Senior First Opinion Vet, Rutland House Veterinary Hospital I qualified as a veterinary surgeon in 2004, and spent three and a half years in mixed practice before moving to small animal practice. I am now senior vet at a busy, multisite first opinion practice, involved in the British Veterinary Association as regional representative for the […]
A new initiative, created by the Association of Veterinary Students (AVS)
Mind Matters is heading to the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) Congress this year, holding a number of sessions on mental health. On the Thursday in Hall 6 there will be two sessions hosted by Mind Matters Chair, Stuart Reid. From 11:05-11:50 Elinor O’Connor, Director of Teaching and Learning Fellow at Alliance Manchester Business School, and Lizzie Lockett, […]
Consultant psychiatrist and clinical director I have had a long career in psychiatry, which has been intertwined with my own mental health problems. The latter started relatively abruptly with a puerperal psychosis prior to my psychiatric training, and I have had many episodes over the years, involving hospitalisations and electroconvulsive therapy, as well as drug […]
Would you like to help make a real difference to the mental health and wellbeing of the veterinary profession? We are recruiting for a Mind Matters Manager to join us in the RCVS offices in Westminster and help deliver programmes, tools, training and campaigns for the whole veterinary team. You can find a full job […]
On 31 January we and the Doctors’ Support Network (DSN) are marking the first anniversary of our joint ‘&me’ campaign, which aims to tackle mental health stigma in the health professions by encouraging prominent members to speak out about their own experiences. The Doctors’ Support Network provides peer support for doctors and medical students with […]
We have developed a guide on wellbeing in the veterinary workplace in association with Dr Elinor O’Connor, Senior Lecturer in Occupational Psychology at Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester. ‘A Guide to Enhancing Wellbeing and Managing Work Stress in the Veterinary Workplace’ will be launched at the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons/Veterinary Management Group (SPVS/VMG) […]
We will be hosting a session on mental health as part of The Webinar Vet’s International Virtual Congress, on 19 January 2018 from 7pm to 9pm. This will be the third time that we have taken part in the International Virtual Congress and will see Stuart Reid, RCVS Council member and Chair of the MMI, […]
In a bid to better understand mindset, resilience and stress amongst veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses, Lucy Whitehall, final-year Masters student reading Applied Positive Psychology & Coaching Psychology with the University of East London, is carrying out a survey amongst members of the professions. The results will be shared with us and should help to […]
We and the Society for Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS) have extended the deadline for the Vet Wellbeing Awards nominations to Friday 15 December 2017. The Awards, first launched last year, were created to highlight wellbeing in the veterinary profession and to celebrate those practices that really value the health and engagement of their team. All UK […]
Director, Priory Veterinary Surgeons Reigate, Surrey I can honestly say that my life has been enriched by the lessons I have learnt from having mental illness. The aspects of my character and the feelings that I have been made to confront and examine closely have made me a much better and a more grounded person. […]
The Society for Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS) and the Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) are building on the success of last year’s SPVS Wellbeing Awards to launch the new Vet Wellbeing Awards. The Awards are open to UK practices, branch surgeries or other organisations who employ vets or vet nurses. They were created to highlight wellbeing […]
A specialist service to provide mental health and wellbeing support for all members of the veterinary community in Northern Ireland has been launched. Vet Support NI is a confidential service that will support any individual involved in the veterinary profession – including vets, veterinary nurses and other support staff – and will be delivered by […]
Louise Freeman, Vice-Chair of the Doctors’ Support Network The Doctors’ Support Network (DSN) is a peer support network established in 1996 by and for doctors and medical students with mental health issues. At that time, there was almost no specialist mental health support for affected professionals and a widespread belief that a diagnosis of, for […]
We and the Doctors’ Support Network (DSN) are pleased to report positive progress since the launch in January of their joint anti-stigma mental health campaign. The &me campaign (#AndMe), which was launched at the House of Commons in January, has taken a new approach to the de-stigmatisation of mental ill-health within the healthcare professions. Although health […]
‘My name is Susan, I am a senior GP and I have a history of depression.’ Dr Susan Atcheson is a senior GP and a member of the DSN committee. Read her story in GP View.
Dr Cathy Wield successfully returned to work in emergency medicine in the UK after two bouts of major depression, which included hospital admissions and brain surgery. Cathy is passionate about speaking out and reducing the stigma around mental health and has written extensively about her experience of being a doctor with depression (her books are […]
We are pleased to announce Dr Cathy Wield as the most recent ambassador for the &Me campaign, a joint anti-stigma mental health campaign with the Doctors’ Support Network. The year-long campaign showcases stories from senior people within the healthcare professions, be they veterinarians, GPs, dentists or psychiatrists, who have experienced mental ill health in the […]
RCVS recently teamed up with Stonewall, the charity that campaigns for equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, to become a Stonewall Diversity Champion with the aim of ensuring that all people are accepted, without exception, within the veterinary profession. By becoming a Stonewall Diversity Champion, we join over 750 other organisations who are […]
Professor Jamie Hacker Hughes is a consultant clinical psychologist, psychotherapist and supervisor currently working in independent practice in central London and leading a religious order as the newly elected Minister Provincial of the Anglican Franciscan Third Order. Five years after qualifying as a clinical psychologist, Jamie was diagnosed with Type 2 bipolar affective disorder after […]