Veterinary Investigation Officer (VIO) - OB23.140/141 Posts 9344, 9345 (ID2302)
| Posting date: | 03 June 2024 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £39,439 to £43,569 per year |
| Additional salary information: | Pro-rata salary for job share. This role is eligible for a starting allowance of £3000. For further detail on pay please see below under ‘salary’. |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 01 July 2024 |
| Location: | SA31 3EZ |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 356016/4 |
Summary
This is a new job in APHA combining VIO work with notifiable disease outbreak work. The VIO role focusses on surveillance for notifiable diseases, new and re-emerging threats, food safety incidents and zoonotic disease. To do this you will carry out postmortem examinations, collecting appropriate samples and assigning relevant laboratory tests. These findings will permit interpreting and reporting findings and give relevant advice to private veterinarians and other bodies. Visits to farms and to investigate wildlife mortality incidents may also be required.
You will carry out the VIO role other than when required for the outbreak role.
In the outbreak role, you will be involved in investigating notifiable disease outbreaks, this will include ‘field work’ visiting infected premises, monitoring livestock on ‘at risk farms’ and potentially periods on detached duty with overnight stays away from home. You will be eligible for emergency response payments, other allowances and overtime for outbreak work.
Being able to communicate effectively with farmers, private veterinarians, stakeholders, and policy makers is essential in these roles. You will be expected to work to quality standards and observe stringent health and safety requirements. Full training will be given, and you will be encouraged to develop your expertise.
Why not join us and make a difference?
Career Transitions - working for APHA in field veterinary and Veterinary Investigation Officer roles - VSGD - Vets Stay Go Diversify
To carry out any duties commensurate with the grade and purpose of the post including, but not limited to, the following:
Disease Investigation, Welfare and Diagnostics
To investigate animal diseases and welfare cases in primarily farmed livestock, wildlife and other species in order to detect notifiable disease, new and re-emerging threats, food safety incidents and zoonotic disease, and to provide a diagnostic and investigative service. This will be achieved within the quality system by:
- Conducting post-mortem examinations.
- Humanely euthanasing animals where necessary.
- Commissioning appropriate laboratory tests.
- Interpreting results.
- Reporting conclusions.
- Carrying out on-farm and field investigations.
Surveillance
Gathering of information, data and intelligence to enable understanding of the patterns and trends of endemic diseases and the timely detection and characterisation of new and re-emerging animal-related threats, including, but not limited to, the following:
- Collecting relevant information and data.
- Identifying (and where relevant, report and escalate) incidents which may represent statutory, new, re-emerging or changing disease patterns.
- Collating, interpreting and reporting surveillance information and data.
- Work collaboratively to deliver leading edge veterinary research, surveillance, consultancy and laboratory testing services through a series of integrated science programmes.
Stakeholder Engagement
- Actively engaging with private veterinary surgeons, farmers and others to ensure the gathering and sharing of data, information and intelligence to enable understanding of the patterns and trends of endemic diseases and the timely detection of new and re-emerging animal-related threats.
- To develop effective and sustainable working relationships with end-users of APHA services, representing and promoting the interests of GB Governments to deliver agreed policy outcomes.
- To engage with animal keepers, wider industry, the veterinary profession and other operational partners to gather data, information and intelligence, educate, influence and provide feedback to improve the standards of animal health and welfare.
- Arrange and/or attend relevant veterinary and other meetings to participate, present and contribute to knowledge exchange.
Incident and Disease Outbreak Response
- To contribute to and participate in Delivery Area and National Contingency Planning and exercises as required.
- To ensure that professional skills are developed and maintained to undertake any allocated role(s) during incidents and emergency activities with an expectation that the roles in which individuals are specifically trained will be called upon first during outbreaks and provision of veterinary leadership and direction in the field during an emergency situation.
- Expected availability for field activities such as visiting infected premises during notifiable disease outbreaks such as avian influenza outbreaks of poultry. This work may require detached duty staying away from home and away from your usual work location.
- Leadership of avian influenza work (currently predominately wildlife sampling) within base Veterinary Investigation Centre and contribute to avian influenza work across the APHA network.
Learning and Development
- To maintain appropriate veterinary expertise by undertaking and recording Continuing Professional Development.
- To undertake personal learning and development and contribute to organisational learning, supporting continuous improvement. This will include all relevant mandatory training and participation in training/teaching of colleagues and other staff as appropriate.
- A specific requirement for this role will be to have or develop expertise in avian influenza. Candidates with an interest in wildlife or poultry and the diseases of these species may be able to develop these interests further.
Safety, Health and Wellbeing (SHaW)
- To implement APHA SHaW policy and procedures as relevant to the role including compliance with Occupational Health policies essential for delivery of the role such as screening and prophylactic/preventive programmes.
- To carry out appropriate risk assessments when carrying out veterinary duties escalating risks as required.
Compliance and Enforcement
- To represent the Agency, engaging with animal keepers, wider industry and operational partners to gather intelligence, and educate and influence to improve the level of understanding, compliance and safe behaviour.
- To demonstrate an understanding and application of legislation in line with policy and best regulatory practice in order to positively influence behaviours while minimising burdens on industry.
- To use veterinary expertise to support interventions as necessary, including the gathering, interpretation and presentation of evidence, appearing as a witness of fact or as a professional witness when required, and on occasions providing expert witness testimony if appropriately qualified.
Duty and Out-of-Hours Rotas
The VIO Duty Rota, covers the delivery of veterinary diagnostic and surveillance tasks during normal working hours.
During an outbreak scenario, or an emergency notifiable disease situation, you will be asked to support, out-of-hours rotas/ detached duty as required. An allowance is payable for this work.
Quality
- To assist the Head of Department and Quality Managers in maintaining an efficient and effective quality management system meeting the requirements of third-party accreditation and certification (e.g. ISO 17025, ISO 9001).
- Work to agreed quality standards and comply with instructions in the Veterinary Surveillance Instructions (VISIs) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).