Section 5: Creating a supportive and safe working environment

Suicide prevention is not solely about responding to crisis. A significant component of any effective suicide prevention framework is the creation of a working environment in which people feel safe, supported and able to seek help when they need it. The BSI Suicide Prevention Standard (BS 30480) recognises that organisational culture, working conditions and management practices all influence the psychological wellbeing of staff. Practices that invest in supportive environments are better equipped to prevent distress from escalating and to retain staff during difficult periods. 

This section establishes practical expectations for veterinary practices to: 

• Promote a culture of openness and psychological safety
• Implement regular and meaningful staff check-ins
• Provide clear and accessible routes to support
• Consider reasonable adjustments for mental health needs and neurodivergence
• Adopt flexible approaches where possible
• Address workplace stressors that may contribute to distress

Psychological safety refers to an environment in which staff feel able to speak up, raise concerns, ask for help and acknowledge difficulties without fear of judgement, blame or negative consequences. 

Within veterinary practice, psychological safety is particularly important because:

• The professions carry a culture of resilience and self-reliance that can discourage help-seeking
• High-pressure clinical environments may normalise stress and emotional suppression
• Hierarchical structures within practices can create barriers to open communication
• Fear of professional consequences may prevent disclosure of mental health difficulties 

Veterinary workplaces should actively work to create psychological safety by: 

• Ensuring leadership models openness about wellbeing and normalises conversations about mental health
• Making it clear that seeking support is a sign of professional responsibility, not weakness
• Addressing bullying, harassment and incivility promptly and consistently
• Encouraging peer support and collaborative working relationships
• Responding to disclosures with compassion and without judgement
• Ensuring that raising concerns does not result in disadvantage or retaliation

Regular, supportive contact between managers and staff is one of the most effective preventative measures available to any organisation. Check-ins provide an opportunity to: 

• Identify early signs of stress, fatigue or disengagement
• Offer support before difficulties escalate
• Maintain a sense of connection and visibility, particularly for staff who may be at risk of isolation
• Demonstrate that the veterinary workplace values staff wellbeing

Veterinary workplaces should implement a combination of formal and informal check-in processes:

Formal and informal check-ins

Check-ins should be conducted with sensitivity and should not feel like surveillance. The aim is to create a routine of supportive contact that helps identify concerns early.

This list should be reviewed and updated at least annually to ensure accuracy.

Veterinary workplaces should recognise that staff may have mental health conditions, neurodivergent profiles or other needs that affect how they experience the working environment. Reasonable adjustments can play an important role in supporting individuals and reducing the risk of distress. Adjustments should be:

• discussed collaboratively with the individual
• proportionate to the veterinary workplace environment
• reviewed periodically to ensure they remain effective
• documented confidentially
• supported by management without stigma

Examples of reasonable adjustments may include:

Adjustments should be seen as a supportive measure, not as a performance concern. The aim is to enable the individual to continue working safely and effectively while managing their needs. For further information on reasonable adjustments, please see the RCVS Mind Matters Let’s talk Adjustments resources: www.rcvs.org.uk/about-us/diversity-and-inclusion/lets-talk-adjustments

Veterinary practice environments vary significantly in size, structure and operational demands. A one-size-fits-all approach to wellbeing is unlikely to be effective. Veterinary workplaces should consider flexibility in the following areas: 

• working patterns and rota design to support work-life balance
• break times and rest periods, particularly after distressing clinical events
• leave and absence management, with a compassionate approach to mental health-related absence
• workload distribution that recognises the cumulative impact of emotionally demanding work
• access to remote or hybrid working where the role permits
• consideration of career stage, with particular attention to early-career professionals and those approaching retirement

Flexibility does not require a formal policy for every scenario. It requires a culture in which managers are empowered to make proportionate, compassionate decisions and where staff feel able to request support without stigma.

BS 30480 recognises that workplace stressors can contribute to psychological distress and may increase vulnerability to suicidal thoughts. While not all stressors can be eliminated, veterinary workplaces should take reasonable steps to identify and manage foreseeable risks. 

Common workplace stressors within veterinary workplaces include:

Veterinary workplaces should include psychosocial stressors within their broader health and safety risk assessments and review these periodically as part of the continuous improvement cycle described in Section 7.

For further information about stress, please see the RCVS Mind Matters ‘Understanding and managing stress in the veterinary workplace guide’.

Some groups within the veterinary workforce may face additional challenges that affect their wellbeing. Veterinary workplaces should consider the specific needs of: 

• Early-career professionals and new graduates, who may be adjusting to the emotional demands of practice
• Locum and temporary staff, who may lack continuity of support and feel disconnected from the veterinary workplace team
• Part-time staff, who may miss team meetings, communications or support initiatives
• Practice owners and principals, who carry the burden of business pressures alongside clinical responsibilities and may feel unable to show vulnerability
• Support staff (receptionists, animal care assistants), who are exposed to client distress, euthanasia aftercare and emotionally charged situations but may receive less recognition or support than clinical staff
• Staff from minority or underrepresented backgrounds (for example LGBTQ+, and black and ethnic minority), who may experience additional stressors related to inclusion, belonging and discrimination and are more likely to experience a mental health problem (see Big Mental Health Report (2025) for further information).

Inclusive approaches to wellbeing ensure that support is accessible and relevant to all members of the veterinary workplace team, not only those in clinical roles. 

• the veterinary workplace actively promotes a supportive culture, not merely the absence of negative factors
• check-in processes are genuine and embedded, not tokenistic
• staff can describe how they would access support if needed
• adjustments and flexible approaches are available and free from stigma
• stressor identification is linked to the broader health and safety risk assessment framework 

Cross-References 

• Section 2: Roles, responsibilities and boundaries
• Section 3: Workplace-level suicide prevention planning (subsections 3.2, 3.4)
• Section 6: Responding to concerns, confidentiality and intervention
• Section 7: Training, review and continuous improvement
• BS 30480: Workplace stressors annex; Line manager toolkit