The event is being hosted by Luke Gamble as part of the company's ‘Advocates of Knowledge’ series, and there are £400 worth of prizes to be won:
Advocate Senior Brand Manager Vicky McAlister said: “We want to ensure that we’re delivering CPD in an engaging way, so that vet nurses are still able to upskill in these areas, whilst also being able to engage with other nurses in the industry, which is especially important given current times.
"Following the success of the first event, we’re pleased to be back again to host another and are committed to continuing to support CPD progression.”
To register for the event, visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/113870170746
For those not familiar with the term, moral injury is the damage to your conscience when you witness, perpetrate or fail to stop an event which conflicts with your moral beliefs. The study looking into this phenomenon in the veterinary profession is being conducted at King’s College London by Professor Neil Greenberg (pictured right), Dr Dominic Murphy and Dr Victoria Williamson, who will investigate the types of moral injuries veterinary professionals might encounter, their prevalence, the perceptions amongst professionals around how these moral injuries come about, and what support is needed when they occur.
The second project, titled 'Experiences of racism and its impacts on mental wellbeing in Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people working and studying in the UK veterinary profession' is being conducted by the Royal Veterinary College and British Veterinary Ethnicity & Diversity Society. As well as gathering information about experiences of racism and their impact, the project will also determine what individuals from the BAME veterinary community think could, and should, be done to tackle racism in the veterinary professions, and gather the evidence to help design appropriate interventions for those whose mental health and wellbeing is impacted by racism and discrimination.
Professor Susan Dawson, Chair of the Mind Matters Initiative, said: “Though it was a tough decision to choose the recipients of this year’s grants as all the applications were of a high standard, these two stood out because they are investigating two issues that we know are there, but which we don’t yet have the evidence-base for to really determine their prevalence, their impact and how we, as a profession, can tackle them more effectively.
“They also stood out for being solutions-focused in that the evidence will be used to find the best interventions and support mechanisms for those whose mental health has been impacted by racism and moral injury. We would like to congratulate the two research teams and look forward to working with them over the coming years.”
Have you suffered from moral injury or racism in the veterinary profession? Come and discuss here.
The programme, which is open to experienced veterinary nurses, will give successful candidates the opportunity to train alongside world-leading specialists, highly-trained clinicians and experienced specialist RVNs, working within the specialisms of emergency and critical care and internal medicine.
Tracey Morley Jewkes, Managing Director at Willows, said: "We intend this to be a professionally-rounded training programme which offers opportunities not only to work alongside the world-renowned specialist vets and highly-skilled referral nurses here at Willows but to also cover areas such as public speaking development and article writing."
Tom Reilly, head of clinical support services at Willows, led the design of the residency programme and is hoping it will provide much-needed pathways of professional progression for RVNs and retention of talent within veterinary nursing. He said: "This residency is a three-year programme which follows a similar pattern to the veterinary surgeons’ specialist residency programme.
"Each resident nurse will have a specialist vet or nurse mentor and will spend the first year working solely in the area of their chosen discipline.
"The second year will see our resident nurses undergo training in the American Veterinary Technician Specialist qualification, benefiting from the volume and complexity of cases within the working environment at Willows.
"In the final year, residents will attend an international conference in the US in their area of specialism where they will also sit their internationally recognised exams to complete their residency."
For more information, visit www.willows.uk.net.
The clinic will be headed up by Dr Ursula Dietrich, an RCVS Specialist in Veterinary Ophthalmology, who will be stepping down as senior lecturer in veterinary ophthalmology at The Royal Veterinary College to take up her new post.
Ursula has held a number of prestigious positions including Chair of the Scientific Committee of European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists from 2007-2012, member of the Examination Committee of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists from 2002-2006 and Associate Editor (Ophthalmology) of the Journal of Small Animal Practice since 2012-18. She also holds Diplomas from the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Opthalmologists.
Ursula said: “I am thrilled to take on this new role, heading up The London Cat Clinic’s new opthalmology centre. The clinic is doing wonderful things in feline veterinary care as the largest specialist practice devoted solely to cats in the UK. The ophthalmology service is the next exciting development in achieving our goal of being a centre of excellence in feline veterinary medicine."
London Cat Clinic Founder, Dr Jeremy Campbell, said: “We are delighted to welcome Dr Dietrich to the team, as she brings with her a wealth of experience in the field of feline ophthalmology. She will be a wonderful asset to The London Cat Clinic, as we embark on an exciting new chapter.”
For more information about referring a case to The London Cat Clinic, visit: https://www.thelondoncatclinic.co.uk/
The new policy has been published ahead of an upcoming review of England’s Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing regulations (WATOK) by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
Recommendations in the policy address all areas of the slaughter process, including:
The policy also covers a wider range of species and focuses on some of those species-specific needs.
For the first time its recommendations include fish. In order to improve the welfare of farmed finfish, BVA says that UK Governments should include the effective stunning of finfish as well as general welfare protections in WATOK regulations. It also calls for more research into developing effective and humane methods of stunning for decapods (shrimp, lobsters and crabs) and cephalopods (squid and octopus) as well as wild caught fish.
BVA Senior Vice President, Simon Doherty said: "With millions of animals slaughtered each year to provide us with the food we eat, we have a responsibility to provide them with a life worth living and a humane death. Our updated position aims to do just that by building on existing legislation and guiding the industry in a direction that better protects the welfare of animals destined for the food chain.
"Slaughter processes should be designed to minimise avoidable pain, distress, fear, and suffering and this document looks at all of the ways that we as vets can work with industry bodies and farm colleagues to improve the legislation already in place.”
A snapshot survey carried out in 2018 by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) for the period of one week revealed that nearly 20 million animals (excluding fish) were slaughtered across 248 operating plants in England and Wales during that time.
In order to effect change for such a high quantity of animals, BVA’s new position sets out recommendations for a range of stakeholders, government, industry, researchers and the veterinary profession, at each stage of the slaughter process. Improvements to the way that stunning data is captured and reported on is also on the list of asks, as well as improving regulation of non-stun slaughter and working collaboratively with Islamic scholars and Halal certification bodies to promote the acceptability of recoverable stunning.
Simon added: "From making sure that stunning methods are as effective as possible, to looking at the specific needs of each species, revalidation of training for operators, and championing the role of the Official Veterinarian, there is a lot of work to be done but we look forward to progressing these recommendations and working to improve the welfare of farmed animals across the UK."
Kit, or, to give him his full title, Dr Kit Sturgess MA, VetMB, PhD, CertVR, DSAM, CertVC, FRCVS, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Small Animal Medicine, has been working as an internist in private referral practice since 2003. In 2006 he became a founding partner in a multidisciplinary referral centre that he saw grow from five to 65 members of staff within five years.
He is also Chair of BSAVA Education Committee, Trustee of Cats Protection and Chair of Trustees of the Wildheart Trust. He was formerly an RCVS Knowledge Trustee and member of RCVS Council.
Kit has authored numerous articles and two textbooks, and presents lectures and research abstracts at conferences worldwide.
Kit will take up the editorship on 2nd September, succeeding Professor Peter Cockcroft. He said: “I am delighted to take on the editorship of Veterinary Evidence. With readers in 150 countries and output that has more than doubled over the past three years, the journal has quickly become a mainstay of evidence-based veterinary medicine, which is a testament to Peter’s enthusiasm and commitment to the development of the journal and its impact on the veterinary community.
"I am excited about leading Veterinary Evidence in its next stage of development, with recent events showing the critical importance of open online access. Veterinary Evidence is ideally placed to support an ever-growing and wide range of veterinary professionals by further developing a multimedia, multiplatform approach facilitating the use of evidence-based medicine in their daily practice."
Veterinary Evidence journal can be read at: veterinaryevidence.org
The research, led by the Royal Veterinary College in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh and Nottingham Trent University, also revealed that 66% of owners would recommend their flat-faced breed to others.
Although previous RVC studies found that owners are initially attracted to brachycephalic breeds due to their distinctive appearance, this latest study has revealed that behaviour traits are a core component of why owners ‘love’ their breed and would recommend them to others; essentially, owners come for the looks, but stay for the personality.
In order to gain a deeper understanding of these views, the study, which included over 2,000 owners of Pugs, French Bulldogs and English Bulldogs, asked owners to describe which aspects of their current breed they would or would not recommend in their own words.
The main reasons for owners recommending their breed included:
Conversely, aspects of their breed that owners would not recommend included:
Dr Rowena Packer, Lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare Science at the Royal Veterinary College and leader of the study, said: "With a multitude of stakeholders trying to tackle the current brachycephalic boom in the UK, our results are of real concern to these efforts. Understanding how breed loyalty develops towards brachycephalic breeds, and whether it can be changed once established, is key to reducing the popularity of short-muzzled breeds. If first time owners of flat-faced dogs choose these breeds for the rest of their lives, then the current crisis could continue for decades.
"Although strong focus has been placed upon dissuading new puppy buyers from purchasing brachycephalic breeds, as they are now some of the most popular breeds in the UK, attention should also be turned to current owners. Priority should be given to developing evidence-based strategies to help these owners consider lower risk, healthier breeds when acquiring future dogs. Our novel findings start this process by highlighting the key behavioural characteristics that this owner group value."
The programme offers employers a variety of options, including antigen and antibody testing, environmental testing, a daily wellness symptom checker app and ongoing site monitoring to identify asymptomatic spreaders and pre-symptomatic spreaders, neither of which are identified by the current routine government testing programmes.
Dr Tony Cooke, lead scientist and director at ReCoVa-19 (pictured right) said: "Businesses, such as veterinary practices are struggling to serve the needs of their clients while also protecting their employees in their role as essential workers. Vets also recognise the value of reliable testing at a sustainable cost and the best practice approach. Concerns over obligations with regard to the health and safety of employees and uncertainty, are significant barriers to normal working practices but with the level of testing and support we can provide that’s no longer necessary.”
The company says the new programme is highly accurate and affordable, and can be tailored for businesses of all sizes.
For more information, visit: www.recova-19.com.
Two hundred members of the profession took part. The main results were:
No word on the absolute number of 'concerns', but they included:
Jennie Jones, Head of VCMS and Partner at Nockolds Resolution (pictured right), said: "The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown period has impacted many pet owners and veterinary practices. The increased use of remote consultations, and online and remote prescription services has been a great help to many during this time, but it also has its challenges as we all adapt to different ways of working. At the VCMS, we are well-equipped to take on complaints that eventuate in these circumstances, drawing on our past experience with prescription-related grievances and their resolution."
During 2018-19, the VCMS concluded 88% of complaints mediated using the ADR process developed by Nockolds.
Nockolds says it anticipates a rise in prescription-related complaints, and welcomes communication from practices and clients regarding these or any other vet-related complaints. Visit: http://www.nockolds.co.uk
The competition is part of a campaign called ‘Take it Fleasy', which is designed to support practices by providing education and advice on preventive treatments for fleas. There are also three runner up £50 Amazon voucher prizes.
Vicky McAlister, Senior Brand Manager at Elanco said: "Veterinary nurses play a huge role in advising pet owners on the care and well-being of their animals, especially when it comes to parasite control! They are often the first interaction new pet owners have with a practice, during puppy or kitten clinics, and see pets during routine health checks, including offering advice on all things parasites.
"We wanted to highlight the incredible work they do and give vet nurses the opportunity to shine with our new competition. I am excited to see what they can create!"
To enter the competition all you need to do is record yourself giving your tips and tricks for flea prevention and then upload it to your practice’s social media channels. Once your vlog has been live for two weeks you will be required to submit your engagement statistics (video views, reactions, comments and shares) to your local Elanco Veterinary Business Manager.
For more information, contact your Elanco Veterinary Business Manager.
Assets coming up for sale via private treaty and online auction include:
For a full list of assets, visit: https://www.bidspotter.co.uk/en-gb/auction-catalogues/timed/gordonbrothers/catalogue-id-gordon10067
Gordon Brothers Valuations & Industrial Director, Simon Bamford said: “Gordon Brothers is pleased to be assisting the Trustees of the Animal Health Trust with the orderly closure of the 100 acre Newmarket facilities, including the sale of the large quantity of associated assets. We are expecting significant interest in the varied array of assets”
The online auction will close at 3.00pm on the 1st October 2020. Viewing is strictly by appointment only on Monday 28th and Tuesday 29th September 2020 from 9.00am to 4.00pm at AHT, Lanwades Park, Kentford, Newmarket, CB8 7UU.
For further enquires on the sale or to view by appointment please contact, Josh Chivers jchivers@gordonbrothers.com
On the carton and leaflet, it states:
"For the prevention and treatment and prevention of flea (Ctenocephalides felis) infestations on cats of less than 4 kg bodyweight."
However, it should state:
For the prevention and treatment and prevention of flea (Ctenocephalides felis) infestations on cats greater or equal to 4 kg bodyweight.
Only one batch, KP0F3U7, is affected. Any other batches of Johnson’s 4Fleas 80mg Spot-on Solution for Cats are not impacted and may continue to be distributed.
Johnson’s Veterinary Products Ltd is contacting wholesale dealers to examine inventory immediately and quarantine products subject to this recall.
For further information regarding the recall, contact Grant Exall, Quality Assurance/WQP, email: Grantexall@johnsons-vet.com, or Nick Franks, Sales Director, email Nickfranks@johnsons-vet.com, or Tel: 0121 378 1684.
The College first became aware that confidential information had been leaked earlier this year after the Veterinary Record made the decision to publish details.
The College says it then provided a number of informal opportunities for the person leaking the information to come forward and discuss the reasons for their actions, but nobody stepped forward.
A Council member then made a formal complaint about the leak, which triggered the complaints policy set out in the College’s Code of Conduct for Council Members and instigated the investigation.
The investigation was run independently of the RCVS by an external specialist consultancy, and coordinated by a legal assessor.
Initially, the investigators were asked to focus on a single leak, but following a number of further leaks over ensuing months, it became necessary to widen the scope and depth of the investigation.
The investigators’ report concluded that there had been several separate and deliberate leaks of confidential information by a current or former Council member over an extended period.
However, they were not able to identify who specifically was responsible for the leaks, and because nobody admitted it, no further action under the complaints policy of the Code of Conduct for Council Members was appropriate.
The investigators concluded that the leaks were not the result of poor understanding of College or Council processes, but a deliberate decision to provide confidential information to third parties.
Council members have therefore agreed to review existing training requirements and mechanisms for handling confidential information and to explore in more detail the potential motivation of the person or people who leaked the information, together with the underlying culture of Council that might have influenced their behaviour.
RCVS President Mandisa Greene, said: “There is no denying this is a sad day for the College, and for RCVS Council in particular. As Council members of our professions’ regulatory body, we must maintain the very highest standards of probity and integrity if we are to maintain the trust and confidence of our professional colleagues. In the same way, we must subject ourselves to the same level of scrutiny and investigation if these values and behaviours are ever called into question.
“That someone chose to breach the trust placed in them by their peers is extremely disappointing, especially when they were given every opportunity to come forward to discuss their concerns, and avoid the College having to launch a formal investigation.
"Our default position during Council meetings is to hold as many discussions as possible in public session to ensure Council’s decisions are as open and transparent as possible – something that we will continue to increase as much as possible. Like any organisation, however, there may be a small number of issues that need to be discussed in closed session – for example, those still at concept stage prior to any decision being made public or put out for consultation, or those containing personal or commercially sensitive data.
"I sincerely hope that all of us on Council can learn from this unfortunate and unnecessary episode. We must rebuild and maintain sufficient confidence in each other, and in our processes, that, even if we disagree on certain matters, it is always best to do so in a direct, upfront and honest manner."
The speakers are:
Dr Lappin said: “There are a number of significant changes in the management of SARS-CoV-2 that impact companion animal medicine and our staff members since our first webinar. I believe the information to be presented will be extremely valuable in helping your veterinary team continue to successfully navigate this pandemic.”
David Sutton, Global Technical Director at webinar sponsors MSD Animal Health, said “COVID-19 has presented an extraordinary challenge to the global community. MSD Animal Health is proud to support WSAVA in providing quality education to veterinary professionals who continue to go above and beyond in the care of companion animals during the pandemic.”
To register for the webinar, visit: http://bit.ly/wsavawebinar-covd19-registration
Ceva says the new product is the fruit of research into the composition of the main feline pheromones which pass through the incisive ducts to the Vomeronasal Organ (VNO), which in turn led to the discovery of a new pheromone complex which 'provides an enhanced message of social confidence and safety in the cat’s environment by conveying more impactful messages to it'.
According to the company, Feliway Optimum helps cats with more signs of stress, in more situations and calms cats better than ever. The product is proven to help with more stress-related signs faster than existing pheromones, with all signs of stress showing continuous improvement until day 28 of use and are visible from day 71. These include scratching, urine spraying, multi-cat tensions and conflicts and changes and fears.
Feliway Optimum is available as a plug-in diffuser with 30-day refills.
Abigail King, senior behaviour product manager at Ceva Animal Health said: "We have led the way with research for over 20 years with Feliway Classic and Feliway Friends, but it is now time to go that step further.
"Feliway Optimum is an extremely exciting addition to the range which will help solve all common signs of stress to provide enhanced serenity in a household.
"Nearly 60 per cent of cats show visible signs of stress2 and Feliway Optimum will really help combat this with an over 70% reduction”.
There is a webinar about the new product, presented by Professor Patrick Pageat and Dr Andy Sparkes, which is available by emailing Ceva.
For more information, visit www.feliway.com/uk, call Ceva on 01494 781510 or email cevauk@ceva.com.
References
The London Vet Show will next take place on 11th and 12th November 2021 at the ExCeL Center, London.
CloserStill says the decision to cancel was made following several discussions with industry stakeholders, including partners, and considering the significant impact of both international and domestic travel.
Rob Chapman, MD of CloserStill’s veterinary portfolio, said: "COVID-19 has brought enormous pressures and uncertainty to the veterinary sector - both personally and professionally.
"Although the UK Government gave the green light for exhibitions and meetings to start again in October, after examining at the overall market and consultation with our partners, we feel the decision to postpone is in the best interest of the veterinary community.
"Although this news may be disappointing to those looking forward to the London Vet Show, unfortunately the coronavirus situation is continually developing. We want to be as clear and upfront as possible with our community and customers, and after careful consideration, our decision to reschedule was out of caution. As event organisers, the health and safety of our exhibitors, delegates, speakers, staff and supporters, is our number one priority."
"Obviously the postponement decision hasn’t been easy but we firmly believe it’s the right thing to do. We are so fortunate to have support of great partners like the Royal Veterinary College and the British Veterinary Association, along with the exhibitors, speakers and delegates we’ve spoken to so far; everyone has been really understanding. We can’t wait to see you all again virtually soon, and in person in 2021."
"The team and I are eager to continue to provide world-class education to veterinary professionals, to connect and encourage networking to foster the advancement of the veterinary sector. We are developing some great opportunities for the veterinary community come November. We will be announcing more details on this very soon."
James Beaumont, Product Manager at Animalcare, said: “Microchipping is an essential but simple way to safeguard the welfare of the UK’s horses. Animalcare was the first company to offer a microchipping service with its identichip microchips, so we know from first-hand experience that microchipping is the most important step owners can take to ensure that lost, abandoned or stolen animals are quickly identified.
“Ensuring the welfare of their patients is a guiding principle for equine vets and we know that they are working very hard to remind owners of the need to ensure that their animals are microchipped and to then keep their contact details up to date. We hope that they will find our social media toolkit useful and that, between us, we can ensure that as many horses as possible are microchipped in time for the new law coming into force.”
To request your social media toolkit, contact your Animalcare Territory Manager or ring 01904 487687.
The company says the system uses a combination of image recognition technology, algorithms and cloud-based artificial intelligence to deliver accurate testing results at the time of visit, within 9 minutes in fact, giving veterinary surgeons the ability to diagnose and treat patients quickly, without the need for a second appointment.
Vetscan Imagyst will detect the eggs, cysts, and oocysts of whipworm, hookworm, roundworm, Giardia, and coccidia
Richard Goldstein, DVM, DACVIM, DECVIM-CA, VP Global Diagnostics Medical Affairs at Zoetis, said: "Parasites are a threat throughout the year, making routine monitoring critical to pet health.
“With Vetscan Imagyst, the ability to have accurate, fast results at the point-of-care empowers veterinarians to diagnose and treat in the same visit, increasing compliance and eliminating follow-up appointments and call backs, thus enhancing the overall pet owner experience.”
Vetscan Imagyst will launch in the UK next week. For more information, contact your Zoetis representative or visit at www.vetscanimagyst.com.
Mary (or, to give her her full title, Dr Mary Fraser BVMS PhD CertVD PGCHE FHEA MAcadMEd CBiol FRSB FRSPH FRCVS) focussed on decision-making in practice while studying for her MRes in Clinical Veterinary Research, looking at how vets and owners influence the decision making process. This led her to consider how decision making is taught to students.
As part of the initiative, Mary has launched a new website: www.clinicaldecisions.org, which, together with a supporting blog, is designed to help nurses, students and recent graduates examine their decision making in practice, consider how owners influence it, and take forward shared decision making for the benefit of all.
Mary said: "As a student decision making can seem difficult. Working with owners, all of whom have different expectations, can add to those challenges.
"I hope that by bringing that discussion to the fore we can support each other and allow future vets and veterinary nurses to identify their own strengths in supporting owners to make the best decisions for their animals."
Find out more and contribute to the discussion at www.clinicaldecisions.org
Willows' Head of Imaging Andrew Parry, an RCVS and European Specialist in Diagnostic Imaging (pictured on the left with Clinical Director, Toby Gemmill), said: "There are very few veterinary hospitals anywhere in the country which would have the case-load or the complexity of cases to justify such a sizeable investment. Additionally, this magnet will bring multiple opportunities for clinical research which could ultimately lead to improvements in animal health."
Andrew added: “To my knowledge, we are the only centre in the UK that has fully replaced a high-field magnet MRI with a complete new solution.
"This is very unusual as scanners tend to be upgraded from a high field to higher field, rather than replaced altogether.
"However, our aim wasn’t to purely upgrade the equipment, it was to have access to the best diagnostic imaging equipment available, in order to ensure high quality images are obtained and interpreted, providing the most accurate and rapid diagnosis for our patients. This can make a significant difference to the level of care we are able to provide for pets."
For more information, visit: willows.uk.net
The company surveyed 1979 pet owners last December and found the main reason they didn’t take their cat to the vet more often was because the animal appeared to be healthy and therefore didn’t need medical attention.
The second biggest barrier to more regular vet visits was cost. Although almost half of the cat owners surveyed had pet insurance, almost a quarter said cost prevented them from taking their cat to the vet more often.
Despite there being 760 cat-friendly clinics across the UK and Ireland, 13% percent of owners said the stress put them off making more frequent trips to the vet.
If they were unable to take their cat to the vet, 40% said they would arrange for a vet home visit, 29% said they would search for information online and 26% would turn to friends and family for advice.
The survey also found that 11% of owners believed that their cat was overweight. However, according to a 2018 study, 39% of cats are overweight in the UK, which would suggest that over a quarter of cat owners surveyed were unaware that their cat was above a healthy weight.
The following batches are affected:
Dechra is contacting wholesale dealers and asking practices to examine inventory immediately and quarantine products subject to this recall.
For further information contact Ms Carol Morgan: carol.morgan@dechra.com.
The 'Obesity Care in Practice' webinars are designed to help you recognise obesity, create individual weight-loss plans and turn failing cases into successful ones.
The webinars will be presented by Georgia Woods RVN, CertCFVHNut, VTS (Nutrition). Georgia is clinic nurse at the Royal Canin Weight Management Clinic at the University of Liverpool Small Animal Teaching Hospital. She has been dealing exclusively with obese pets and nutrition for the past five years.
Georgia said: “Pet obesity is on the rise and it’s one of the biggest challenges that veterinary professionals face. It reduces pets’ quality of life and leads to a range of illnesses that shorten life expectancy. This two-part webinar will help veterinarians, veterinary nurses and practice managers to effectively manage pet obesity and make a difference to the lives of their patients."
The first webinar: Obesity Care in Practice – Essential Elements, takes place on Tuesday 22nd September at 8pm.
The second webinar: Tailored plans and problem cases, takes place on Tuesday 20th October 2020 at 8pm.
To register for the free webinars, visit: https://www.thewebinarvet.com/pages/register-royal-canin-weight-management-series/
The Good Veterinary Workplaces Voluntary Code sets out various criteria for what makes a good workplace, based on a new evidence-based BVA policy position.
The code is accompanied by a workbook which veterinary teams can work through together and consider how they might meet a range of criteria. They can also download, sign and display a Voluntary Code poster signalling their commitment to working towards being a good veterinary workplace.
Teams will be asked to assess what they already do well in areas including health and wellbeing, diversity and equality, workload and flexibility, and providing opportunities for personal and career development, as well as identifying areas for improvement and any HR and management processes that need to be put in place to achieve a positive workplace culture.
At the same time, the BVA has also launched its Good Veterinary Workplaces policy position, a paper which offers 64 recommendations for employers and staff on how to offer a fair and rewarding work environment where everyone feels valued.
The BVA says it decided to develop the Good Veterinary Workplaces policy off the back of an extensive body of work looking at workforce issues in the profession, including recruitment and retention challenges, a lack of diversity across the workforce, and general high levels of stress and burn-out in veterinary teams.
The joint BVA/RCVS-led Vet Futures project identified the need to explore the work-related challenges facing vets and take action to create a sustainable and thriving workforce that can maximise its potential.
Gudrun Ravetz, Chair of the Good Workplace Working Group, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to see the launch of our valuable and comprehensive policy, which sets out a vision of the good veterinary workplaces that we should all be striving to create across the profession. This vision has been shaped by valuable contributions from across the veterinary community, and it’s also been really useful to draw on good practice in the wider world of work.
“Each and every one of us deserves to work in a setting where we feel valued, supported and fairly rewarded for the contribution we make, but sadly this isn’t the reality for all veterinary professionals. By setting out the steps that all veterinary workplaces can take to offer a more welcoming and inclusive environment, with measures in place to help them address issues and continue to improve, we hope to see more workplaces where staff can thrive and enjoy a fulfilling career.”
Daniella Dos Santos, BVA Senior Vice President, said: “It’s time for us all to take action to create a culture shift in veterinary workplaces. That means taking positive steps so that diversity and inclusion is championed at all levels, all team members have access to personal and professional development opportunities, and there is recognition that prioritising staff wellbeing is good for businesses.
“In creating the Voluntary Code and workbook, we’ve purposefully made this something that isn’t driven from the top down but is instead something that everyone in the team can feel empowered to feed into and sign up to. This is a golden opportunity for our profession to take ownership of our workplaces, improve conditions, and make sure that we have positive working environments in which we can all take pride.”