Rules and norms are necessary in order to establish a number of standards to implement in a specific situation. It is important to be aware of the current legislation in order to know the individual rights and obligations.

As I am an Intensive Care Nurse, specialised in Cardiothoracic surgeries with experience of over 9 years, I am aware and used extensively some of the legislation that is important and relevant to a veterinary physiotherapist. This is the case of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Data Protection Act 2018 along with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). “Data Protection Act 2018 controls how your personal information is used by organisations, businesses or the government” (Gov.UK, 2018) There are two terms used commonly in this legislation and it is important to clarify their meaning in order to comply with the legislation.

A definition for data protection is about ensuring people can trust you to use their data fairly and responsibly” (ico., 2018a)This definition is very important as a nurse because I was dealing with very sensitive personal data on a daily basis. It is also important to define what is personal data “means information about a particular living individual” (Ico.org.uk, 2018b)

But there is other legislation related to a veterinary physiotherapist that I have become more familiarized with after taking this course. I decided to focus this reflection on the case of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 as there are a great number of different legislation to regulate the activity of a veterinary physiotherapist. The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 was introduced in the UK in order to reduce the dog’s bite cases by controlling the type of breeds. This type of legislation (Breed Specific Legislation - BSL) has been much criticised at a national and international level as it does not resolve the problem that was design for. According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, this type of legislation is unsuccessful as it has scientific evidence that a significant proportion of dogs involved in fatal incidents are not those prohibited by law, and hospital admissions due to dog bites have increased substantially in the past decade despite the prohibitions (RSPCA, 2016) which prove the inefficiency of the legislation.

As I worked as a volunteer in Blue Cross I was providing assistance and support to pets (cats and dogs) who were recovering from surgery. Even if this is one of my passions, I didn’t have the opportunity to work closely with the clinic to learn more about the specific legislations. It is something I should develop as a mention in my Personal Development Plan to improve my future business and always be aware and update with future new laws.

 

 

 

 

 
REFERENCES

Gov.UK (2018) Data protection. GOV.UK. [online]. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/data-protection [Accessed January 24, 2021].
 
Ico.org.uk (2018a) Some basic concepts. Ico.org.uk. [online]. Available from: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/introduction-to-data-protection/some-basic-concepts/ [Accessed February 14, 2021].
 
Ico.org.uk (2018b) Some basic concepts. Ico.org.uk. [online]. Available from: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/introduction-to-data-protection/some-basic-concepts/#4 [Accessed February 20, 2021].
 
RSPCA (2016) BREED SPECIFIC LEGISLATION – A DOG’S DINNER. RSPCA.[online]. Available from: https://www.rspca.org.uk/webContent/staticImages/Downloads/BSL_Report.pdf