The British Veterinary Association (BVA) and the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) have renewed their strategic alliance with the signing of a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) by BVA President Justine Shotton and BVNA President Jo Oakden at the BVNA Congress on 2 October 2021.
BVA and BVNA have worked closely together on a range of shared priorities since the first MoU was signed in 2017, from delivering actions developed through Vet Futures and VN Futures to supporting Team Vet through the COVID-19 pandemic. The new memorandum is a restatement of BVA and BVNA’s commitment to collaborative working, whilst still recognising the strong identities of the two distinct Associations and their memberships.
BVNA President Jo Oakden said: “It has been a difficult 18 months for the profession and new challenges keep being presented to us. This is why it is so important we collaborate and support one another. We are one team within this profession. It gives me great pleasure to sign the MOU with BVA, ensuring our close working relationship for the next three years. Together, our voice is stronger.”
In the new MoU BVA and BVNA agree to continue working together to strengthen the representation of the views of vets and vet nurses to the media, policymakers, the general public and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). They also agree to identify opportunities for joint campaigns and member engagement activities on areas of mutual interest and to support one another to achieve individual and shared priority aims and objectives, in particular activities to raise the profile of vets, vet nurses and the wider veterinary team
BVA President Justine Shotton said: “This is a challenging time for everyone in the veterinary family. It has never been more vital for us all to work together to achieve the best possible outcomes for animal health, welfare, public health and our professions. We have already achieved so much more working in unison over the last three years and I am delighted that we will continue to provide one strong veterinary voice on key issues for the veterinary team.”
The memorandum between BVA and BVNA is agreed for a further three years and will be regularly reviewed during that time.
