality Improvement (QI) and celebrate individuals and teams that have driven improvement within their organisation.

Vets Now Ltd identified room for improvement in the care of dystocia cases using feedback from their wider team. Due to an increase in the number of dystocia cases being seen, the team requested updated guidelines and training and a working group was created to support this. The group began by auditing and capturing benchmarks for dystocia cases across Vets Now Ltd. To support clinicians with decision-making and improve patient welfare, the group used these data to inform guidelines and resources relevant to care provided by Vets Now Ltd. Both the data and the resources were disseminated to the team through specialised training. The level of engagement in the audit highlighted team-wide commitment to improving patient outcomes.

Donview Veterinary Centre demonstrated a strong learning culture through an initiative to improve post-operative temperatures. Working together, the team performed an audit, and used the results to assess where they could improve. Suggestions from the team were successfully implemented across the practice, and investments in new equipment were made. The audit showed a robust dedication to improvement, with the whole team working together to identify gaps in care.

Eloise Collins, Head Veterinary Nurse at Beech House Veterinary Centre, used checklists, auditing, benchmarking, team meetings and journal clubs to help improve patient care and outcomes and improve practice culture. Eloise helped bolster psychological safety amongst the team through her open and honest approach. The application showed an improvement culture involving the entire team creates positive change.

Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists introduced a Notice to Anaesthetists (NOTAN), a notice inspired by the aviation industry that highlights any changes that might have safety implications. The NOTAN was introduced after a team survey identified gaps in knowledge about the latest information on anaesthesia practice, protocols, and equipment. The team agreed that an electronic notification would be an effective change and increase confidence. In addition, follow up team engagement showed that a simple, effective initiative can create measurable improvements.

Executive Director at RCVS Knowledge, Chris Gush said, “The increasing number of high calibre nominations for our Knowledge Awards year-on-year, demonstrates the profession's commitment to adopting Quality Improvement in practice and education to make improvements that advance the quality of veterinary care.

“At RCVS Knowledge, we are dedicated to providing free tools and resources for veterinary teams to use and are pleased to celebrate excellence through our awards.

“Congratulations to all of the winners.”

Quality Improvement Clinical Lead at RCVS Knowledge, Pam Mosedale, said, “I am delighted to see the range of Quality Improvement initiatives in our fourth year of Knowledge Awards.

“The improvements the teams have made in practice and education will undoubtedly enhance patient care and outcomes. 

“This year’s winners truly demonstrate the impact that Quality Improvement has when the whole team works together towards continuous improvement.”

Seven strong applications were awarded as highly commended runners up:

• Okeford Veterinary Centre
• Silverton Vets
• Small Animal Division CVS UK
• Roundhouse Referrals
• Filham Park Veterinary Clinic
• PDSA
• Manchester Veterinary Specialists

Five ‘Highly Commended – One to Watch’, were also awarded to recognise promising QI projects laying strong foundations. 

This title was awarded to Rosemullion Vets, CVS Equine, VetPartners, VetLed and Putlands Veterinary Surgery.

Now in their fourth year, the Knowledge Awards highlight the benefits of using Quality Improvement and celebrate teams making changes that improve patient outcomes.

In the next cycle of awards, the Knowledge Awards for Quality Improvement will become the RCVS Knowledge Awards, and they will include three categories: Quality Improvement Awards, Canine Cruciate Outcome Awards and Antimicrobial Stewardship Awards. 

In conjunction to the RCVS Knowledge Awards, the Veterinary Evidence Student Awards will be announced at the same time and follow the same cycle.

The 2022 awards will be officially presented at RCVS Day in July. Applications for the 2023 RCVS Knowledge Awards and the 2023 Veterinary Evidence Student Awards will open in July 2022.

For more information visit: rcvsknowledge.org/awards