RCVS publishes suicide prevention resources to help practices meet new mandatory requirements

Since 1 April 2026, the Core Standards of the Practice Standards Scheme has required all accredited practices to implement a practice-specific suicide prevention plan, assessing potential risks within the practice setting, and putting in place measures to address and mitigate each identified risk.

Working with external suicide prevention experts, MMI and PSS have produced three initial resources that are aligned with the new British standard on suicide prevention in the workplace (BS30480), to help practices meet the new requirements. The resources include: a suicide prevention guide for all practice staff, which provides guidance on what to do in a crisis and is designed for practices to include their own workplace-specific information; a suicide prevention plan checklist which provides an overview of what a suicide prevention plan should include; and a comprehensive practical step by step suicide prevention toolkit for veterinary workplaces. Further resources including a recorded webinar will also be published in due course.

Rapinder Newton (pictured), Mind Matters Initiative Lead, said: “As a compassionate regulator, we are keen to support practices as they work towards putting together their suicide prevention plans. These resources are comprehensive and will help veterinary practices not only create plans, but also implement and communicate them with staff, and regularly review them to ensure they’re fit for purpose as well as adapt them if needed.

“While these resources are intended to help practices meet the new requirement, we hope that there will be wider benefits such as helping shift the stigma that still exists around suicide, greater mental health awareness, more support for staff wellbeing, and improved signposting to sources of support for those who need it.”

Alice Duvernois MRCVS (pictured), Lead Assessor for the PSS, added: “We are grateful for all involved for producing these resources and we hope that, along with other requirements around staff wellbeing, putting in place these proactive measures may help prevent future deaths by suicide.”

The requirement for practices to have suicide prevention plans are included in the Core Standards of the PSS for all three practice types – small animal, equine and farm animal. Practices that are not within the PSS will also need to meet the requirement – as in Section 4.3 of the Code of Professional Conduct which states that: ‘Veterinary surgeons must maintain minimum practice standards equivalent to the Core Standards of the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme.’

All the resources can be found on our dedicated 'Suicide prevention in the workplace' webpage. 

A ‘Suicide awareness fundamentals’ course is also available via the RCVS Academy, our free, online learning platform. The course supplements the resources by looking at the contributing factors behind suicide in the profession, how to talk about it, reduce stigma, and support those in crisis. The course was developed in collaboration with a veterinary mental health expert and aims to build confidence in responding to suicide-related situations safely and with sensitivity.