A survey by the VET Festival conference found two thirds of practices did not have a wellness programme.

VET Festival survey sheds light on wellbeing in practice 

Lack of time has been identified as the biggest barrier to implementing wellness in veterinary practice. This is according to a survey of veterinary professionals by the VET Festival conference.

A third of respondents said more time would result in more breaks, better communications with clients and a more balanced home and work life. One person described a ‘domino effect’ whereby long hours with few breaks lead to employee burnout and loss of staff, which in turn increase the workload for the remaining staff.

While most respondents (97 per cent) said wellness contributes to business success, two thirds did not have a dedicated programme or person responsible for wellness at their practice. Of these, two thirds said they hoped to implement this in future, however.

The top three barriers to introducing wellness in practice were lack of time, budget and resources. Employee shortage and minimal communication between management, employees and clients were also highlighted.

Meanwhile, 72 per cent said working with a great team is the most important area for practices to observe for employee wellness. For patient wellness, 96 per cent said quality treatment and care was most important, and for clients, effective communication with vets.

The majority of respondents believe the greatest challenge of the next five years will be staying motivated and enthusiastic about their work, followed by achieving a healthy work-life balance, managing client expectations and profitability.

VET Festival described this as a ‘pivotal’ time for the industry to address these issues.

For the full survey results, visit: http://www.vetfestival.co.uk/new-research-shows-vets-cannot-afford-care/

Image © Ashley Bingham