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VPMA launch Member Assistance Programme
Julie Beacham
Julie Beacham, VPMA Honorary Secretary.
Programme provides a 24-hour confidential helpline for VPMA members

A new Member Assistance Programme was launched at the recent VPMA-SPVS Congress.

VPMA say that the programme was created to fill a needs gap for managers with somewhere to go for help on a range of issues from personal to professional.

The programme will provide a 24-hour confidential helpline for VPMA members, backed up by a Wellness portal where they can access range of support tools.

The need for such a scheme was stressed by VPMA Honorary Secretary, Julie Beacham:  “It’s very difficult for some practice managers, who find themselves in a limbo-situation between providing direction and support for employees, while trying to comply with their responsibilities towards their practice principal or employer.

"We’d had many reports of managers really struggling with no-where to go to find help for themselves. So, working with a provider, we came up with a package that gives each of our members, and their immediate families, support for both work-related issues such as financial and legal support, as well as personal issues such as stress and family matters.”

Senior vice-president Helen Sanderson added: “Our members are our central focus – and along with the CPD and networking opportunities that VPMA provides, we wanted to support well-being. We hope that through the programme, practice managers will feel that they are not alone."

The Member Assistance Programme is available free of charge to all VPMA members. For further details, contact the VPMA Secretariat on 07000 782 324. Non-members wishing to join the association and access the programme should email the secretariat at secretariat@vpma.co.uk. 

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Reporting service for dead wild birds updated

News Story 1
 The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.

The new version allows those reporting a dead bird to drop a pin on a map when reporting the location. It also includes a wider range of wild bird species groups to select from when describing the bird.

The online service, which helps APHA to monitor the spread of diseases such as avian influenza, can be accessed here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NI chief vet urges bluetongue vigilance

Northern Ireland's chief veterinary officer (CVO) has urged farmers to be vigilant for signs of bluetongue, after the Animal and Plant Health Agency warned there was a very high probability of further cases in Great Britain.

There have been 126 confirmed cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 in England since November 2023, with no cases reported in Northern Ireland. The movement of live ruminants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is currently suspended.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the virus is most likely to enter Northern Ireland through infected animals or germplasm (semen or ova) being imported.

Brian Dooher, Northern Ireland's CVO, said: "Surveillance for this disease within Northern Ireland has been increased to assist with detection at the earliest opportunity which will facilitate more effective control measures."

Farmers should report any suspicions of the disease to their private veterinary practitioner, the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or their local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.