At the Palace of Westminster on Tuesday 31 January 2017 the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and the Doctors’ Support Network (DSN) joined forces to launch the ‘&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 campaign was […]
Nick Stuart, Senior Vice-President, Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons MMI Taskforce member As the SPVS representative on the Mind Matters Taskforce, I was aware of the discussions within the profession about mental ill-health and suicide. I was also party to discussions about some excellent initiatives to tackle both mental ill-health and the stigma that surrounds […]
We have announced the winners of our joint inaugural Wellbeing Awards, run in partnership with the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS). The winners are: Large Practice (51 or more staff) – White Cross Vets, which employs 175 people across 16 sites around the country Medium Practice (between 16 and 50 staff) – Valley Vets in Cardiff […]
The inaugural Mind Matters Initiative ‘Research Symposium’ took place at the University of Edinburgh on Friday 20 January 2017 giving academics and researchers working in the field of veterinary mental health the opportunity to share their insights both with each other and members of the professions. The Symposium was organised with Rosie Allister, Chair of […]
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) will be taking part in The Webinar Vet’s International Virtual Congress on 20 January 2017 from 7-9pm. Neil Smith, RCVS Council member and Chair of the College’s Mind Matters Initiative, will chair a series of talks focusing on resilience and stress reduction, which will be free to join. […]
The agenda for the first Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) Research Symposium, which takes place on Friday 20 January 2017 at the University of Edinburgh’s Pollock Halls, has now been confirmed and has, as its overarching theme, ‘Understanding and supporting veterinary mental health’. The event takes place between 8.30am and 4.30pm and begins with a welcome […]
At this year’s Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS)/ Veterinary Practice Management Association (VPMA) Congress we will be focusing on our current work around mental health awareness and wellbeing. The Congress takes place at the Celtic Manor Resort near Newport, Wales from Friday 27 to Saturday 28 January 2017 with a full day’s programme based […]
Emma Smith, Practice Manager at Pets First Ltd Runnymede Hill Vet Hospital in Surrey, was the winner of the Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) competition held at our stand at the London Vet Show earlier this month (ExCel, 17-18 November 2016). The MMI, a project which began in 2015 that aims to improve the mental health […]
Next year the Mind Matters Initiative (MMI), in conjunction with The Webinar Vet, will hold a series of mindfulness-based stress-reduction webinars, which aim to improve wellbeing of all those in the veterinary team including students, veterinary nurses, veterinary surgeons and practice managers. Registrations are now open for the eight one-hour webinars, which start on Wednesday […]
The inaugural Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) Research Symposium will take place on Friday, 20 January 2017, at the University of Edinburgh’s Pollock Halls, under the theme ‘Understanding and supporting veterinary mental health’. The event will bring together those involved in research into mental health and wellbeing in the veterinary profession in order to share latest […]
Come to visit the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) at this year’s London Vet Show from 17 to 18 November at the ExCel, London, where we will be promoting a number of our projects and initiatives. The focus of the stand (Q58) will be the Mind Matters Initiative, a project launched in 2014 that […]
Neil Smith, Mind Matters Initiative Chair The organisers of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine – Companion Animals (ECVIM-CA) kindly invited MMI to present at their annual conference in Gothenburg in September. This conference is aimed at veterinarians throughout Europe who are either studying for diplomas in a range of veterinary internal medicine disciplines, […]
The Mind Matters Initiative is supporting the Society for Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS) as they turn the spotlight on veterinary practices where wellbeing is valued, and invite them to share what they are doing via a new ‘Wellbeing Award’. The award will recognise those practices with management systems and initiatives that motivate and engage their staff […]
As part of our Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) the College has teamed up with The Webinar Vet to offer an online series of eight one-hour mindfulness-based stress reduction sessions, entitled ‘Turning mind-full to mindful’. The evidence base for the positive impact of mindfulness has been growing over recent years. The practice, which grew out of […]
Later this month we will be putting mental health on the agenda at this year’s joint Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS) and Veterinary Practice Management Association (VPMA) Congress. RCVS staff will be on stand 35 of the exhibition area at the Congress, which takes place at the Celtic Manor Resort on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 […]
As part of our Mind Matters Initiative, we have collaborated with The Webinar Vet to offer a free ‘Wellness Symposium’ for the veterinary professions as part of the 4th International Webinar Vet Virtual Congress 2016. The symposium takes place on Friday 8 January between 7pm and 9pm, and focuses on how to develop and improve wellbeing in your […]
We are trialling a series of mental health awareness courses for members of the practice team over the coming weeks. The Mind Matters Initiative aims to make a real difference to those in the veterinary team struggling with mental health issues. Mental ill-health will affect one in four people in the UK over the next […]