Join our ‘Let’s Talk Adjustments’ campaign wrap-up webinar

Back in February we launched our ‘Let’s Talk Adjustments’ campaign in partnership with our Mind Matters Initiative to raise awareness and empower everyone in veterinary workplaces, no matter their role, disability or health condition, to have important conversations about reasonable adjustments.

The campaign was set up in light of findings from the joint RCVS and British Veterinary Chronic Illness Support (BCVIS) Disability and Chronic Illness in Veterinary Work and Education Survey carried out by the Institute of Employment Studies (IES), published in July last year. Findings indicated that there is a need to increase awareness about reasonable adjustments, promote wider discourse, and equip individuals and organisations with the knowledge to ensure they are effectively implemented in the working environment.

With the campaign due to end at the end of July/early August, we’re inviting all members of the veterinary community to attend a free panel discussion – taking place from 12.30pm to 1.30pm on Tuesday 22 July - reflecting on campaign insights, as well as drawing on research and lived experience of panel members. The session will explore the current state of reasonable adjustments in veterinary workplaces, key implications and practical solutions at individual, team and systemic levels, and perspectives on future direction for reasonable adjustments within the veterinary context.

By the end of the webinar, delegates will have:

• awareness of key insights and learnings from the ‘Let’s Talk Adjustments’ campaign
• knowledge of reasonable adjustments in veterinary workplaces  
• an understanding of good practice and solutions that can be implemented within veterinary working environments

The discussion will be chaired by Angharad Belcher, RCVS Director for Advancement of the Professions, and feature panel members Professor Elinor O’Connor, Occupational Psychologist, Dr Jenny Seward MRCVS, Dr Jo Daniels, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, and Charlotte Pace RVN.

Gurpreet Gill, RCVS Leadership and Inclusion Manager, said: "As well as chatting and collaborating with subject experts, throughout this campaign we have had the opportunity to work with many inspiring individuals who have shared their journeys around reasonable adjustments in the veterinary workplace. Their stories and insights are now available to view on the ‘Let’s Talk Adjustments’ webpage.

"I would like to thank everyone who has generously given their time to help shed light on what good practice looks like, what considerations are needed to ensure proper support, and the importance of raising awareness of disability and chronic illness in the workplace.

"Integrating reasonable adjustments into veterinary workplaces benefits everyone, but in order to kick start that journey towards greater inclusion, it is important that we educate both ourselves and our teams about the positives they bring, as well as the legal responsibilities surrounding this."

"Integrating reasonable adjustments into veterinary workplaces benefits everyone, but in order to kick start that journey towards greater inclusion, it is important that we educate both ourselves and our teams about the positives they bring, as well as the legal responsibilities surrounding this."

The ‘Reasonable adjustments in veterinary workplaces – looking back and moving forwards’ webinar is open to anyone working in veterinary workplaces including employees in both clinical and non-clinical roles, practice owners, leaders and managers, human resource (HR) and equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) professionals.

For more information and to sign up for the free interactive webinar, please visit its dedicated Eventbrite page.

The session will also count towards your CPD.

Further information on the ‘Let’s Talk Adjustments’ campaign as a whole – where resources on reasonable adjustments are available to access – please visit our ‘Let’s Talk Adjustments’ campaign page. More resources will be added in the coming weeks.