Reflection: Legislation

Working as a physiotherapist it is important to have an understanding of the legislations they work under. Once qualified I will be guided by the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 which states that only registered members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons can give a formal diagnosis to clients (Pogodda, 2013). This means as a Physiotherapist I would not be able to give a diagnosis to my clients. Another legislation that will be important to follow is the Veterinary Surgery (Exemptions) Order 1962. This order means before treating a client I would have to gain permission from the client's vet (UK Legislation, 1962). Understanding and following these legislations carefully will be paramount to becoming a well-known and trusted physiotherapist in my area.

A legislation that I found interesting was the Dangerous Dog Act 1991 (Davidson, 1995) which specifies the four breeds that are banned in the UK (Pitbull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and the Fila Brasileiro) (Klaassen et al. 1996; Hood 2000; Amy Brannan 2017.). I was unsure how I would need to deal with a situation that involved working with one of these breeds and the actions that I would need to take to make sure I am following the legislation correctly. I will also need to learn how to recognize these dogs and will do so by researching the breed and its traits so I become more familiar with them. It showed me how important it is to have an understanding of all possible legislations that I could come across while working.

To improve my knowledge I will carry out research on the legisltions that I may come across and have an understanding of how they would affect me while working and how to carry out the correct procedures under these legislation.

References

Amy Brannan, 2017. Dangerous Dogs Act: What Breeds Are Covered? | CanineJournal.com. Available at: https://www.caninejournal.com/dangerous-dogs-act/ [Accessed November 14, 2017].

Davidson, D.L., 1995. Dangerous Dogs Act. The Veterinary record, 136(11), p.275. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/65/contents [Accessed November 14, 2017].

Hood, C., 2000. Assessing the  Dangerous  Dogs  Act: when does a regulatory  law fail? | King’s College London. Public Law, pp.282–305. Available at: https://kcl.rl.talis.com/items/5F5C73F2-C969-58C0-BE3C-14DABE84BE21.html [Accessed November 14, 2017].

Klaassen, B., Buckley, J.R. & Esmail, A., 1996. Does the dangerous dog's act protect against animal attacks: a prospective study of mammalian bites in the accident and emergency department. Injury, 27(2), pp.89–91. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8730379 [Accessed November 14, 2017].

Pogodda, S., 2013. Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966. Office, Home, 1966, pp.1–75. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1966/36 [Accessed November 14, 2017].

UK Legislation, 1962. The Veterinary Surgery (Exemptions) Order 1962, Queen’s Printer of Acts of Parliament. Available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1962/2557/contents/made [Accessed November 14, 2017].