3 Nov 2022
The RCVS Mind Matters Initiative has now donated £1.2 million to Vetlife since 2014.
James Westgate
Job Title
Vetlife has revealed it has now received more than £1 million in financial support from the RCVS Mind Matters Initiative (MMI).
The core services offered by Vetlife – Vetlife Helpline, Vetlife health support and Vetlife financial support – have long received financial support from a number of professional organisations.
Among these organisations is the RCVS, which has made regular donations to the charity for more than 20 years, and established MMI in 2014 to help improve the mental health and well-being of veterinary professionals.
MMI support includes a formalised donation to Vetlife health support, as well as providing a contribution to the annual training of Vetlife Helpline volunteers and paying for the call-answering service for Vetlife Helpline.
This year, its £100,000 donation to Vetlife has brought the total value of the donations received since 2014 to more than £1.2 million.
Demand for all Vetlife services has been increasing year on year, with applications for Vetlife financial support rising by 85% since 2019.
Vetlife president Graham Dick said: “The current cost of living crisis, ongoing veterinary staffing issues and the much-welcomed expansion of Vetlife operations to embrace registered veterinary nurses will mean that our support services are needed more than ever, both now and for the foreseeable future.
“The generous contributions Vetlife receives from donors such as the RCVS, via its Mind Matters Initiative, enables us to continue to be there for all in the veterinary community.”
Lizzie Lockett, chief executive of the RCVS, said: “The college is committed to being a compassionate regulator and that means genuinely supporting members of the veterinary professions to enable them to continue to work in the professions they love.
“The Mind Matters Initiative focuses on prevention, protection and support when it comes to mental health issues within the professions, and Vetlife contributes so much by supporting the professions’ mental health and well-being, through its dedicated staff and volunteers.”
Vetlife Helpline is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on 0303 040 2551 or via anonymous email.
