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My name is Peter Kelly. I'm an occupational health psychologist,
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uh, an ex-inspector with 25+ years at the
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Health and Safety Executive, where I helped shape national
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policy on workplace, psychological and mental health. I'm
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also part of the original drafting executive for ISO 45003,
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covering psychological health and safety at work, and
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the recent convenor of the drafting panel for British Standard
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30480, which is the suicide prevention standard produced for
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the UK. And I have been commissioned by the
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Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to produce, alongside Sarah,
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the new RCVS suicide prevention resources. Both Sarah and
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I were involved in the development of the workplace suicide
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prevention standards that have informed this work. Let me
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get Sarah to introduce herself.
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Thanks,Peter.
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My name's Sarah Ambrose. I'm a business psychologist and
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workplace consultant in mental health and suicide prevention, with
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over 20 years commercial experience in both public and private
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sector organisations, both nationally and internationally, and was
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recently a member of the drafting panel for BS 30480,
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our first standard in suicide prevention in the workplace.
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OK, in this session we will introduce the
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new RCVS suicide prevention resources developed to support veterinary workplaces
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in meeting the updated PSS requirements. We will explore
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why these resources were created, how they align with
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the RCVS standards and BS 30480,and more
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importantly, how they're intended to be used in practise.
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This is not about expecting you to become mental
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health experts, it's about creating safer systems, clearer
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pathways for support, and workplaces where people feel more
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confident, recognising concerns, responding compassionately, and accessing
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help when needed. We will walk briefly through each
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of the the resources. The
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focus is practical. What each document is, who
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they are designed for, and how they can support
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both organisational implementation and everyday practise across veterinary teams.
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Why this matters. These resources were developed in
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response to the introduction of the new practise Standards scheme
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regarding suicide prevention requirements, and the recognition that many
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veterinary workplaces wanted clearer, more practical guidance on how
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suicide prevention can be approached safely, proportionately and effectively
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in practise. While awareness around mental health and suicide
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has increased significantly in recent years, there remains
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a gap between awareness and implementation, particularly around organisational
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responsibility, workplace risk factors, crisis response, and
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psychologically safe systems of support. The veterinary profession,
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in particular, also faces a number of unique occupational
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risks, including exposure to trauma and euthanasia, lone
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working, access to lethal means, high emotional demands,
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and professional isolation. These resources were therefore designed
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to provide an evidence-informed, structured framework that helps practices
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move beyond intention into practical action, embedding suicide prevention
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into leadership, workplace culture, risk assessment, training,
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and everyday responses.
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So these resources are designed
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to work together as a layered and a practical framework
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for suicide prevention within veterinary practices and workplaces. The
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first is the toolkit. This provides an overarching organisational
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framework. It supports practises in understanding their responsibilities around
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governance, workplace risks, leadership, training, crisis
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response, and continuous improvement. And it helps translate
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the PSS requirements into practical implementation. The second is
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the workplace guide. This is designed for all veterinary
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professionals and provides clear, accessible guidance on recognising concerns,
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responding proportionately and understanding what to do from
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low level concerns through to immediate risk. And the
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third is the checklist, which supports both practices and
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assessors by helping organisations to understand and review what
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is currently in place, identify gaps, evidence progress,
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demonstrate that suicide prevention arrangements are embedded with everyday
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practise and workplace systems. Collectively, these three resources
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are intended to increase confidence, create greater clarity around
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roles and responsibilities, and help veterinary workplaces move from
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awareness into structured sustainable action. I'm going to pass
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you to Sarah to give more details on the toolkit.
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OK. The toolkit is the primary implementation document
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and provides the overarching framework for suicide prevention within veterinary
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workplaces. It's designed for those with responsibility for putting
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suicide prevention arrangements in place, and for all staff
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as a reference point for understanding suicide prevention and how
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it is approached and supported in their workplace. The
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guide is structured across 7 core sections covering areas such
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as roles and responsibilities, workplace risk assessment, psychological
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safety, crisis response, confidentiality, intervention, training,
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and continuous improvement. Importantly, the toolkit is
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designed to be a practical and proportionate document. It
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helps practices move beyond intention into clear operational systems and
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processes. And in the toolkit, we identify the
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following process of how it is to be utilised.
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Planning, we talk about identifying what needs to be
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Done. The implementation - putting the systems, training
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procedures and documentation in place. Review - assessing whether
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your approach is working, feedback from staff, learning,
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adapting and supporting. And the evidence - documentation
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of what you have done.
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Now, the staff guide is deliberately simple and direct. It helps all
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veterinary professionals understand what to do if they are worried
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about someone. It explains when to act, what
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to say, and when to escalate, and where
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to find support. Importantly, it reinforces boundaries.
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Staff are not expected to become clinicians, therapists,
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or mental health experts. Their role is to notice
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Changes, listen without judgement and respond with compassion,
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and help connect people to the appropriate support. The
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checklist is a practical tool designed to support implementation,
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consistency and continuous review. It acts as an action
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by action progress tracker. Helping practices to understand what
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is already in place, where there may be gaps,
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and what evidence may be needed to demonstrate ongoing
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implementation and improvement. The purpose is to help practices
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and assessors explore whether suicide prevention arrangements are genuinely embedded
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in workplace systems and culture. Not simply written into
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policy documents. Alongside the toolkit, it provides a
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structured way to review progress across all the key areas.
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Now I'm going to pass you over to Sarah
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to summarise the key takeaways.
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OK, a recap on the key takeaways. These resources have been designed
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to make suicide prevention practical, proportionate, and to
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enable them to be embedded within every veterinary workplace.
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They'll help you to understand workplace mental health through a
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whole organisation lens, be able to recognise the early
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warning signs in employees and colleagues, how to hold
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supportive conversations with confidence. You'll be able to apply
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policies, practises, and strategies that support being well
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in the workplace. And look after yourself, managing
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your own self-care and personal resilience, being able
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to access appropriate workplace support and resources as well.
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The aim is not to predict risk with certainty
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here, but to reduce foreseeable risk, increase confidence
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and create safer systems of support. Which brings me
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nicely onto the next steps, where I'll hand you
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over to Rapinder, who's going to talk to you
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about the resources available and next steps.
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Here are some MMI courses on the RCVS Academy that provide further
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structured learning to support the suicide prevention resources. The
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RCVS Academy is our dedicated free online learning platform for
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veterinary professionals and can be accessed through logging into your
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RCVS My Account. The managing mental health in the
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workplace course equips current and aspiring leaders with the knowledge
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and skills needed to effectively support mental health in the
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workplace. It explores the foundations of mental health and
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promotes a whole organisation approach to wellbeing. Participants will
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learn to recognise early warning signs and respond appropriately to
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employees' needs. The course builds confidence in having supportive,
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practical conversations about mental health. It also focuses
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on creating positive work environments through policies, practises,
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and leadership behaviours. The course highlights the importance of
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self-care for managers and how to access appropriate support and
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resources.
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The suicide Awareness Fundamentals is an introductory course
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that builds foundational awareness of suicide, equipping participants with
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the knowledge to support colleagues with compassion and understanding.
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It explores key facts, myths, and risk factors,
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including those particularly relevant to the veterinary profession.
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Learners will develop confidence in talking about suicide safely,
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responsibly, and in ways that help reduce stigma.
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The course provides practical guidance on responding to disclosures of
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suicidal thoughts with empathy and clarity. It also highlights
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the importance of postvention support for individuals and teams following
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a suicide. Finally, it signposts important guidelines,
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resources and support services for both those in crisis and
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those affected by loss. Both the RCVS Academy courses
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count towards your CPD requirements, as well as watching
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today's webinar. Don't forget to log and reflect on
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this session in the RCVS one CPD app.
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We recognise that suicide can be a difficult topic to talk
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about, which is why it's important to know that
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support is available and you don't have to face it
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alone. Should you require support or need to signpost
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someone else, we encourage you to reach out to
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a GP or another trusted source of support, such
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as these helplines or text-based services showing on the slide.
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Many of these services are available 24 hours a
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day,7 days a week, offering confidential immediate
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support during difficult moments. Remember, signposting to the
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right support can make a meaningful difference and is an
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important part of supporting both yourself and others.
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For further queries about the PSS suicide prevention standard, please
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contact [email protected].
