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Mind Matters invites research abstracts for symposium
Louise Allum is chair of MMI.
The symposium will take place in October 2025.

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) is inviting researchers from around the world to submit abstracts for its 2025 veterinary mental health research symposium.

MMI's fifth symposium is set to take place on 10 October 2025 at the Eastside Rooms, Birmingham, and will focus on the theme of ‘Advancing veterinary mental health research: learning from the past, considering the present, and looking to the future’.

Researchers at any career stage can submit an abstract for either oral presentation or poster presentation. The abstract must be linked to at least one of MMI's strategic areas of focus for 2025:
  • Veterinary professionals’ suicide prevention  
  • Veterinary occupational stressors (including trauma and burnout)
  • Mental health in veterinary education
  • Veterinary workplace leadership and mental health
  • Veterinary professionals’ mental health and equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).
Next year will also mark 10 years since MMI was launched to improve the mental health and wellbeing of veterinary professionals.

Louise Allum, MMI chair, said: “It is of vital importance that we can collectively learn from recent endeavours to work out how we can collaborate towards creating a brighter future for the professions.

“It is only through events such as our symposia that we can start to understand where those vital research gaps lie, as well as what actions we need to take next in order to advance our understanding of veterinary mental health.
 
“Our symposium presents a fantastic opportunity for knowledge exchange in the veterinary mental health research sphere so that, together, we can continue to foster a compassionate environment and build a solid evidence-base for veterinary mental health research to grow and evolve.”

The deadline for submitting an abstract in 28 February 2025. Details about how to submit can be found here.

Image © RCVS

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."