RCVS releases report from Workforce Summit
"The summit was the first, albeit an incredibly important, first step in co-creating innovative solutions to workforce shortages" - Kate Richards, RCVS president.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has released a report detailing preliminary findings from last year's Workforce Summit, held on 30 November 2021.
With 80 stakeholders from various sectors of the veterinary industry in attendance, the Summit considered how the professions could tackle the crisis, with a focus on problem-solving, using a 'design thinking' process to develop ideas.
Using the design thinking process, participants developed pitches for potential solutions, and the RCVS has highlighted a few of the key ideas from this, including:
- rebranding the role of general practice for veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses to emphasise the benefits and rewards. This would encourage members of the professions to consider general practice as an active career choice to pursue long term.
- developing solutions for veterinary practices to prioritise workload and maximise the skills of each individual. It was suggested that this could include developing legislation allowing veterinary nurses to take on greater responsibility.
- introducing a compulsory curriculum for developing interpersonal, leadership and personal skills.
- creating a compulsory communications skills programme.
- introducing a professions-wide career framework to help everyone in the veterinary team achieve job satisfaction.
- creating a flexible back-to-work support package for members to return to the professions after leaving the Register.
The RCVS is considering the feasibility of the solutions suggested at the Summit, and will integrate them into an action plan, which will be delivered with a fully collaborative approach across the professions.
Kate Richards, RCVS president, commented: “I want to thank everyone who attended the Summit and for taking part in robust debates throughout the day.
“We know that one organisation can’t solve all the issues facing the veterinary workforce, which is why it was so important to have the expertise and experience of numerous people and organisations present at the Summit.
“Although the issues affecting the UK veterinary sector aren’t new, they have been exacerbated over the past few years by factors outside of the sector’s control.
“We know that putting in place solutions to address and solve the issues that the veterinary sector is facing will take time. We want to reiterate that the Summit was the first, albeit an incredibly important, first step in co-creating innovative solutions to workforce shortages.
“I look forward to working collaboratively with our veterinary colleagues from across the professions to bring the workforce action plan to life and work on the solutions that come out of it.”
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
