The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has been named the winner of the ‘Best New Workplace Approach to Mental Wellbeing’ award at this year’s This Can Happen Global Awards.
We were recognised for our work supporting suicide prevention in the veterinary workplace, embedding guidance into professional standards, and providing practical knowledge to help veterinary professionals identify risks and respond with greater confidence.
In 2026, we launched a new Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) requirement in which all accredited practices had to implement a practice-specific suicide prevention plan (SPP) that assessed potential risks and established measures to address them.
Over the last 18 months, colleagues from the PSS team and the RCVS’s Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) have been collaborating with experts on a series of resources to help integrate suicide prevention into everyday practices, including a suicide prevention guide, checklist and comprehensive toolkit. It has also provided additional support, such as free RCVS Academy courses, webinars, podcasts and training.
The judges of the awards commented that the work undertaken by us was “a clear and considered response to a recognised sector risk, with strong evidence of action and encouraging early engagement.”
Lizzie Lockett, CEO of the RCVS, said: “I am delighted that the College’s groundbreaking suicide prevention work has been recognised with the This Can Happen Award.
“The theme of our strategic plan is ‘Stronger Together’, and this is a great example of teamwork, both internal, with the hard work of our Mind Matters and Practice Standards teams, and external, with input from mental health specialists Peter Kelly, Sarah Ambrose and Rosie Allister. I am grateful to everyone who contributed.”
Dr Alice Duvernois, PSS lead assessor, said: “I’m incredibly proud to see the RCVS recognised with the Best New Workplace Approach to Mental Wellbeing award. For those of us involved in the PSS, it's particularly rewarding because it reflects several years of work to bring conversations about mental wellbeing and suicide prevention into everyday practice.
“Across the UK, practices have shown a real willingness to engage, reflect and make changes that support the wellbeing of their teams.”
The College received the award on Thursday 15 October at a ceremony in London.
