Vets Now row as blanket ban hits night shift naps

A major out-of-hours care provider has provoked fury by telling clinicians they can’t take a sleep break in practices during a night shift.

Vets Now bosses insist the move is temporary, but necessary for legal reasons, and say they cannot guarantee the safety of staff who do choose to take a nap on site.

But union officials say many workers have heeded their call for unity against the measure, after they warned it risked compromising the safety of both workers and patients.

Vets Now, which is part of IVC Evidensia, currently operates more than 60 out-of-hours clinics and two 24-hour hospitals across the UK.

Until now, host practices that have housed its services have been required to provide rest spaces for staff and locums to take their breaks.

‘Strictly prohibited’

But all that changed following the distribution of new guidelines on 15 May, which stated that “sleeping during a shift in the host practice is strictly prohibited” and warned that workers caught doing so could face disciplinary action.

An email seen by Vet Times argued it was “evident that allowing naps poses significant danger to our teams” following fire safety reviews and the practice was “operationally and safety-wise unfeasible”. The new policy also bars staff from sleeping in practices before driving home.

The document added that, in practices where beds are currently provided, area directors would be in contact to “support the safe removal of the bed”, and advised workers who see colleagues napping to challenge them or report the issue to a line manager, highlighting the company’s whistle-blowing policy.

No prior warning

A subsequent email acknowledged that the change had been imposed without prior warning, but argued that sleeping in clinic buildings was “in breach of fire safety legislation”. It stressed confidence that the clinics were safe to work in, but added that “the issue is we cannot guarantee they are all safe to sleep in”.

In its latest statement to Vet Times, a Vets Now spokesperson said: “The safety and well-being of our teams, clients and patients is our priority.

“In response to legally required fire regulations, we have temporarily universally updated our resting on shift guidance around sleeping and napping during shifts.

“Our teams’ essential rest and paid break time remains unchanged, and we will continue to encourage our teams to rest safely.”

Ongoing review

It is unclear exactly how long the measure will remain in place, although a facilities review is understood to be ongoing.

But critics believe that the measure risks creating new safety issues both for clinicians and the animals in their care.

In new guidance responding to the change, the British Veterinary Union (BVU) urged affected staff to sign a collective grievance against it, regardless of whether they are union members. The exact number of signatures is thought to be in the hundreds but hasn’t been confirmed, although the union claims it is “significant”.

A spokesperson said: “The BVU is working with members in light of the policy change made by Vets Now without consultation.

“Our concern for the teams surrounds the changes made to rest periods which evidence shows are vital for safe night working, and safe travel home after shifts.”