30 Apr 2022
Association releases statistics for World Veterinary Day today (30 April) and launches a campaign to support vets and veterinary workplaces experiencing abuse from animal owners.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
Image © fizkes / Adobe Stock
The BVA is calling on vet teams to protect colleagues from abusive clients as new figures show one in two vets is subjected to online abuse.
The body has launched a campaign, called “Respect your vet team – end abuse” to support vets and veterinary workplaces experiencing abuse, either in person or online from animal owners.
Released on World Veterinary Day, statistics from the BVA’s Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey show online abuse – such as trolling, harassment and unfair reviews – is nearly as common as in-person abuse.
In the latest survey, vets who had experienced online abuse in the past 12 months were more likely to report they expect to have left the profession in five years’ time (29% versus 9% of vets who had not received abuse).
Female vets (45% versus 30% male) and younger vets (49% aged below 35 versus 27% of vets aged above 55) were more likely to receive abuse.
Most common online abuse reported was unfair reviews (90%), followed by abusive language (46%), trolling (33%) and online harassment (31%).
BVA president Justine Shotton said: “The current pressures on vet teams are immense and it’s simply unacceptable that their jobs should be made even harder by abuse from clients, either online or in person.
“We’re very aware that a visit to the vet may be an anxious and uncertain time for animal owners – particularly when the prognosis is poor or the necessary treatment is costly, but it is absolutely unacceptable to take these frustrations out on veterinary staff. These figures show that such interactions are just as frequent and just as damaging online as they are in person.
“I know from experience the huge impact that a single aggressive or intimidating interaction with a client can have on your mental well-being. When incidents mount up, it is no surprise that they can affect our sense of job satisfaction and ultimately drive skilled veterinary staff out of the profession.”
In a separate survey last year, 57% of vets in clinical practice reported they had felt intimidated by clients’ language or behaviour in the preceding 12 months – an increase of 10 percentage points since the same question was asked in 2019.
The BVA has a “good veterinary workplace policy” in place that sets out measures for a zero-tolerance approach to abuse, while the “Respect your vet team” campaign will include resources to support vets and vet teams in tackling problems.
The body is also working with Vetlife to tackle the impact of abuse on mental health and well-being.
Dr Shotton added: “The focus of World Vet Day this year is resilience, but that cannot just mean individual vets struggling on in the face of aggressive and unpleasant behaviour from clients. Most clients are cooperative and grateful for the care their animals receive, but a small minority are creating an intolerable environment for veterinary professionals in person and online.
“We’re hoping that this toolkit will be a first step in supporting vet teams to have conversations about these problems and to put practical support in place to limit their impact. If we want to protect the well-being of veterinary professionals and tackle retention issues, we must protect our teams.”
Vetlife Helpline is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on 0303 040 2551 or via anonymous email.
