What is an SQP Qualification, and Where Can it Be Gained?
SQP stands for Suitably Qualified Person, which is a title defined in the Great Britain Veterinary Medicines Regulations. An SQP is one of the three types of person qualified in law to supply veterinary medicines – the other two being vets and pharmacists. SQPs are employed in agricultural merchants, country stores, equine suppliers, pet shops and in veterinary practices. An SQP can independently supply certain categories of veterinary medicine. To practise as a SQP a person must have a recognised SQP qualification.
Why is there a SQP qualification?
SQPs first came into existence in 2005 when UK veterinary medicines regulation underwent a major overhaul to bring together scattered legislation affecting veterinary medicines and also to incorporate European law, in the new Veterinary Medicines Regulations. SQPs were created because some new legal supply categories for medicines were needed as result of the regulatory changes.
New legal categories for veterinary medicines
Up until 2005, veterinary medicines were in one of four supply categories:
POM (Prescription-Only Medicine)
P (Pharmacy)
PML (Pharmacy and Merchants List)
GSL (General Sales List)
Changes to these supply categories were needed because of a EU requirement for all medicines for food-producing animals to be available only on prescription. This meant that the PML category was no longer appropriate. However there was a desire for farmers and other professional animal keepers in the UK to continue to have access to medicines such as parasiticides, vaccines and supplements from a wide choice of distribution routes – that is, from animal health merchants and pharmacists as well as veterinary surgeons. The solution was to split the POM category in two:
POM-V (Prescription-Only Medicine – Veterinarian), which broadly corresponded to the old POM category;
and POM-VPS (Prescription-Only Medicine – Veterinarian, Pharmacist, Suitably Qualified Person), which included products intended for use in food-producing animals that had previously been on the Pharmacy and Merchants List (PML).
At the same time the P category (which was little-used for veterinary medicines) was discontinued and the non-prescription category NFA-VPS (Non-Food Animal – Veterinarian, Pharmacist, SQP) was created. The fourth category became AVM-GSL (Authorised Veterinary Medicine – General Sales List).
Along with the new medicine categories, came the new category of regulated supplier – SQPs. SQPs can independently supply POM-VPS and NFA-VPS medicines.
Regulation of SQPs
To support this new supplier group, there was a need to create a Code of Practice for SQPs and new regulatory bodies. The SQP regulators ensure a minimum level of education and training (through the SQP qualification), compliance with the Code of Practice and up-to-date knowledge through CPD.
SQP regulators
The first organisation to apply to be a regulatory body for SQPs was the Animal Medicines Training Regulatory Authority (AMTRA), and it remained alone in this role until 2016 when VetSkill became a regulator, followed in 2020 by Vetpol.
Different categories of SQP qualification
An SQP can qualify in a specific species area:
Companion animal
Farm animal
Equine
Avian
Or any combination of these, or all these species areas.
SQPs can advise on, and prescribe, POM-VPS and supply POM-VPS or NFA-VPS medicines according to the species category of their qualification.
How to gain a SQP qualification
There are a variety of routes to get to a SQP qualification. AMTRA’s SQPs are branded as Regulated Animal Medicine Advisors (RAMAs); VetSkill offers the SQP qualification integrated into a veterinary nursing diploma as well as a stand-alone SQP qualification; Vetpol offers online study for the SQP qualification. You can find more details on the relevant pages of the SQP regulatory bodies:
Veterinary Prescriber’s accredited CPD for SQPs
Veterinary Prescriber is an independent online reference and learning resource on veterinary medicines for veterinary professionals, including SQPs.
Our multi-media CPD modules (that you can read and/or listen to) are presented in The Virtual Veterinary Medicines Academy. Modules for SQPs are accredited by AMTRA and VetSkill; selected modules are accredited by Vetpol.
Veterinary Prescriber is also the home of the unique Parasiticide Guide – a searchable database of all parasiticides marketed in the UK for use in companion animals. A key principle of Veterinary Prescriber is independence from the pharmaceutical industry. Access is through subscription - this is how we are able to produce information that is completely objective. For further details on The Academy itself, or to sign up today, click here. For more information on Veterinary Prescriber, including how we research and produce our content, or to meet the Veterinary Prescriber team, please see our about us page.