RCVS campaign to explore reasonable adjustments
RCVS hopes 'Let's talk adjustments' will improve discourse on the topic.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has launched its new ‘Let’s talk adjustments’ campaign, as it aims to raise awareness of the reasonable adjustments practice managers can make for their team.
Running until the end of July, the campaign will also address common myths and misconceptions about the provision of necessary adjustments.
A ‘reasonable adjustment’ describes a change that an employer can make to remove or reduce disadvantage linked to an employee’s disability. This might include a change to their working environments or providing additional equipment, services and support.
The campaign, run by RCVS and the Mind Matters Initiative, will involve a series of small projects and activities which raise awareness of reasonable adjustments and the legal responsibilities of employers. It will then explore possible adjustments, incorporating them in specific veterinary examples.
A Mind Matters Applied Mental Health Science Series will also be launched in spring to explore the reasonable adjustments that can be made for mental health conditions.
The campaign is inspired by the Disability and Chronic Illness in Veterinary Work and Education Survey, created by RCVS and British Veterinary Chronic Illness Support (BCVIS) in July last year.
The findings of the survey revealed a need for more awareness about reasonable adjustments and corresponding legislation. RCVS says that both individuals and workplaces needed more knowledge to effectively implement reasonable adjustments where needed.
Communication was also found to be a key issue, with many calling for a two-way dialogue between team members and their managers. Respondents said that this would empower individuals to request support and give managers the confidence to provide it through quality conversations and adjustments.
RCVS hopes that its latest campaign will improve discourse about reasonable adjustments, encouraging more individuals to speak up about their needs.
Rapinder Newton, MMI lead, said: "We know that physical and mental health are deeply interconnected. Reasonable adjustments can support both physical and mental health but also helps to safeguard mental health through allowing individuals with disabilities to thrive.
"We will be keeping people updated on the campaign, which has its own dedicated section on the RCVS website, via the RCVS social media channels, as well as providing information in RCVS newsletters, so do keep an eye out for this over the coming months."
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RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.
