ACT Veterinary Practitioner Board's response to COVID-19
General information
Veterinary clinics continue to remain open to provide essential veterinary services to the community.
We suggest contacting your veterinary clinic prior to your visit so you are aware of the safety measure in place.
Information for practitioners and premises
It is important that you and the public are aware of and adhere to current advice and guidance from the Australian and ACT Government, as follows:
The Australian Veterinary Association has provided some information on their website with specific veterinary information and resources. Most of the information has been made available to both members and non-members and we encourage you to read and provide this important information to all of your staff members. Some useful factsheets are listed below:
Important information
1. Are veterinary services regarded as an essential service?
Yes, veterinary services including livestock, companion animals and wildlife care are considered to be essential.
2. Using telemedicine to deliver veterinary services during the Covid-19 Public Health Emergency
Veterinary telemedicine can be used by veterinarians in the ACT and may be a helpful tool to minimise the risk of exposure to COVID-19. For more information see the telemedicine policy.
3. What if a client is self-isolating or has COVID-19?
Consider ways the animal could be examined while minimising risk. This could be someone other than the owner bringing the animal in or admitting the animal as an inpatient with minimal direct contact with the client.
A person with COVID-19 may sneeze or shed the virus onto the fur of animals which could spread the virus to other people and good hygiene practices should be used.
In appropriate cases, veterinary telemedicine can be used, particularly for initial triage. If necessary, medicines could be authorised using veterinary telemedicine where it isn’t safe to see the animal in person (see Veterinary Telemedicine Policy).
Please refer to the Australian Veterinary Association’s website for further information relating to pets of COVID-19 positive/at-risk humans.
4. CPD Requirements
Last year, the Board notified veterinary practitioners that they would not strictly be enforcing CPD points requirements so there is no need to worry about cancellations of events affecting their ability to get the minimum points needed.
This has now been reviewed taking into account the increased availability of online CPD. CPD requirements have now resumed. Over the next 12 months, online learning will receive 1 CPD point per hour (compared with pre Covid ½ CPD point per hour).
Webinars, online discussions and video-conferences are all good, physically distant, ways to keep learning and get input from your peers.
This position will be reviewed in twelve month’s time.
5. Support
The spread of COVID-19 and the publicity around it may be a cause of serious concern for some veterinary practitioners. If you would like professional support with this (or any other issue), free and confidential counselling is available to all veterinarians through the Doctors’ Health Advisory Service on 02 9437 6552. Other resources available include (but are not limited to):
- Beyond Blue – 1300 224 636
- Lifeline – 13 11 14
- AVA counselling (only open to AVA members) – 1300 687 327
The information provided on this page is general information only and is not intended to be complete. It is your responsibility to inform yourself and keep updated as circumstances change. Veterinary practitioners should exercise their professional judgment and seek appropriate advice on complying with Government rules in their particular circumstances.