North of Ireland Veterinary Association discuss veterinary workforce shortage in Northern Ireland

The RCVS and both British and Irish Veterinary Associations have all recently attempted to analyse the reasons for the exodus.

The recent NIVA (North of Ireland Veterinary Association) Spring Meeting took the form of a workshop to address the issues and try to identify possible solutions.

North of Ireland Veterinary Association, established in 1907, is a membership community representing the voice of veterinarians from all sectors across Northern Ireland.

Almost 60 vets and veterinary nurses from all sectors of the profession, including a couple of current students, attended the meeting in the Seagoe Hotel, Portadown.

After listening to a very thought-provoking presentation from veterinary business consultant Alan Robinson BVSc MRCVS DMS (Director Vet Dynamics), the audience split into groups to consider the challenges they were each facing and brainstorm creative solutions.

Many of the challenges (Brexit, demographic changes, corporatisation, increased levels of public anxiety) remain outside the control of individuals, or even organisations, but increases in both workload and work-related stress were a recurring theme.

Issues with recruitment and retention are not unique to Northern Ireland - the figures are on a par with the rest of the UK and Ireland - but the shortage is of particular concern in a region so heavily reliant on animal-based food production.

It is certainly important that Northern Ireland has enough vets in practice to maintain access to veterinary care for individual pets and livestock, but it is also vital to have enough to protect animal health and welfare across the board - vets in research labs, drug companies, feed consultancy work, charities and DAERA.

There is an obvious need to try to retain vets currently working and to recruit, for the profession generally and Northern Ireland specifically. This is going to require creative engagement from all stakeholders.

Students must be home-grown (a good argument for a local vet school) or attracted to explore what NI has to offer.

A subgroup of NIVA Council has been set up to consider some strategies.

They have already opened communications with some of the vet schools to try to attract students to consider EMS (Extra Mural Studies) placements in NI and are researching other ways to advertise the unique appeal of working in Northern Ireland to a wider audience.

Recent graduates also need to be attracted and then nurtured and encouraged, ideally both by employers and understanding clients.

Flexible working options may improve retention later and deserve consideration on as individualised a basis as possible.

Public facing communications are also being considered to help manage client expectations and invite understanding of the current situation.

BVA resources associated with their Good Veterinary Workplace initiative will be useful to many.

Technology should be embraced if it will be helpful to reduce friction anywhere in the system.

Above all else, efforts need to be redoubled to make everyone in the veterinary team feel valued.

NIVA will continue to focus its attention on providing a support network and pastoral care for the whole profession in Northern Ireland, nurturing relationships in the hope that members in all sectors and at all career stages will feel welcome, connected to their peers, and motivated to remain within the “veterinary family”.

NIVA is grateful to sponsors Ezyvet, Summit and Zoetis, whose generosity made this workshop possible.